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Alien Metals announce final Hancock Iron Ore results

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Global Mining Review,


Alien Metals Ltd, a minerals exploration and development company, has announced that, further to its announcement on 6 May 2021, the company has now received the final results from the maiden drilling programme at its Hancock Iron Ore project, which is part of the Hamersley Iron Ore Project, Western Australia. Results confirm four high grade direct shipping ore (DSO) mineralisation prospects.

Highlights

  • Maiden drilling completed in March 2021, with 53 reverse circulation (RC) holes for 3350 m of shallow drilling across priority high grade DSO) targets.
  • Three main target areas drilled, including the Sirius Extension prospect, which adjoins the Sirius iron ore project held by Brockman Mining (124 million t at 60.32% iron [Fe]).
  • Significant DSO results include:
    • 103 m at 61.8% Fe from surface ending in ore (Sirius Extension, AM21RC001 048).
    • 73 m at 59.5% Fe from 6 m ending in high-grade ore (Sirius Extension, AM21RC001 047).
    • 26 m at 54.3% Fe from surface, including 13 m at 61.5% Fe from 2m depth (Ridge C, AM21RC001 006).
    • 18 m at 55.1% Fe from surface (Kalgan Prospect, AM21RC001 016).
    • 10 m at 55% Fe from 3 m (Kalgan Prospect, AM21RC001 012).
    • 12 m at 60.5% Fe from 4 m (Ridge E, AM21RC001 033).
  • Maiden drilling confirms four high grade DSO iron ore prospects across the Hancock project.
  • Follow-up RC programme progressing well, with 1300 m drilled to date.

Bill Brodie Good, CEO and Technical Director of Alien Metals, commented: "The remaining assays confirmed the significant potential of the Sirius Extension prospect, as well as the potential of the wider licence area. Hole 48, located on strike from the historic holes, returned 103 m at 61.8% Fe from top to bottom and was still in ore when the drilling had to be stopped. This, along with the significant intersection in hole 47, are excellent results that bode well for the potential of this prospect. In combination with the new DSO grade interceptions from the Western Ridges targets that we also identified from the first batch of assays, the company quickly remobilised a drill rig and we are now back in the field following up high-priority areas identified from the maiden drill programme.

"The second phase of drilling is progressing well, with roughly 1300 m drilled to date. In addition to the known DSO grade iron ore at the Sirius Extension prospect, the focus of the follow-up program is to prove up the DSO potential across the other prospect areas using surface mapping and sampling to study the untested areas of the tenement we believe to have even more potential."

The drilling targeted three initial prospects to enable the company to continue developing its knowledge of the project as a whole and to further prioritise for next stage drilling. A fourth area was identified in the southern central area and two holes were initially drilled to test this. Hancock now has 4 known prospects, including the Sirius Extension, Kalgan, Western Ridges and the central zone, with a large part of the tenement still to explore and the Brockman tenement still to commence drilling.

Sirius Extension Prospect

The Sirius Extension prospect sits within the north-east of the tenement boundary and borders the Sirius DSO project owned by Brockman Mining to the east (124 million t at 60.32% Fe). A limited drill programme by Volta Mining in 2014 intercepted DSO mineralisation. Based on surface mapping and sampling by Alien, the company identified the likely strike-length of the Sirius Extension prospect to be 450 m. Results of the initial drilling campaign have confirmed an initial strike of DSO grade iron ore of at least 300 m, with the ongoing follow-up RC programme being aimed to infill previous drilling and to test strike and depth extensions.

Significant intersections at Sirius Extension prospect included 103 m at 61.79% Fe which finished in DSO grade iron ore from hole AM21RC001 048, and 73 m at 59.72% Fe from the nearby hole AM21RC001 047 which also finished in DSO grade ore.

The follow up drill programme underway should enable Alien to generate a maiden JORC resource at the Hancock Iron Ore Project.

Western Ridges DSO prospects

The already reported excellent results from the new ridge targets include a maximum intersection of 1 m at 65.88% Fe from hole AM21RC001 006 within a significant intersection of 26 m at 54.3 % Fe from surface, including 13 m at 61.5 % Fe from 2 m depth. Hole AM21RC001 019 which lies 225 m east of aforementioned hole, intersected two thinner DSO beds 2 m at 61.54% Fe from 14 m and 5 m at 55.0% Fe from 3 m. While thinner iron ore beds, the assay data further assists the company with identifying the DSO grade beds within the stratigraphic horizon.

At the Ridge E hole AM21RC001 033, drilling intercepted a significant intersection of 12 m at 60.5% Fe from 4 m which has also defined a separate DSO zone and further encourages the company of further untested potential within the tenement.

This maiden programme has provided some significant grade intersections and enabled Alien to better understand the potential and the follow up targeting criteria to maximise all future programmes.

The current second phase of drilling is over halfway completed, with nine additional holes drilled in the Sirius Extension Prospect. The additional drilling will hopefully provide sufficient drill density and data to be able to generate a maiden resource. The balance of the follow-up drill programme will aim at further testing the DSO potential along ridges C and E in the surficial parts of the BIF beds. Depending on timing, Alien will undertake further ground reconnaissance across the Hancock Iron Ore project in prospective areas identified through satellite imagery. Alien to date have only been able to explore the north west and eastern areas of the tenement and feel there remains substantial further potential still to be explored.

The Board of Alien continues to assess a range of mineral projects and opportunities, with particular focus on exploration projects with near term news flow and value creation.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/07062021/alien-metals-announce-final-hancock-iron-ore-results/

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Australian mining news Iron ore mining news