Accelerate Resources Ltd (ASX:AX8) has kicked off what it calls a “high impact” reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign in a bid to define the extent of the manganese resource at Woodie Woodie North in WA’s Pilbara.
The 8,500-metre high-impact drilling program has a number of aims.
Defining the resource
Firstly, the company hopes to establish maiden JORC resources in the Barra North, Barra South and Area 42 manganese corridors.
It will also follow up extensions to 2022 drilling success, in particular Dale’s Patch and Nathan’s Flat at Area 42, and test new opportunities in the recently discovered 5-kilometre Parson’s Creek corridor where large manganese outcrops have been confirmed.
The drilling will then assess Area 5 at the north end of the largely untested 7.5-kilometre Gum Creek corridor, where previous scout drilling on substantial manganese outcrops has been successful.
Diamond drilling next
The RC program is scheduled to wrap up in September, with a diamond drilling program to follow later in the year. The latter will be bolstered by a $150,000 grant from the WA Government’s co-funded Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS).
“We are excited to commence our 2023 drill season with a significant 8,500-metre RC drilling program, nearly double the campaign completed in 2022,” AX8 managing director Yaxi Zhan said.
“Our exploration strategy is based on the success of last year’s operations and we will combine results from this program with all previous work, aiming to deliver maiden JORC-compliant resource estimates by the fourth quarter of this year.
Strong government endorsement
“The $150,000 co-funding from the WA Government EIS program is a strong endorsement of our work and will boost our budget for the diamond drilling program in this field season.
“This year is poised to be transformative for Accelerate as we continue to de-risk the Woodie Woodie North project through the completion of an MRE, deliver real value to our shareholders, and make strides in our high-value High Purity Manganese value-add strategy.”