Strandline Resources (ASX:STA) has updated the market on its recent drill programs in northern Tanzania. Based on pan samples, the Company is confident that it has significantly extended mineralisation at Tajiri and Kitambula, whilst also making a new discovery at Pangani-Tongoni. Assay results are expected in December with Mineral Resource upgrades in Q1 2017.
Mineral sands developer, Strandline Resources (Strandline or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its current exploration programme, testing the corridor of heavy mineral sand (HMS) mineralisation within its 100% owned tenements located in the Tanga Region of northern Tanzania.
The Company’s systematic aircore (AC) drilling programme continues to extend and discover zones of mineralisation within its highly strategic Tanga South tenure, comprising the Tajiri and Pangani-Tongoni tenements. Sample assaying is progressing and preliminary results demonstrate the potential to significantly add to previously defined Mineral Resources in this area.
At Tanga North (Kitambula tenement), Strandline is preparing to drill high grade surface mineralisation coincident with a series of recently defined geophysical anomalies seeking to build on the regional discoveries.
The Company’s Tanga Projects spreading over 100km’s of contiguous coastline are evolving into a new HMS corridor of major scale. This announcement summarises the most recent exploration outcomes for this Region:
Highlights
- Tanga South (Tajiri) Mineralisation Extensions – AC regional drilling results confirm the high potential to extend and delineate new Mineral Resources along the 25km mineralised corridor: multiple laterally continuous zones of HMS mineralisation, occurring from surface, outlined from panning AC drill samples; new mineralised zones with strike lengths ranging from 1600m to 4000m and from 200m to 800m wide. Mineralisation thickness is between 5 to 15m from surface; samples from Mineral Resource extensions and discovery drilling are currently being processed with total heavy mineral (THM) assay results expected from December, with Mineral Resource upgrades during Q1-2017.
- Tanga South (Pangani-Tongoni) Mineralisation Discovery – AC discovery drilling programme of priority targets has identified a new moderate-to-high grade HMS mineralised zone from surface: results to date from visual panned samples have identified a new 2000m long zone of HMS mineralisation with thickness ranging from 5m to 20m and width potential of 300m to 500m; the valuable mineral assemblage at this new zone is generally consistent with the high results received from the Tajiri prospect located immediately south.
- Tanga North (Kitambula) Radiometric Anomalies – analysis of surface samples from a series of radiometric anomalies extending over a promising 9km strike of the Kitambula tenement shows high grades ranging from 3.65 % to 8.45% THM with nominal 85% valuable heavy mineral assemblage.
Strandline’s Managing Director and CEO, Luke Graham commented, “The potential extension zones and new discovery zones at Tanga South, as well as the promising radiometric targets identified at Tanga North continues to validate the Company’s exploration strategy in this very prospective Region in Tanzania.“
Tanga South Exploration
Update The Company has completed the next phase of exploration drilling across its Tanga South tenements, at Tajiri and Pangani-Tongoni, located near the port of Tanga along the northern coastline of Tanzania.
Recent exploration has been very successful in generating multiple zones of HMS mineralisation that have the potential to increase current Mineral Resources and, with some additional infill drilling, provide new Mineral Resources to this highly mineralised region (refer Figure 1.2).
These HMS results continue to validate the Company’s exploration strategy of drilling for resource extensions in addition to screening for new discoveries.
Further, the AC drilling campaign has discovered potential new HMS zones within the Pangani-Tongoni tenements, to compliment the Tajiri deposits.
The Company’s Tanga Projects spreading over 100km’s of contiguous coastline are evolving into a new HMS corridor of significant scale.
Tanga South Tajiri Mineralisation Extensions
The Company has commenced analysis of the mineral sand samples from the 3,000m AC drill programme completed along the 25km long Tajiri mineralised corridor. Sample processing is being undertaken at Western Geolabs in Perth.
The Tajiri drilling has been successful in identifying new zones of mineralisation along strike between Tajiri North and Tajiri, ranging from approximately 1,600m to 4,000m in length and 200m to 800m wide.
Based on visual estimates of THM % in pan concentrates the new zones form coherent and continuous bodies of mineralisation. These zones of mineralisation have been delineated from the 400m x 200m and 1,600m x 200m spaced regional AC drill lines and show significant potential at an early exploration stage.
