Accelerate Resources Limited (ASX:AX8) has identified multiple corridors of manganese mineralisation within the central part of the Project that demonstrate the potential for structurally controlled large tonnage mineralisation at its Woodie Woodie North Manganese Project in Western Australia.
Based on an evaluation of the distribution of manganese outcrops, structural domains interpreted from high resolution imagery, regional and historic geophysical data (magnetic, gravity and dipole- dipole induced polarisation (DDIP) datasets), and a recent project-wide heli-bourne mapping programme, Accelerate has identified corridors of manganese mineralisation linked to major reverse faults and the linking structures formed between them. This form of mineralisation is characteristic of the Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor.
Five significant manganese corridors have been identified. Gum Creek and Parsons Creek corridors are the largest and are under explored. These corridors represent persistently mineralised trends that are analogous to the mineralisation at the Area 42 discovery and are extensions of the world class Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor to the south
Management is particularly excited by the scale and the underexplored nature of these mapped mineralised zones within the highly prospective geological setting. Planning for maiden drilling of these high priority targets is underway.
Consolidated Minerals’ Woodie Woodie mine is a world-class high-grade manganese producer, well-known for its premium high-grade low-impurity Manganese product for the last 50 years. In 2007, it was sold to Ukrainian owned Palmary Group company for A$1.3 billion. Current owner since 2017 is the Chinese owned TMI Group.
The Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor is a cluster of high-grade fault-hosted manganese deposits, over an area of approximately 3.5 km wide and extending for some 15 km along strike from Radio Hill in the north to Lox mine in the south. The manganese deposits are predominantly hydrothermal in origin with a late supergene overprint. The orebodies range in size from 0.2 Mt to 5.5 Mt with an average of 0.5 Mt.
Historically, more than 56 deposits and over 35 Mt of high-grade manganese have been mined within the Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor (Jones et al, Ore Geology Reviews 50, 2013). Large- sized deposits, such as Bells, Chris D and Greensnake with resources in the order of 5.0 Mt are intimately related to NNW fault lines and the intense hydrothermal alteration of the host dolomite.
Future Work
Outline of planned drilling in 2023
The 2023 drilling campaign will target both high-grade structurally controlled mineralisation and the supergene enriched surface caps for Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) style mineralisation.
Area 42 – Exploration for deeper seated mineralisation and near surface DSO tonnage
Drilling at Drew’s Find and the mapping across Area 42 has shown the presence of a mineralised manganese system with a vertical exposure of approximately of 130 m (80m in drilling, 50 m of Mn outcrops) that represent a significant target with the potential to host a large manganese deposit.
Planned resource drilling will target Chris’s Ridge across to Dirk’s Valley to test for potential DSO ore. Additional drilling is planned to extend the 2022 drilling at Dirk’s Valley, Dale’s Patch and Nathan’s Flat.
Initial scout drilling will be conducted at Chelsey’s Slide, Drape’s Hill and Citadel.
Barra North and Barra South Corridor – Resource Drilling
Resource drilling is also planned for:
• Area 3 to extend the known mineralisation and follow up a previous result of 17m at 21%cMn,
• Area 1, which aims to extend mineralisation to the south and northeast, and;
• Area 5 where drilling will follow up an earlier result of 14m at 21% Mn.
Parsons Creek Corridor Discovery – Near-surface outcrops and structural targets
Results from the recent assessment indicate that the Parsons Creek Corridor is a structurally complex area rich in manganese outcrops, across 4.5 x 2.5 kilometres which has the size and mineralisation signature to potentially host a large mineralised system.
Drilling will target each of Areas 40, 41 and 46 where substantial manganese outcrops occur to gain first-pass knowledge and the potential of the mineralised system.
