Western Desert Resources' beneficiation tests successful at Roper Bar Iron Ore Project, NT

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 by Proactive Investors

Western Desert Resources (ASX:WDR) has advised of the results of beneficiation testwork on samples from the first drill campaign conducted at the Roper Bar iron ore project by Western Desert Resources Limited and ITOCHU subsidiary, IMEA Exploration and Development of Australia Pty Ltd (IEDA) indicate upgrading by heavy liquid separation may be technically feasible.

Highlights:

• Heavy liquid separation process successful on material tested
• One sample successfully upgraded from 53% Fe to 65% Fe
• Two samples successfully upgraded from 41% Fe to 65% Fe
• Silica content effectively reduced to between 4% & 5% SIO2

Western Desert’s Managing Director, Mr Norm Gardner, said today, “This is a significant milestone for the Roper Bar project. In the past six months Western Desert Resources has demonstrated the extent of the ironstone under cover in addition to outcropping mineralisation, with the possibility of some material of direct shipping quality to be tested in 2009, followed now by the demonstration that some material of lower grade may be economically upgraded.”

Preliminary beneficiation test work has been completed on three ironstone core samples from Roper Bar. The heavy liquid separation test results for the highest density liquid (SG >4.05) are encouraging with an enhancement of the iron ore grade from 41% to 65% in two of the samples and from 53% to 65% in the third sample. There is also a significant reduction of the silica content from about 15% to 4% in the higher grade sample and from about 35% to 5% in the lower grade samples. The amount of material being upgraded is between 45% and 68% of the original samples.

Forward exploration program 2009

The forward 2009 exploration program for the project by WDR and IEDA will be principally devoted to drilling previously mapped high grade outcropping targets in Area F and Area E with the objective of an initial resource estimate followed by drilling high grade targets in Area D. The drilling program is expected to commence as soon as practicable following suitable access at the end of the seasonal rainy period.

The Roper Bar project is 30 kilometres west of the Gulf of Carpentaria and 240 kilometres east of
the Alice-Darwin rail line.

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