For the period from 1/1/2013 until the date of licence full surrender, the following additional activities were undertaken: - 1/1/2013 to 31/1/2013 – magnetite ore characterisation analyses, and interpretation of 2012 ground gravity survey data,...
For the period from 1/1/2013 until the date of licence full surrender, the following additional activities were undertaken: - 1/1/2013 to 31/1/2013 – magnetite ore characterisation analyses, and interpretation of 2012 ground gravity survey data, seeking possible haematite iron ore targets; - 31/1/2013 to 31/1/2014 – exploratory brownfields drilling of five newly defined gravity anomalies; - 1/1/2014 to 31/1/2015 – metallurgical testwork, and updating of the in-house prefeasibility study's findings. The Nov-Dec 2012 gravity survey, acquired by Centrex Metals using its own equipment, had read 2973 new gravity stations at 400 m/200 m x 50 m precision to cover 30 square km around the Wilgerup iron ore deposit. This increased the high definition gravity data coverage to 50 square km. Initially, a test gravity profile was run across the Wilgerup North Pod 13 Mt haematite orebody to check the suitability of the new survey method's acquisition parameters against those that had been previously used by contractor Haines Surveys when reading the existing data set. This work showed that the Wilgerup haematite gravity anomaly is linear, ~1.5 mGal in amplitude, and has a width of ~500 m, and it gave a very close match of profiled values between the two data sets. Inspection of the processed 2012 gravity data, seeking any residual Bouguer anomalies of amplitude equal to or higher than the known Wilgerup haematite anomaly, identified five anomalies with similar characteristics. These lay in the north-eastern part of the licence area. During July-August 2013, 22 mainly vertical open RC holes with a total penetration of 1725 m were drilled by Centrex to test the newly identified gravity/magnetic anomalies. RC drill chips and washed RC drill chips were collected at two-metre intervals from surface to EOH for all holes. 21 visually selected bulk ore samples for possible future testwork were collected just after drilling and prior to assaying. Strongly folded beds of magnetite BIF and magnetite-carbonate BIF were encountered at almost all of the drilled anomalies, with A21, A22 and A23 having the most promising iron occurrences which include some minor haematite BIF. Much of the ground drilled within the overlying cover sequence was highly broken and was saturated with very saline groundwater, while the Proterozoic bedrock is extensively weathered and contains much saprolitic clay and also karst dissolution features. The A3 gravity anomaly was found to arise from a buried amphibolite intrusion. Other drillhole sample assaying and Davis Tube Recovery (“DTR”) magnetic separation testwork was done on mineralised intervals from four previously drilled Centrex RC holes and three historic diamond holes. The latter were obtained from DMITRE's Glenside Core Library. All DTR testwork used an in-house DTR procedure developed for the Company’s Bungalow Magnetite Project, which essentially involves staged grinding to a P80 of 38 microns. In 2014, a 3 mm crushed sample of Wilgerup North Pod haematite DSO ore was analysed for Centrex at Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Perth by quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscope (“QEMSCAN”). The sample was taken from diamond drillhole WD9, and yielded a head grade of 58% Fe, 4.4% SiO2, 2.4% Al2O3 and 0.8% P. Although the iron content in the ore was thought to be adequate, its phosphorus content is high, so several testwork trials were commissioned to investigate beneficiation techniques to reduce this deleterious content. In 2014, Centrex working directly with Bureau Veritas commenced bench scale reverse flotation test work. An initial sample of diamond drill core at 60% Fe and 0.8% P was tested using both a standard anionic and cationic collector at P98 grinds of 45 microns and 25 microns. The cationic collector provided poor results. The anionic collector showed 80-85% reductions in phosphorous at both grind sizes, but with only 53% iron recovery for the coarser grind and 33% for the finer. Given the higher yield at the coarser grind size, a P98 45 microns grind was adopted for further testwork. Higher doses of Dextrin and corn starch were then trialled to depress more iron in the float, but with limited success. The frother was reduced, and air flow rates increased, which then led to improved results with an 83% phosphorus reduction along with a 72% iron mass recovery. Finally, a specialist phosphorous collector was trialled, producing very good results of 89% phosphorous reduction, 89% iron recovery and a 6% increase in iron grade. In mid-2015, Centrex revised the mining, processing, product transport and port storage options canvassed in the Wilgerup prefeasibility study. The reason for this was to utilise new in-house intellectual property which had been gained from various iron ore development project works undertaken for Eyre Iron’s Fusion and Carrow projects as well as for the Bungalow magnetite project and the Port Spencer Joint Venture.
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