JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Ongoing exploration programmes at Tawana Resources’ fully owned Mofe Creek iron-ore project, in Liberia, have delineated some 7 km of additional potential itabirite strike length with an average in-situ head grade of between 31% and 36% iron over multiple targets adjacent to the Zaway and Koehnko Main deposits.

“Proximity of the newly delineated exploration targets to the existing maiden deposits provides potential to significantly increase the current resource in future drilling programmes.

“Field teams will continue to delineate and refine exploration targets adjacent to and beyond the Gofolo Main deposit over the coming weeks,” MD Len Kolff said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ongoing fieldwork, which included mapping, structural measurements and rock-chip sampling had delineated and refined “highly-prospective” iron formation targets within the broader magnetic and topographic trends previously defined. 

A 4 km combined strike length over nine discrete anomalies had been defined at the Zaway prospect area, including 2 km of discontinuous iron mineralisation along the 3.3-km-long Zaway North-West target ridge.

Average iron grades defined varied between 21% and 57% iron and were characterised by discrete coarse-grained itabirite outcrops very similar to mineralisation intersected in drilling at the Zaway Main deposit.

At the newly explored Koehnko targets, mineralisation was typically finer-grained than Zaway targets, with finite and limited outcrops. A 3 km combined strike length over five exploration targets had been delineated along the eastern and southern topographic and magnetic target zones.

Average in-situ iron head-grades for the exploration targets varied between 21% and 49% iron, from the combined results

The company said on Tuesday that both metallurgical laboratory and site-based fieldwork was progressing well and on schedule for the completion of the Mofe Creek scoping study.

All major consultant groups had advanced their respective disciplines and the principle deliverables for the study had been defined.

“The study will scope, design and cost the implementation of a two-stage development programme, with the proposed first stage being designed for the production of between one-million tonnes and two-million tonnes a year of final product.

“The second stage will consider the production of between five-million tonnes and ten-million tonnes a year,” Tawana stated.

A high-level environmental and social overview had been completed, while the requirements of the environmental- and social-impact assessment application for the pending prefeasibility study were currently being scoped.

A consulting group was also reviewing the geotechnical and hydrological mine design criteria as well as the mine and tailings storage-facility design in support of the scoping study.

In addition, a desktop review of barging and transshipment options in support of the stage-two production scenario was ongoing.