Archer Materials Limited (ASX:AXE) has begun drilling at the Franklyn Halloysite-Kaolin Project in South Australia in a bid to confirm the extent and quality of kaolin mineralisation.
Assay results from Franklyn, which is around 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, are expected during the next four to six weeks.
A review of historical drill results has also resulted in the establishment of a kaolin exploration target for the Eyre Peninsula (EP) Project, which is 115 kilometres southwest of Whyalla, also in SA.
Executive chairman Greg English said: “Franklyn and Eyre Peninsula are both large projects with early regional exploration results showing the potential to expand these projects further.
“Both projects are ideally located to existing infrastructure and easily accessed by existing roads and tracks thereby making exploration easier and relatively low cost.
“In addition to the presence of a large kaolin exploration target, the confirmation of the presence of halloysite at both the Franklyn and Eyre Peninsula projects increases the potential of these projects.
“We expect to finish drilling at Franklyn sometime this week with results to be reported during the next 4 to 6 weeks.”
At Franklyn, weathering of the Delamerian Granite (Bendigo Granite) has resulted in the development of a kaolinite-rich profile buried under Cainozoic transported sediments.
Historical drilling by the SA Government at Franklyn intersected substantial widths of kaolin mineralisation over an extensive area during their search for copper and gold.
Limited work was undertaken on the kaolin material as it was not the focus of exploration, however, halloysite comprising over 15% of one sample was reported.
The drill program involves the drilling of 18 holes, to an average depth of 47 metres for a total of 850 drill metres.
EP Project
The EP project comprises the Kelly Tank and Bunora prospects with the exploration target only including these two prospects.
A review of historical reports for the EPHPA project by Pechiney Exploration Pty Ltd identified the presence of halloysite in composite sampling work undertaken at both Bunora and Kelly Tank.
Archer recently collected two rock chip samples at Kelly Tank and one sample from Bunora South as part of reconnaissance exploration work during a meeting with landowners.
The samples were submitted for wet testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) testing to identify the presence of halloysite.
Next steps
Once drilling at Franklyn is completed drill samples will then be submitted for wet screening and XRD testing to determine the presence of halloysite.
The test work is expected to take 4-6 weeks with the results being disclosed as soon as they become available.
