Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB) has received “outstanding” results from its maiden drill programme at the Oakover Manganese project in Western Australia.
The company has received approximately 80% of assay results to date, with the remaining results including drilling completed at the Karen deposit expected in the coming weeks.
The majority of the 233-hole, 10,145m RCP infill and extension programme was completed across the Sixty Sixer and Jay Eye deposits, which host the existing 64Mt, 10% Mn Inferred Mineral Resource estimate at Oakover.
Sixty Sixer and Jay Eye have been drilled on an approximate variable 50m by 50m and 100m by 50m grid with drilling on 100m by 200m grid spacing also completed at Jay Eye. The closer spaced infill drilling grid over Sixty Sixer and Jay Eye will allow an increased confidence level in the JORC Mineral Resource classification.
Managing Director, Peter Allen, said the drilling was complemented by downhole geophysics for density and differential GPS for collar survey.
“We are very pleased with the results delivered to date. We developed this programme to be extensive and provide a platform to upgrade our current Resource at Oakover,” Mr Allen said.
“The results so far provide us with confidence in delivering on this objective.
“As a manganese developer, we are fortunate to have an excellent project which provides us with nearterm production opportunities along with significant exploration upside. We have a detailed two-stage strategy in place and are well advanced on stage one work, with our Rapid Development Program generating excellent results across all various workstreams.
“We are still awaiting around 20% of assays from Sixty Sixer and Jay Eye, along with results from the 41- hole, 1,656m program completed at our Karen deposit in the coming weeks.
“Once the drill program has been finalised our focus will quickly turn to delivering an upgraded Mineral Resource Estimate at Oakover and commencing the critical Pre-Feasibility Study in the coming weeks.”
The primary objective of the maiden drill programme was to deliver an updated Mineral Resource Estimate at Oakover and following receipt of all results, Firebird will turn its attention to delivering a robust Resource upgrade, which is expected to be completed during the March quarter.
The intention of the updated Mineral Resource estimate will be to delineate and domain the higher grade near surface supergene manganese mineralisation. Finalisation of the drill programme completes another key Rapid Development Programme workstream, as Firebird continues to progress stage one of its two-stage development strategy.
Firebird commenced the Rapid Development Programme in June 2021 to evaluate the potential at Oakover for a low-capital, fast-start up through a direct shipping ore and simple beneficiation process of supergene material to generate early-stage cash flow through sales into steel industries.
Importantly, results from various Rapid Development Workstreams completed over the past six months continue to highlight the significant opportunity of Oakover to become a critical supplier of high-quality manganese ore and sulphate. The Company is making great strides towards completing the Rapid Development Programme, with the Oakover Pre-Feasibility Study due to commence in the coming weeks.
For further information please visit: http://firebirdmetals.com.au/
