Robust Resources intersects high-grade manganese on Romang Island
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Robust Resources (ASX: ROL) has continued to encounter high-grade manganese mineralisation near surface at its Romang Island project in eastern Indonesia.
The company has received results for three recent holes, which it specifically drilled to target manganese mineralisation.
Each of these holes intersected significant widths and grades of manganese including high-grade zones over significant widths, such as:
– 26.7 metres at 40.5 per cent manganese from surface, including 2.5 metres at 56.9 per cent manganese from 5.9 metres, 9.5 metres at 56.6 per cent manganese from 12.9 metres, and 2 metres at 59 per cent manganese from 16.9 metres.
– 14.2m at 48.0 per cent manganese from surface, including 6m at 56.4 per cent manganese from 6m, including 1m at 59.6 per cent manganese from 9m; and
– 21.1m at 37.5 per cent manganese from surface, including 9.2m at 48.6 per cent manganese from 11.9m, including 5.1m at 53.1 per cent manganese from 11.9m.
Robust said the mineralisation in the Manganese Valley remains open in three directions with evident consistency of manganese mineralisation from hole to hole.
The company is now waiting on assays from a further 11 holes, many of which it claims showed visible manganese mineralisation in the drill core.
Core tray containing high-grade manganese assay. Source: Company announcement
A drilling program of shallow holes is ongoing to test the extent of the manganese mineralisation.
“While our primary focus is on expanding our gold, silver and base metals resource on Romang Island through ongoing exploration, the strong results from our exploration efforts at Manganese Valley present Robust with a new opportunity,” Robust Resources managing director Gary Lewis said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
“Given the very strong assay results, and the success from previous exploration efforts focused on manganese, we have now designed an exploration program specifically to target manganese mineralisation.
“The results for the first 3 holes in this new program are very encouraging and have produced some very high-grade assays.
“The theoretical maximum manganese content for pure manganese dioxide is 63 per cent and our peak assay of 59.6 per cent manganese approaches that purity.
“This gives us every confidence that we have a high-grade deposit at Manganese Valley.
“These results are a further indication of the prolific mineralisation on Romang Island, and given our very strong funding position of more than $26 million of cash and receivables, we have the financial flexibility to fast-track our manganese exploration efforts on Romang in 2013.”