Pan Asia Metals Ltd (ASX:PAM) plans to start drilling the Doyenwae prospect within Minter Tungsten Project in New South Wales after receiving State Government approval for a six-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program of 1000-1200 metres.
The program aims to test the potential for near-surface tungsten mineralisation that may be amenable to open-pit mining.
It will also test a revised interpretation of the controls on tungsten mineralisation at Doyenwae.
PAM aspires to produce tungsten concentrate from the project as potential feed into South East Asian downstream processing initiatives.
Second drilling program
PAM managing director Paul Lock said the company was pleased to be starting its second drilling program within two months of first quotation on the ASX.
“The Minter Tungsten Project provides PAM with a substantial amount of exploration data to work with and we expect preliminary results before Christmas.
“If we achieve our objective of successfully clarifying previous drilling results, then PAM will be positioned to estimate an inaugural mineral resource relatively quickly.
“Minter is one of several PAM projects and target projects which have the potential to be a source of tungsten concentrate for future downstream processing operations in South East Asia.”
Minter project
The Minter project is within the central portion of the Lachlan Orogen, also known as the Lachlan Fold Belt, which includes the broadly-defined Wagga Tin Belt.
This tin belt hosts numerous granites of particular composition that give rise to tin, tin-tungsten, tungsten and gold mineralisation hosted within the granite intrusions and/or adjacent metasediments, and commonly in quartz veins.
The Minter project sits midway between the productive Gibsonvale and Tallebung tin-tungsten fields and 110 kilometres north-northwest of the substantial Ardlethan tin field.
Exploration by previous explorers at Minter has defined a belt of prospective tungsten mineralisation hosted in quartz veins occurring within metasediments near a granite contact.
This work has identified elevated tungsten over a relatively large area.
At Doyenwae prospect, there has been about 3,600 metres of drilling in 59 holes yielding numerous low to moderate grade tungsten trioxide intersections over a relatively large area.
Much of this was shallow aircore drilling to about 20-25 metres vertically below the surface along with 17 RC holes and one diamond core hole.
Upcoming drilling
This upcoming drilling program aims to test this new interpretation and, if successful, has the potential to position PAM to delineate an exploration target and inferred resource.
Durock Drilling, the drilling contractor, has scheduled to mobilise on December 10 with preliminary assay results expected in late 2020.
The company may consider additional drilling in early 2021.