Pioneer Resources mineralogy test confirm Pollucite
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has received the results from a number of samples from the company’s 100 per cent-owned Pioneer Dome project, near Norseman in Western Australia.
Pioneers Resources said the samples had been analysed for qualitative mineralogy by XRD (X-ray diffraction) by Intertek Genalysis of Perth.
Drill hole PDRC015 returned:
6 metres at 27.7 per cent caesium oxide (Cs2O) from 47m and 7m at 1.52 per cent lithium dioxide (Li2O) from 52m.
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Source: Company announcement
Pioneer claims the minerals that have been identified are consistent with those seen only in an extremely differentiated zone of a rare metal pegmatite system and include:
Caesium mineral species confirmed as Pollucite by XRD. At the grade reported from PDRC015, being: 6m at 27.7 per cent Cs2O, the samples have very low amounts of other gangue minerals; and
The Pollucite samples from PDRC015 are considered very high in cesium and importantly low in lithium, sodium, potassium, Rubidium, Arsenic and sulphur.
Pioneer explained that by confirming the mineralogy as Pollucite, the company is now able to progress its exploration with the knowledge that the caesium mineral present is the preferred feed material in the production of Caesium Formate, a high density fluid used in high temperature/high pressure oil and gas drilling.
Pioneer listed a number of well documented benefits of the presence of caesium.
These include minimal damage to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation resulting in higher production rates.
It also acts as a lubricant, is non-corrosive and is considered a benign chemical when compared to alternatives.
Pioneer Resources signalled its intentions to continue exploration within the Pioneer Dome for lithium and caesium with drilling recommencing later this week.
“Confirming the occurrence of the very high value caesium mineral Pollucite in PDRC015 provides encouragement for the company to delineate this zone more fully knowing that the system contains the preferred mineral for caesium formate production, which is much in demand,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
Website: www.pioresources.com.au