TRIGG MINING, an Australia-based resources exploration company that explores essential potassium fertilizer, sulphate of potash (SOP) for food production, has reported highly encouraging results from two gravity surveys completed over the company’s SOP projects located east of Laverton in the eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. The maiden 221 line-km gravity survey at the newly-granted Lake Yeo SOP project represents the first on-ground exploration activity undertaken at this new greenfields SOP project. Interpretation of the survey data has identified a palaeovalley 80 km long, up to 3.5 km wide and potentially up to 100 m in depth within the granted tenure. Planning is now underway to drill and sample immediately to the south of Lake Throssell, where a 2021 scoping study defined a 21-year, 245 000 tpy operation.vAs part of the early pre-feasibility study work being undertaken at the Lake Throssell SOP project, an in-fill 216 line-km gravity survey was also carried out to increase the resolution of the dataset and optimize drill-hole targeting for the 2022 air-core and test production bore drilling programs. This work has also revealed considerable upside, extending the interpreted Lake Throssell palaeovalley within granted tenure. This represents an exceptional growth target immediately along strike from the current JORC Mineral Resource.
SOUTH HARZ POTASH, a mineral exploration company that is building Western Europe’s largest potash inventory, has announced that drilling has now commenced on drill site OHM-01, the second of two confirmatory holes located within the Ohmgebirge Mining Licence (Ohmgebirge) area of the South Harz region in Germany. The hole is scheduled to be completed in early May and will be assayed for chemical composition immediately once core is withdrawn. The first of the two planned confirmatory drill-holes was completed earlier this month to a final depth of 721 m. Drill-hole OHM-01 is planned to a depth of 813 m, targeted to fully penetrate the known potash horizon in the area. The drill-hole is designed to twin the historical drill-hole, Kal Ktf 5/83, which recorded a potash intercept from 785.2 m to 788.2 m (3 m thick) with an historic reported grade of 12.4% K2O. Drilling and assay of these two confirmatory drill-holes is targeted to allow South Harz to upgrade a substantial proportion of the current Ohmgebirge JORC (2012) Inferred Mineral Resource estimate to the Indicated category. Subject to concurrent and satisfactory advancement of all modifying factors, this is expected to allow the release of a comprehensive Scoping Study for Ohmgebirge, which is scheduled for completion in the coming months.
BRAZIL POTASH CORP., a company that explores and develops potash properties, offering potassium-based fertilizers, has proposed doubling planned output of potash from a deposit in Brazil’s Amazon to reduce the country’s dependence on fertilizer imports disrupted by the Ukraine war. The company said that its executives met with Brazilian Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias in Ottawa, Canada, and discussed increasing from 2.44 million tonnes to over 5 million tpy the output from its Autazes project. That could cover almost half of Brazil’s need for potash. However, the company said it would take at least 3 years to come on-stream once licensing has been obtained. Brazil Potash owner, investment bank Forbes & Manhattan, whose chairman Stan Bharti met with Dias on Sunday, has been trying to develop the Autazes deposit for more than 5 years, but the project has been held up by environmental concerns. Prosecutors recommended in 2016 suspending the license to develop Autazes because the Mura indigenous tribe had not been consulted, in violation of Brazil’s constitution. Brazil depends on imports for 95% of its potash and is a major buyer from top suppliers Canada, Russia and Belarus. As potash prices tripled last year and geopolitical risks threatening supplies from Eastern Europe deepened, interest has grown in Brazil in the Autazes project. But the Mura worry that it will pollute the rivers and scare away game and fish on which they depend.
