PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified mining company Aquila Resources has increased its resource at the Avontuur manganese project, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, by 96%, bringing the total resource to 66,7-million tons, at 39,3% manganese.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that 26% of the estimated resource is now in the measured and indicated category.

Aquila was currently planning expanded drilling at the Gravenhage deposit, which is at the northern edge of the Avontuur basin. As the deposit occurs at a shallow depth, Aquila considered it suitable for an openpit mining operation, with subsequent underground mining by decline from the final openpit.

The Gravenhage deposit is likely to produce around one-million tons a year, during its openpit life, while subsequent underground mining could support a mine life of up to 30 years.

The company noted that there was significant scope to increase the size of the Gravenhage manganese resource by further exploring the down dip of the current resource area.

A programme of diamond drilling was now planned for the Avontuur basin edge, south of existing drilling, where historic exploration has previously intersected high-grade manganese interceptions.

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