Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB) has obtained further promising results from its maiden drill programme at Oakover, with the company having received all assays from its 41-hole, 1,656m drill program completed at the Karen deposit in Western Australia in October last year.
The company is still awaiting the last set of assay results (~10%) from drilling completed at Sixty Sixer, which are expected in the coming weeks.
Managing Director, Peter Allen, said drilling completed at Karen was a key part of the broader 233-hole, 10,145 RCP infill and extensional drill campaign completed at Oakover, which currently hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 64Mt at 10% Mn.
“We are very excited by results received from our maiden drill programme at Karen, which reinforces our strong view that Karen has massive potential to expand on our current Mineral Resource Estimate at Oakover,” Mr Allen said.
“Oakover is a very exciting project, with enormous growth and development potential and importantly, provides the Company with a near-term production pathway. 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”
Strong results from Karen have demonstrated near surface manganiferous mineralisation extending south-west, north-west and north-east from historical drill holes. Drilling was completed on an approximate 200m by 100m grid.
Mr Allen said significant intercepts from the programme demonstrate an approximate 600m by 400m lateral distribution, with variable thickness of 2m to 15m in an interpreted gently dipping northwest stratigraphy. Results also indicate potential presence of multiple stratigraphic horizons, most evident in drill holes FRB0174, FRB0209 and FRB0210.
Looking ahead, Firebird has already commenced work on completing a geological model with a focus on delineating the higher grade manganiferous horizons and estimating a maiden Mineral Resource for Karen.
Karen is located ~4km from the Sixty Sixer deposit and bolsters the development opportunity at Oakover. Firebird has a detailed two-phase strategy in place, with phase one being progressed by the Rapid Development Programme, focused on assessing 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.
All results received from key workstreams of the Rapid Development Program have provided the company with confidence in the strategy, with the critical Oakover Pre-Feasibility Study expected to commence in the coming weeks.
For further information please visit: http://firebirdmetals.com.au/
