Potash West gets straight to work
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Newly-ASX-listed Potash West has wasted no time in announcing results from its first drilling campaign.
The company recently completed an aircore drilling program on its E70/3100 licence, which is located on the western margin of the prospective Dandaragan Trough some 100 kilometres north of Perth.
The company’s maiden drilling program has come pretty much hot on the heels of its successful $6 million IPO, and recent debut on the ASX, and involved a total of seven widely spaced holes for 534 metres along road verge traverses.
Holes were located to provide stratigraphic information on the prospective Coolyena Group sediments which host potash mineralisation in glauconite rich sediments, known as greensands, elsewhere on the company’s tenure.
Potash West is exploring the Dandaragan Trough to evaluate the commercial potential of the greensand deposits.
These have been examined as a source of potassium several times over a period of nearly 50 years but not pursued due to low Potash prices.
Current prices and technological advances make re-examining the area attractive.
The drilling represents the company’s first stage in the investigation of the Cretaceous stratigraphy of the Dandaragan Trough where Potash West controls over 2,100 square kilometres of tenements.
Lithologies of the Coolyena Group, which host various glauconite rich units, are poorly exposed in E70/3100.
The aim of the program was to test the prospective stratigraphy over wide areas of the tenement and to collect samples for the initial phases of metallurgical testwork.
All seven drill holes penetrated significant thicknesses of Coolyena Group sediments. The
lithologies consist of fine to medium grained sandstones, siltstones and claystones containing varying amounts of glauconite visible in drill chips.
“This is a great start to our program to understand the extent of the glauconite mineralisation in the Dandaragan Trough,” Potash West managing director Patrick McManus said in the company release.
“Substantial thicknesses close to the surface bode well for future mining activities.”
Potas West said it expects potash contents will vary depending on factors such as lithology, depth, elevation and the degree of weathering.
The company has commenced a targeting exercise using high resolution satellite imagery to identify potential high grade, shallow potassium mineralisation.
This will provide a guide to future drilling, in the second half of 2011.