Viridis Mining and Minerals have confirmed high grade halloysite at Smoky following the return of laboratory analysis of selected samples taken from its recent site visit to the project in the upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.
With as much as 36.6 per cent halloysite in the raw material, mineral associations both match the mineralised model for the target Koogah formation and confirm the first halloysite at the site in decades.
While covering just six square kilometres of Hunter Valley territory, the single exploration licence contains the historic quarry where halloysite was last confirmed in the 1980’s, and potentially covers more than 3km strike length of a known and unique kaolin-halloysite bearing sequence.
We are extremely pleased to report the confirmation of high grade halloysite at the project and look forward to further updating the market on the results from our recently completed aircore drill campaign at Smoky,” Viridis Executive Chairman Agha Shahzad Pervez said.
The naturally occurring nanotube clay material has gained interest in various industries due to its unique properties and number of potential applications, particularly in the electronics industry, where continually increasing demand for products is expected to drive growth for the halloysite market.
Next Steps
Viridis have assay results due from a recently completed aircore campaign at Smoky, directed at testing the depth, strike, and mineralogy of kaolin occurrences, with results set to determine future exploration at the project.