Photo by: Reuters
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Tertiary Minerals on Tuesday said the permitting for Phase 3 drilling at the MB fluorspar project, in Nevada, had been approved.
The Phase-3 drilling programme was planned to increase the size of the inferred mineral resource by extending the drilling to the north and west of the defined mineral resource, as well as target potential higher-grade fluorspar closer to the source of mineralisation by drilling to the west of the defined mineral resource.
The fluorspar-focused mineral exploration and development company explained that the programme had been approved under a notice to conduct exploration drilling by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and a reclamation bond was lodged and accepted by the BLM.
The drilling contract had been awarded to Boart Longyear, with drilling expected to be completed by the end of November. This would be followed by analytical results, which would be reported periodically as they became available, starting in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Tertiary Minerals MD Richard Clemmey said: “We are delighted to have completed the planning and have all the necessary approvals in place to start our Phase-3 drilling programme on the MB project. This is an exciting phase where we expect to increase the size of the already significant Joint Ores Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant mineral resource and target potential higher-grade fluorspar.”
On April 16, the company announced a substantial maiden Jorc-compliant mineral resource estimate for the MB fluorspar project of 38.4-million tonnes, grading 10.4% fluorspar at 8% fluorspar cutoff.
The deposit remains open at depth and in all lateral directions.