Oar Resources appears to have grown the target area at its exciting Gibraltar kaolin-halloysite find on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia after identifying new zones of bright-white kaolin away from the initial discovery, including a large 5km-by-2.5km zone associated with granite basement rocks to the south-west. Initial XRF analysis has highlighted a 5m section going at 80 ISO-B brightness from 17m with results from more detailed XRD analysis pending.
The Gibraltar discovery at the company’s 100 per cent owned project came on the back of a single halloysite occurrence identified from historical reports.
Maiden drilling in the target area delivered kaolinite in all 59 holes with standout hits including 3m at 19.6 per cent halloysite and 42.4 per cent kaolinite from 26m, and 13m at 5.3 per cent halloysite and 80.9 per cent kaolinite from 13m.
Two drilling campaigns followed with 2,219m of step-out drilling to the north and 2,284m of reconnaissance drilling to the south-west of the initial target area.
XRF analysis of drill material to the south-west has defined the new zone of bright-white kaolin associated with granite basement rocks believed to be favourable for development of kaolinite clays.
Other notable returns in the south-west zone include 10m at 77.6 ISO-B brightness from 13m, 8m at 75.2 ISO-B from 13m and 14m and 76.2 ISO-B from 14m.
Interestingly, management believes the granite basement could be part of the same complex as Andromeda Metals’ Mt Hope deposit to the south. Mount Hope hosts 18 million tonnes of kaolinised granite and is said to contain some of the brightest and whitest kaolin in the world.
The newly identified zone remains open to the west where more granite basement rocks are believed to occur.
To the north of the Gibraltar discovery drilling has identified more zones of bright-white, low iron kaolin going as high as 80 ISO-B.
One hole returned 10m at 77.6 ISO-B and 0.67 per cent iron from 13m, with results from XRD analysis of nearby holes due soon.
Oar’s General Manager of Geology Tony Greenaway said: “The confirmation of the granite basement material in our reconnaissance drilling, together with the significant zone of bright-white, low iron kaolin is very encouraging. We are currently planning additional systematic drilling over this area, and further to the west, where our results remain open.”
An initial resource estimate for Gibraltar may also be on the cards subject to drilling success.
Results from XRD analysis of 127 select samples for both kaolin and halloysite remain pending.
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By Matt Birney
