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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Metallurgical testwork at Savannah Resources’ Jangamo mineral sands project, in southern Mozambique, has confirmed the project’s potential to host a “major” heavy minerals system, outlining high-grade zones of heavy minerals with total heavy minerals (THMs) of up to 5% including ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene and zircon.
“Given the early stage of the exploration project and the very wide spacing of the drilling, this is an encouraging sign. Importantly, the mineralisation starts from surface and, as a result, any potential mining operation would have a very low strip ratio,” the company said on Thursday.
Follow-up testwork to isolate minerals into potential products through the use of conventional separation techniques was under way and should provide indicative grades of potential products, be used to scope out and characterise the potential of Jangamo and to outline a path for the project through to a scoping study.
Savannah CEO David Archer said the more detailed assaying programme had highlighted the possibility of far higher-grade zones of THMs within the strand systems.
“Assuming the ground magnetics test programme is successful, it is anticipated that an air-magnetic survey will be flown, which will help us define and target these higher grade zones in the next round of scout drilling.
“The project is now at a very exciting stage as we continue to confirm the potential for Jangamo to host a major heavy minerals system, and we look forward to further positive results as our 2014 exploration programme picks up pace,” he noted.
The company hoped to define a Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource at Jangamo by the end of the year.