It is likely additional infill drilling within these new zones of mineralisation, which currently fall within the Exploration Target, will convert to Mineral Resources, adding to the existing Indicated Resources estimates of 59mt @ 3.7% THM.
Extensions to both Tajiri and Tajiri North Mineral Resources have also been identified with this recent round of drilling. Visual estimates of THM % from the panned concentrates of drill samples from Tajiri show high grade mineralisation extending over 1,600m to the south of the current Mineral Resource boundary.
It is anticipated that assay results will be received during December and final assays will be received during January.
Tanga South Pangani-Tongoni Discovery Drilling
The Company completed AC discovery drilling along the Pangani-Tongoni tenement during October and visual estimates of THM % logged from pan concentrates define broad zones of HMS mineralisation. The drill program comprised 3,003m from 375 drill holes. The Company’s tenements were systematically grid-drilled using a 1,600m x 200m pattern designed to provide coverage over the majority of the tenure with closer spaced drilling (400m x 200m) targeting priority zones over geophysical and geochemical anomalies.
Early indications from at least one of the priority targets is highly encouraging, with a coherent zone of visual estimates with +3% THM logged over 2,000m of strike with thickness ranging from 5m to 20m and averaging 12m. Several other zones of shallow high grade mineralisation were also discovered in the Pangani-Tongoni region.
The samples are currently being exported from Tanzania to Perth in several batches and are expected to be processed for assaying for THM grades in early 2017.
Tanga North Exploration Update
Tanga North Kitambula Radiometric Anomalies
The Company holds a highly strategic exploration landholding to the north of the port city of Tanga (titled Tanga North). The Tanga North region hosts geology that is highly prospective for HMS mineralisation and supplements the Tanga South projects, forming what the Company considers as a potential significant hub of valuable mineral sands inventory. Exploration activities in the Tanga North area have commenced and are planned to continue in the first half of 2017.
A series of northerly radiometric – thorium anomalies extending over a promising 9km section of the Kitambula tenement have been ground-truthed. A significant amount of HMS was observed at each of the anomalies and within the surrounding environment. A drainage feature (Figure 1.3) is located 2200m south of the surface sample Kit Th 4 which indicates the radiometric anomalies are part of a much larger system. The radiometric anomalies also appear to be located at the base of a linear topographic rise potentially marking a palaeo shoreline. These new discoveries represent exciting high grade strandline style targets with the potential to materially complement the HMS discoveries south of Tanga.
The anomalies are located less than 15km from the port city of Tanga within easy access of the sealed A14 highway that connects Tanzania to Kenya only 45km to the north. A total of three surface samples were gathered from within the radiometric anomalies located at Kitambula. The samples have been analysed for total heavy mineral (THM) and important characterisation and mineral assemblage analysis to establish the percentage of valuable heavy mineral (VHM) with the results presented in Table 1.1 below.
The mineral assemblage and mineral chemistry data for Kitambula have a VHM percentage averaging 85% with the high unit value minerals of rutile and zircon ranging between 10 and 15% combined. The TiO2 deportment is generally dominated by ilmenite with the TiO2 content more suitable to the larger sulphate ilmenite market, which is consistent with other operations in the region.
About Strandline
Strandline Resources Limited (ASX: STA) is a Tanzanian-focused mineral sands developer positioned within the world’s major zircon and titanium producing corridor in South East Africa. Strandline has a dominant mineral sands position with a series of 100% owned projects spread along 350km of the 850km Tanzanian coastline.
Following the recent placement and Rights issued cornerstoned by Tembo Capital, the Company is financially robust and as at 30 September had A$4.4 million in the bank. This position underwrites an aggressive exploration and development strategy to progress quality “low cost” projects based on high value titanium and zircon products.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Luke Graham
CEO and Managing Director
Strandline Resources Limited
T: +61 8 9226 3130
E: enquiries@strandline.com.au
For media and broker enquiries:
Andrew Rowell
Investor Relations Advisor
Cannings Purple
T: +61 8 6314 6314
E: arowell@canningspurple.com.au
