Baramine Project - Manganese

Background

Shaw River holds a 70% interest in the manganese and iron rights in three Pilbara tenements at Baramine, located 80km north west  of the producing ‘Woodie Woodie’ Manganese mine which has a current mining resource of 15 million tons of Manganese ore grading 41% Mn.

The tenements are considered highly prospective for manganese and are known to be located on identical geology to the manganese occurrence to the south. An extensive rock chip sampling program in late 2008 identified over 100 separate locations with ore grade manganese in outcrop over a 17km strike length. Individual samples taken returned assay values up to 58.51% Mn.

Location

The project is strategically located 300km east from one of the world’s largest bulk ports, Port Hedland, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in a world class manganese field.

Geology

The Baramine Project, contains geological rocks of the Archaean age Hammersley Basin. Within the Hammersley Basin, manganese mineralization is associated with the occurrence of the Carawine Dolomite and Pinjian Chert. The world class ‘Woodie Woodie’ Manganese Project, located 80km to the south east (operated by Consolidated Minerals Pty Ltd) is an example of the style of deposit that Shaw River is exploring for within the project area.

Geological mapping by Shaw River has determined the project area covers an identical geological sequence to ‘Woodie Woodie’, in the core of an open north-south trending syncline. The Pinjian Chert and Carrawine Dolomite sits, with apparent conformity, on sediments and andesitic volcano-sediments assigned to the Jeerinah Formation. The dolomite and chert form a range of locally rugged hills that protrude about 75 metres above the underlying Jeerinah Formation sediments.

Occurrences of manganese hosted are principally hosted within or along the contact between the Carawine Dolomite and Pinjian Chert, and cross cutting faults and fractures are considered to be an important control in the development of significant accumulations of manganese mineralization.

Manganese mineralization has been traced over a distance of 17km within the prospective units, and there is potential that these units continue for up to 23km to the NW under cover of the Canning Basin sediments.

Recent Activity

Following successful sampling, mapping and initial geophysics using gravity, four areas (covering just 10% of the target geology available) were targeted for initial drilling activity in May 2009. The key findings of the program included;

• Manganese (Mn) intersected in drilling at Baramine confirms a new manganese discovery and validates Shaw River’s exploration model.
• First-ever drill program returned 45 significant (>2m thick, >9.5%Mn) manganese intercepts.
• Drill intersections over 15%Mn and up to 38%Mn in 16 of 61 first-pass drillholes including;
• 1.5km long Manganese trend identified with only 350m of strike extent tested;
• 9m at 16.8% Mn from surface including 3m at 32.6% Mn and 1m at 38.7% Mn from 3m in BRC008
• 660m long Manganese trend identified;
• 5m at 24.1% Mn from surface in BRC018
• 3m at 20.2% Mn from 32m in BRC021
• 8m at 15.6% Mn from 8m in BRC026
• 850m long Manganese trend  identified;
• 3m at 17.1% Mn from 27m in BRC034
• 7m at 13.1% including 3m at 17.9% Mn from 31m in BRC035
• 4m at 19.8% Mn including 2m at 21% Mn from surface in BRC038
• 16m at 11.7% Mn from 22m in BRC039
• 4m at 19.3% Mn including  2m at 26% from 30m in BRC043 
• Highly prospective manganese trends identified for follow up drilling over 3km of strike, over 50 untested gravity and mapping targets.