JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Alba Minerals has been granted an exclusive licence to explore the coastline of Greenland’s Thule black sand province, targeting heavy mineral sands, especially ilmenite.
The licence, covering 384 km2, is 9 km from fellow-listed Bluejay Mining’s Pittufik ilmenite project, where an inferred resource of 23.6-million tonnes at 8.8% ilmenite has recently been announced.
According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, the beaches around the former settlement Moriusaq and along the adjacent south-east trending coastline are the most promising black sand occurrences from an economic point of view. The most economically promising heavy mineral sands occur on active and raised beaches of the Steensby Land ilmenite showing.
Alba says the grade of the active beaches in the region is high - up to 60% - with an historic average of about 43% titanium dioxide (TiO2). Raised beaches have a larger tonnage potential, but lower titanium values - up to 23% TiO2 with an average around 12%.
Alba is planning an exploration programme for later this year with a view to confirming grade and extent of mineralisation within its licence area. Exploration will primarily involve surface sampling and trenching and use of ground penetrating radar, together with relatively inexpensive shallow augur drilling of the beach zones.