Triton Minerals finds high grade graphite at Nicanda Hill Prospect
Triton Minerals (ASX: TON) has discovered graphite grading up to 17.6% total graphitic carbon from rock chip samples collected during the recent mapping program on Nicanda Hill Prospect in the Balama North Project in Mozambique.
Intriguingly, the results could mean that Nicanda Hill is a potential
continuation of the graphitic mineralisation zone intersected in
drilling on the Cobra Plains prospect, recently.
The laboratory
results from the seven rock chip samples collected at Nicanda Hill
returned medium and high grade graphite results, including the 17.6%
total graphitic carbon.
This would support an interpretation that
the Nicanda Hill prospect is clearly highly prospective to support a
high grade and large flake graphite deposit.
As well, that the
ongoing exploration results will lead to a definition of a JORC resource
at Balama North Project in the near future.
As Triton managing
director Brad Boyle put it, “These are very positive results which
assist the company to develop a better understanding of the overall
composition of the graphitic mineralisation on the Nicanda Hill
Prospect.
"Triton has completed further reconnaissance geological
mapping on the Nicanda Hill prospect. These rock chip results are
significant.
"They show high grades of graphitic mineralisation,
of up to 17.6% total graphitic carbon and large graphite flake sizes up
to 1mm in length confirmed by petrographic analyses."
"These
results continue to support Triton’s initial interpretation that the
Nicanda Hill prospect is highly prospective for graphite and the
potential continuation of the graphitic mineralisation zone intersected
in drilling on the Cobra Plains prospect.”
Background of results
The
samples were obtained over a single pass across graphitic exposures on
Nicanda Hill on Licence 5966, on the Balama North Project.
While
there were a limited number of samples obtained and tested to date,
these results are encouraging and help to support Triton’s
interpretation about the potential prospectivity of Nicanda Hill
Propsect to host a high grade and large flake graphite deposit.
With
the approach of the wet season, Triton will drill two diamond drill
holes on the southwest flank of Nicanda Hill which can be accessed
immediately.
The aim is of the drill program along with the mapping and trenching is to provide an initial test of the potential of the Nicanda Hill prospect and lead to a comprehensive exploration program in 2014.
Inferred Resource and Scoping Study
In conjunction
with the drilling, mapping and trenching results, Triton confirms the
petrographic, assay and metallurgical results will advance the project
with the objective to seek to define an inferred resource and soon
thereafter undertake a scoping study on the Balama North Project.
These
latest results would provide Triton with further confidence in the
graphite prospectivity of both the Nicanda Hill and Cobra Plains
prospects and continues to increase the overall potential of the Balama
North project to host multiple high grade large flake graphite deposits.
Follow up
Further
geological mapping, trenching and diamond drilling is planned to follow
up these results. It will undertake metallurgical analysis of samples,
to obtain a better understanding of the composition and recoveries for
both graphite and vanadium from both the Nicanda Hill and Cobra Plains
prospects on the Balama North Project.
Analysis
That the Nicanda Hill prospect is a potential continuation of the graphitic mineralisation zone intersected in drilling on the Cobra Plains prospect provides promise. With the aim of defining an inferred resource from all of the exploration work at Balama North provides a catalyst as does the objective to undertake a scoping study soon after.
