Sheffield Resources validates Dozer Trap Mining for Thunderbird

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Sheffield Resources (ASX: SFX) has completed a metallurgical testwork program at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Thunderbird mineral sands project, located near Derby in Western Australia.

The sampling collected over 100 tonnes of bulk sample using a large Bauer drilling rig, the type that is usually used to install construction foundations, which drills a large diameter (0.7m) hole using a combination of auger and bucket tools.

Sheffield completed five holes during the recent program within the area of the Thunderbird deposit it has targeted for the first four to six years of production.

The holes sampled a variety of overburden and mineralised material, which was observed and assessed by engineering group RCR Mining Technologies to evaluate the Thunderbird mineralisation for its suitability for standard mineral sands mining methods.

The mining and material handling characteristics of the mineralisation that were demonstrated from the samples resulted in RCR confirming dozer trap mining to be the preferred mining method for the Thunderbird deposit.

“The bulk sampling program is another important step in the development of the project,” Sheffield Resources managing director Bruce McQuitty said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Geotechnical studies and the Bauer drilling program provide further assurance that the Thunderbird deposit can be mined using conventional dozer trap equipment.

“We anticipated that the Thunderbird mineralisation would be easy digging, but the ease with which material was excavated using the Bauer rig resulted in this program being completed well ahead of schedule.”

Website: www.sheffieldresources.com.au