Spitfire Resources Limited has provided an update on several positive developments with its manganese exploration activities in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Spitfire has secured a prospective new manganese exploration tenement located approximately 38 kilometers north west of the Woodie Woodie Manganese Mine and approximately 110 kilometers north of Spitfire's South Woodie Woodie Project. The tenement application, ELA45/3730, which covers an area of 43 square kilometers, increases the company's ground holdings in the emerging East Pilbara manganese province to more than 1,800 square kilometers, making it one of the largest land holders in the district.
The tenement is located in close proximity to the Oakover Manganese Project, where recent significant near surface manganese intersections have been reported in a 43 hole RC drilling program by Jupiter including 2 meters @ 35.5% Mn and 4 meters @ 31.21% Mn. The tenement also lies near Shaw River Resources' Baramine Manganese Project, where a drilling program is currently underway. The new tenement is reported to contain outcrops of Carawine Dolomite and Pinjian Chert, the main host rock formations for the high grade manganese deposits at Woodie Woodie.
The expanded South Woodie Woodie Project area lies close to several active manganese exploration projects as well as three existing manganese processing facilities. These include the existing Woodie Woodie mine, the Nicholas Downs mine and the Auvex Ant Hill Mine.
As reported in the June 2010 Quarterly Report, a Phase I program of reconnaissance drilling was completed last Quarter across 15 geophysical and geological target areas at South Woodie Woodie. The targets are located throughout EL46/616, which hosts the Tally Ho manganese deposit. Geological logging of the results indicated that hole WWS079, located 9 kilometers north of the Tally Ho deposit intersected 20 metres of visual mineralization.
Assay results have now been received for WWS079 and three other drill holes in the vicinity, WWS072, WWS082 and THRC076, which intersected visual manganese mineralization. The mineralization has been interpreted to be similar in style to that found at Tally Ho. While the mineralization at Tally Ho comprises multiple high grade seams, drilling at Bandits has intersected a single narrow seam.
While at this stage the prospect appears to have limited economic potential, Spitfire is encouraged by the widespread nature of these anomalous intersections, combined with the presence of outcropping high grade manganese.
Follow up drilling is planned in this area to test for the presence of larger accumulations of Tally Ho style mineralization as part of the planned Phase II drilling program commencing in October 2010.
Regional exploration activities are continuing at the South Woodie Woodie Project including mapping together with interpretation of the previously completed airborne geophysical surveys. A number of new targets have been identified within the current prospect area on EL46/616, to the north of the Tally Ho deposit and on the tenement of EL46/615 to the north.
These include targets which are considered prospective for direct shipping style manganese, as well as lower grade Tally Ho-style mineralization. Preparations are continuing for Phase II drilling, with Programs of Work to be submitted in August for both the 616 and 615 tenements Drilling is planned to commence, subject to approvals, heritage clearances and drill rig availability, in October 2010.
