Projects Overview

 

Shaw River Resources Limited (Shaw River) operates eight mineral exploration projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.  Exploration activity and acquisitions have allowed Shaw River to shift its primary exploration focus to the search for economic deposits of manganese.  Shaw River’s eight projects now cover over 7000km² in the Pilbara of Western Australia.  This is a region that contains world class mineral deposits, ports, road and rail infrastructure and close proximity to important Asian markets.

Shaw’s operates a small but experienced exploration team, assisted by Exploration Manager Glenn Martin. This highly productive unit operates safely and productively proving time and again the benefit of maturity and experience when running field operations. The field team is supported by a small team of two part-time staff in Perth, Western Australia.

Project Highlights for 2009 at a glance:

Baramine and 701 Mile – Manganese and Iron Exploration (70% Shaw River)

• Shaw River Holds a 70% interest in the manganese and iron rights to three tenements located in the East Pilbara Manganese Field.  The tenements contain outcropping and buried dolomites and cherts of the same sequence that host the world class Woodie Woodie manganese mine 80 km to the southwest.
• 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 drill holes 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.
• The project is strategically located 300km from the one of the world’s largest bulk ports, Port Hedland.
  

701 Mile – Manganese and Iron Exploration (70% Shaw River)

• Shaw River holds manganese and iron rights to two tenements at the 701 Mile Project which is located 80km south of the iron ore town of Newman.  The area contains Proterozoic rock sequences with known occurrences of manganese from historical exploration. Adjacent tenements are known to host CID’s (Channel Iron Deposits).  Surrounding tenements are held by Pilbara Manganese Ltd, BHP Billiton and Warwick Resources Ltd .
• The granting of a new tenement in the project expands the area for exploration by 300km². The geology underlying the new tenement is a continuation of the shallow dipping Balfour Formation rocks, where previous work identified manganese enrichment over a 3km² area.
• Results from earlier mapping and sampling work were extremely encouraging for future opportunities:
• Composite 1m rock chip traverses include 17m @ 40.3%Mn and 17m @ 37.8%Mn.
• Rock chip sampling, over the manganiferous Balfour Formation returned a maximum individual sample of 48.6%Mn.
• 14% of rocks samples (29) returned >40%Mn and 81% of rocks sampled (165 samples) returned >25%Mn.
• Manganese assay results combined with geological mapping indicate potential for shallow, moderate to high grade manganese resources which may be suitable for upgrading via beneficiation. Low iron contents overall offer further encouragement.

Skull Springs Project – Manganese (70% Shaw River)

• Shaw River has agreed to enter a farm-in with Talisman Mining on three tenements located within 50km of the Woodie Woodie Manganese Mine in prospective geology (ASX Release – 13 Oct 2009)
• Shaw River will earn up to 70% interest of the new ground over a two year period as part of the joint venture agreement
• The tenements are located within 50km from operating Woodie Woodie Manganese Mine and 50km north from Shaw Rivers flagship Baramine project
• The Wandanya tenement has high grade rock chips that show up to 65% Mn have been assayed in outcrops of manganese mineralisation trending northeast to southwest
• Shaw River plans to evaluate the target area of the new Skulls Springs Project as an extension to its Baramine exploration programs

Butre Project (Ghana, West Africa) – Manganese, Gold (6 month evaluation option to acquire 80%)

• Shaw River’s first international project to explore global manganese targets in Ghana, West Africa
• Shaw River has entered into an option agreement with Mwana Africa PLC on its Butre Project in Southern Ghana (ASX release – 21 Oct 09)
• The Butre Project is strategically located 30km from a major bulk port on sealed roads
• Manganese targets on the Butre Project are in a similar setting to the world class Nsuta Manganese Mine, located 60km to the north of the Butre Project are operated by Palmary Enterprises
• Shaw River will hold an exclusive evaluation option to acquire Mwana’s 80% interest in the Butre Project for six months, at minimal cost

Mt Minnie Project – Manganese, Copper-gold and base metals (100% Shaw River)

• Shaw River’s Mt Minnie Project is located 200km south-west of Karratha in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia.
• Detailed geological mapping and sampling in 2008 identified significant manganese mineralisation returning assays up to 41% manganese in dolomite sequences over a large 30km² area on Shaw River’s tenements at Mt Minnie.
• A gravity survey was conducted over selected areas of the Edmund Group Dolomite units at Mt Minnie. Results from the gravity survey indicated the presence of a 12 anomalous dense bodies within the stratigraphic package of the folded dolomite sequence.
• Further mapping during the June 2009 quarter on newly acquired tenements identified additional manganese and iron mineralisation over an additional 20km of strike located in prospective dolomite rock sequences.
• Sizeable occurrences of manganese in a very similar setting to Mt Minnie are known in the Cane Well area, 60km to the north east and further east in similar age rocks.
• Mapping on the recently acquired tenements to the south of previous work extended the strike length of target dolomite and sandstone sequences to over 20km.

Copper, gold and Base Metals

• Permits and heritage clearances are in place ahead of a planned 5,800m RAB/Aircore gold and base metal drilling program following up targets identified during Shaw River’s 2007 exploration programme.
• Twenty four drill targets at three prospects are ready to be tested, with potential for large copper-gold systems located on prominent geological structures.

Dingo Creek – Manganese Exploration (100% Shaw River)

• Two ELA’s pegged over Ullawarra Formation covering 748 km².
• Geology considered prospective for Manganese mineralisation and along strike from significant surface occurrences of manganese by Aurora Minerals.
• Area covers western strike extent of prospective Ullawara Formation over 70km of strike.
• Company will conduct reconnaissance mapping and sampling ahead of drilling in 2nd half of 2010 or sooner.

Abydos Project – Copper, gold, base metals and nickel (100% Shaw River)

• Active exploration programs were conducted at Abydos during 2008, focusing on copper-gold and base metal mineralisation trends identified in extensive historical exploration review.
• High grade rock chips up to 11% Cu, 54g/t Ag, 1.6g/t Au and soil samples up to 0.23% Zn, 0.14% Cu and 1.3g/t Au indicate extensive new copper-gold-base metal trend up to 21km in length.
• Infill soil sampling results with up to 0.1% zinc, received during the December 2008 Quarter confirm the presence and location of up to 4 excellent, large, discrete Zn-Cu-Ag-Au VHMS targets.
• Soil and rock chip sampling, as well as detailed geological mapping and alteration analysis has generated prospective targets for gold, copper-gold and zinc-copper suitable for drill testing.

Hedland and Goldsworthy Projects – Gold and base metals (100% Shaw River)

• Completion of 5,485m of RC and 11,373m of RAB/Aircore drilling since July 2007 focused on follow up testing of soil and previously drilled gold anomalies.
• Encouraging drilling results  received from shallow 1,040m of RAB drilling  in August 2008 over a 300m width, encountered elevated gold  with 20 adjacent anomalous gold intersections >0.1 g/t Au on the Mallina Shear Zone at the intersection with the Tabba Tabba Greenstone Belt.
• Drilling focused on testing 20 soil sampling targets over an 8km target area.  Drill logging confirms strong correlation between anomalous gold and arsenic in soils and mineralisation in drilling.
• Untested gold targets remain over 9km of strike.
• Soil sampling programs over the adjacent Goldsworthy Project 10km north east of the Hedland Project has generated multiple new zinc and gold drill targets under shallow cover not previously identified or tested.