Interesting results. Very high value assemblage if rutile is genuinely >95% TiO2 quality, Leuc has decent recoveries and zirc is good quality. THM grade and thickness is a little low in many holes given the deposit is under 20-25m cover. Assume cover gets deeper heading west, so those potential stands west of these results may get deeper which of course keeps moving the economic hurdle further out. Also assume grain size is very fine (using <20micron slimes cut) but all in all can't write if off such is the VHM assemblage. VHM's geological description is
Geological interpretation concludes that the Nowie deposit is formed from multiple high-grade
strandline systems which occur above a thick sequence of moderate total heavy mineral
(THM) grade sheet style mineralisation up to 20 metres (m) thick. Interpretation of the drilling
and geophysics data indicates the Nowie deposit is at least 3km in width (east to west) and
up to 11km in strike length and is open in both north-west and south-west strike direction.
I can't be bothered scraping all the data to interrogate, but at a glance this mineralisation style doesn;t look traditional 'strandline' to me. There is not the very thick beach strandline accumulations that define strandlines, some ~5m thick HG zones but averaging 2-3m thick and very widely spread across shoreline strike. The stratigraphy is very consistent, typical for this part of the basin, with the thin high grade seams (separated by a lower grade seam) stacked on top the lower grade, lower energy 20m thick 'Wimmera' flat deposits. The geology is well defined by tight 40m drill fences...
The standout difference to other Goschen and Wimmer deposits in general is the very large percentage of oversize. Goschen has ~3.5% Oversize average in the mine reserve, other finer granied WIM style deposits between 3-10% max oversize. Nowie has high teens to 20% ovesize average by eyeball. I'm assuming the oversize isn't cementation related on account of it's consistent distribution, but it is an anomaly. From eyeballing again, the highest oversize is found in the upper high-grade THM seams.
Not that it matters much except for geological interpretation and thus possibly exploration and/or economics, but Nowie looks to me like a regressive (progradational) 'flat lying' strandline plain with higher energy re-working the underlying Wim-style thick blanket into thin higher HM grade, higher oversize sand seams as the sea level regressed westwards. The probable lack of well defined, thick high grade HM 'strandlines' probably reflects the very flat surface where beach wash only sorted and deposited moderately thick beach strands in a semi continuous manner as the sea level receded.
In short for those not geo nerds... the flat lying surface, modest beach energy and relatively quick receding sea level probably formed more continuous HM enrichment through winnowing out the lighter sands in thin surface area, but with the steep beach or time to generate really thick HG strandlines that would help with the strip ratio and economics enormously. Obviously VHM have presented and sent comps for mineral analysis from the thickest HM accumulations, but results and my interp suggest they may struggle to deliver continuously thick strands of high HM. Time will tell, all interesting stuff...
GLTAH
(20min delay)