Results from a December 2011 drill program at Australian Bauxite’s Mt Rae project near Taralga in southern New South Wales has confirmed the thickest ever intersection of high grade bauxite in the country. Most Australian bauxite deposits are less than 4 metres thick, however one hole at the project near Goulburn has intersected a 28 metre width of premium grade bauxite. Other holes showed intersections ranging from 3 to 13 metres wide.
A $1.5 million pre-feasibility study is being completed at the project and is on schedule for completion in March. The latest drill results are expected to upgrade the current resource estimate of 25 million tonnes, which will be included in the PFS.
“Taralga is one of the bauxite resource study areas that continues to surprise,” says Australian Bauxite’s chief executive officer Ian Levy.
All deposits are gibbsite-rich (trihydrate) bauxite with very low levels of reactive silica clays and free of boehmite (monohydrate), with direct shipping ore bauxite accounting for between 75-85% of the total tonnage produced from the Taralga project.
Australian Bauxite holds 37 bauxite tenements across Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania, with a total resource base to date of 84 million tonnes.
Australian Bauxite