![Pinnacle Minerals announces major drilling program at Capel Mineral Sands project](https://resourcesreview.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-17-113712-1000x667-1.png)
ASX-listed Pinnacle Minerals Ltd (ASX:PIM) has announced a significant discovery of broad and shallow zones of heavy mineral (HM) mineralisation at its Capel Mineral Sands Project in Western Australia.
The latest infill and extension drilling, which tested historical wide-spaced drilling by Iluka, has revealed an interpreted strike length of up to three kilometres.
The infill and extension drilling intercepted broad and shallow zones of HM mineralisation over an interpreted trend of up to three kilometres.
The first batch of heavy mineral assays from 26 holes has been received, with notable results including 3.4 per cent HM over 7 metres from 16 metres downhole, including 2 metres at 7.9 per cent HM (CAP023); 3.0 per cent HM over 5 metres from 19 metres downhole (CAP011); 2.9 per cent HM over 6 metres from 3 metres downhole (CAP002); and 13.1 per cent HM over 1 metre from 19 metres downhole (CAP002).
All holes assayed to date have intercepted mineralisation from the surface.
The drilling program aims to define an ilmenite (titanium ore) dominated HM Mineral Resource.
The southwest of Western Australia is a well-known HM region with several large deposits currently mined by global companies including Tronox (NYSE: TROX), Iluka (ASX: ILU), and Doral (Iwatani Corp – TYO:8088).
Pinnacle Minerals’ extension and infill drilling at the Capel Mineral Sands Project has intercepted shallow and broad zones of HM mineralisation over an interpreted strike length of up to three kilometres.
The initial assays reveal all holes intersecting HM mineralisation from the surface, with significant intersections such as 2.8 per cent HM over 9 metres from 15 metres downhole and high-grade intercepts of 13.1 per cent HM over 1 metre.
These assays on the western side of the project confirm that the drilling program successfully intersected the younger of two mineralised trends previously identified by Iluka, validating Pinnacle’s modelling efforts.
The central and more prospective area of the project is yet to be assayed, with assays of the older mineralised trend intersected in CAP067 still pending.
The full suite of assay results is expected in the coming weeks and will be released to the market accordingly.
Additionally, Diamantina mineralogists will conduct sachet scanning of the HM sink material to analyse the valuable heavy mineral fraction (VHM%) and the mineral assemblage to guide further studies on the project.
Pinnacle Minerals Managing Director, Nic Matich, commented that the initial assay results from this extensional and infill drilling campaign have borne early fruit, with moderate-grade strandline mineralisation intercepted over an interpreted trend of up to three kilometres.
He noted that the grade and thickness of these initial assay results are a positive sign that the Capel Mineral Sands Project has the potential for a shallow Mineral Resource to be defined over a broad area.
This discovery marks a significant step forward in the development of the Capel Mineral Sands Project, highlighting its potential to contribute substantially to the mineral resources sector in Western Australia.
Pinnacle Minerals Ltd remains committed to advancing this project and providing further updates as additional assay results are received and analysed.