Pioneer Resources Confirms Caesium Mineralisation Continuity

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has been drilling at the company’s 100 per cent-held Pioneer Dome project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, which includes the Sinclair Zone caesium deposit.

Pioneer Resources completed a program of diamond-drilling to infill five sections with the strongest caesium mineralisation (in the form of the mineral pollucite) in preparation for final open pit mine design work.

Each of the key sections returned pollucite intersections in line with earlier modelling.

Caesium (Pollucite) intersections included:

PDD162
11.15m at 17.43 per cent caesium oxide (Cs2O) from 38.2m;

PDD166
5.7m at 29.61 per cent Cs2O from 37.7m;

PDD167
2.68m at 27.11 per cent Cs2O from 40.82m and 7.18m at 16.04 per cent Cs2O from 47.88m;

PDD170
7.45m at 16.58 per cent Cs2O from 43.6m; and

PDD174
4.3m at 20.89 per cent Cs2O from 43.5m.

Lithium mineralisation (petalite and lepidolite), occuring peripheral to the caesium mineralisation, included:

PDD161
25.02m at 2.14 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) from 41.98m;

PDD163
16.43m at 2.27 per cent Li2O from 40.57m;

PDD164
16.1m at 2.64 per cent Li2O from 39.9m;

PDD168
16.5m at 1.75 per cent Li2O from 40.5m;

PDD173
26.7m at 1.82 per cent Li2O from 34.3m;

PDD175
23.1m at 1.94 per cent Li2O from 41.9m; and

PDD176
19m at 1.62 per cent Li2O from 38m.

The program totalled 20 drill holes and produced 1,333.29 metres of core.

Of these, 15 holes targeted caesium or lithium mineralisation with most holes intersecting potassium (microcline).

With lithium and caesium results to hand, Pioneer’s geological consultants from the Mitchell River Group are revising the Mineral Resource Estimate for caesium.

Potassium (microcline) samples, which require specialised processing, are currently being analysed, with results expected before the end of April.

The company said its open pit design and confirmation economic study are on track to be concluded by the end of May 2018.

Pioneer has the next pass of RC drilling underway, designed to test targets to the immediate north of the Sinclair Zone caesium deposit, principally targeting lithium minerals but also supplying information to enable future targeting for caesium.

“The Sinclair deposit is proving to be an exciting opportunity for the company as it moves towards its first mining operation,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“This round of drilling confirmed the continuity of the pollucite mineralisation, significantly de-risking the project from an ore supply perspective.

“The company is entirely focussed on advancing the Mine Plan (environmental) and Project Management Plan (safety) and moving towards production.”

 

Website: www.pioresources.com.au