Perth-based Technology Metals Australia (TMA) has developed a maiden inferred resource estimate for the Southern Block of its Gabanintha vanadium project in Western Australia’s Mid-West region. Work by consultants CSA Global, using the data from a 23-hole RC program completed in August, has delivered 21.5 Mt at 0.9% V2O5 and 10.1% TiO2, which includes a high grade component of 10.4 Mt at 1.1% V2O5 and 12.6% TiO2 within the highly continuous and consistently mineralised massive magnetite zone.

TMA has a larger inferred resource of 62.8 Mt at 0.8% V2O5 and 9.7% TiO2, including a high grade component of 29.5 Mt at 1.1% V2O5 and 12.6% TiO2, in its Northern Block, some 9km to the north-west, which CSA is reviewing with the aim of shifting part of the resource into the Indicated category.

Next year TMA is hoping to deliver a global resource for the project.

The Gabanintha mineralisation covers a mineralised layered mafic igneous unit, but is spilt between the high grade massive magnetite zone and disseminated and/or banded magnetite zones in the hanging wall and foot wall of the massive magnetite.

The orebody appears suitable for open pit mining with low strip ratios by incorporating the higher and medium grade materials improving the potential economics.

TMA believes the Southern Block resource has not been closed off at depth, and could be partially shifted into the Indicated category with 100 m infill drilling.

The company and CSA Global are planning a resource infill and extensional drilling program, mixed with some further diamond drilling to collect metallurgical samples, as TMA moves into a PFS in the immediate future.

It believes Gabanintha is one of the highest grade vanadium deposits in the world, and has a more consistent geology than most other Australian vanadium deposits.