ASX-listed manganese, copper and cobalt explorer Black Canyon reports that a field assessment of its Flanagan Bore manganese prospect in the Pilbara, Western Australia, has confirmed the presence of extensive mineralisation at surface and highlighted significant scope to grow the known mineralisation in several areas.

The field assessment, led by Black Canyon executive director Brendan Cummins, confirmed outcropping manganese-enriched shales from the prospective Balfour Formation at the predicted locations and identified several new prospect areas that have not been adequately drill tested.

Surface manganese mineralisation was observed over an area of 1 000 m by 900 m at the FB1 prospect, where recently identified historic drilling intersected significant intervals, including 18 m at a grade of 11.2% manganese from surface.

At 3 m, a grade of 21% manganese was also found, as was the mineral at 20 m at a grade of 12.5% and 24 m at 10.3%.

At the FB3 and FB4 prospects, fieldwork uncovered widespread folded manganese-enriched shales that are exposed over a strike of about 400 m, which have not been drill tested.

In addition, surface mineralisation has been identified 500 m to the south of thick manganese intervals previously drilled over an area of 1 000 m by 200 m at the LR1 prospect.

“The Flanagan Bore project has potential to host significant manganese mineralisation. With one field trip we have been able to reconcile the thick drill intersections ranging 10 m to 37 m previously encountered at the LR1 prospect,” he says.

Located 120 km northeast of Newman, Black Canyon’s Flanagan Bore tenement is part of the company’s Carawine project and is subject to a farm-in and joint venture agreement with Carawine Resources, whereby Black Canyon can earn up to a 75% interest in the Carawine project tenements.

In light of the strong results from the field trip, Black Canyon has scheduled drilling to start at Flanagan Bore in the third quarter of the year.

Cummins notes that “immense exploration upside” exists at the company’s Pilbara projects, and the company has been boosted by the appointment of Jeremy Aldworth as exploration manager.

“I have worked previously with Aldworth, during which time we added significant value through the discovery and expansion of several economic mineral sands resources in Tanzania,” says Cummins.

With Aldworth, Cummins hopes to replicate this success at Back Canyon.

Having walked the ground and comparing the geology of the LR1 prospect to the new prospects associated with widespread manganese-enriched shale, Cummins says there is hope that the potential thickness of the target manganese horizon may have similar ranges.

“The potential is further confirmed with the discovery of a shallow plunging fold/limb structures across the Flanagan Bore tenement and we look forward to drill testing these targets in the coming quarter,” he concludes.