JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Hazelwood Resources has identified a significant maiden mineral resource estimate for the Big Hill tungsten deposit, in the Pilbara area of Western Australia.

At a cut-off grade of 0,1% tungsten trioxide (WO₃), a total mineral resource of 8,97-million tons, at 0,17% WO₃ for about 1,6-million tons units contained tungsten, was reported.  This was more than 80% greater in size than the initial conceptual target for the project.

The Big Hill deposit was currently one of the largest reported measured resources of any tungsten deposit in Australia.

A significant portion of the resource was measured and indicated and was near-surface, higher in grade, and ideal mill feed, Hazelwood Resources said in a statement. An estimated 70% of the resource was within 100 m of the surface, and remained open in all directions.

The Big Hill deposit formed part of Hazelwood’s Cookes Creek project, which lies about 70 km from the town of Nullagine. Hazelwood has conducted focused drilling and metallurgical testwork programmes at the Big Hill deposit, but only a fraction of the extensive mineralised sequence at Big Hill has been evaluated for resources.

The project concept was for a mining and processing operation with a production capacity of about 200 000 t units of tungsten concentrate a year.

Hazelwood stated on Tuesday that the maiden mineral resource estimate was a major milestone in the project’s path to development. Elements of a prefeasibility study were being progressed, with completion expected by the second half of 2009. A preliminary cost model was also being developed.

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