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Projects
In 2007 Pioneer took a decision to diversify its commodity profile. As a result of this decision the company has generated advanced prospects in gold and manganese to complement its traditional business in sulphide nickel exploration.
The company has an active policy of "invest or divest" which focuses the company on its core projects, and farming out projects that do not fit the company's criteria to explorers.
Advanced Projects
Mt Jewell Gold Project
The Mt Jewell Gold Project is wholly owned by Pioneer and is being explored principally for gold.
The Project comprises 880 km² of tenements. The Company has other tenements in the area, including those the subject of the Acra Joint Venture with Xstrata Nickel Australasia.
The Mt Jewell Gold Project takes in areas of the Scotia Granodiorite and the Rainbow Dam Granodiorite. Within the project, two zones of gold mineralisation are recognised: the Lignum Dam Trend and the Golden Cities North Trend.
Very encouraging gold mineralisation intersected at the Hughes Prospect, including:
- LDRC058: 42m at 1.38g/t from 32m
○ including 16m at 2.58g/t from 36m - LDRC059: 49m at 2.31g/t from 61m
○ including 19m at 2.41g/t from 61m
○ and 15m at 3.56g/t from 89m
New gold intercepts extend the strike length of the Tregurtha Prospect to 400m:
- LDRC036: 12m at 1.52g/t from 43m
○ including 5m at 2.41g/t from 44m - LDRC038: 22m at 1.18g/t from 120m
- LDRC039: 8m at 2.24g/t from 36m
- LDRC040: 12m at 1.43/t from 36m
Tregurtha Diamond Drilling provides structural information and confirms high-grade potential:
- LDRD013: 13m at 2.22g/t from 145m
- LDRD015: 8m at 8.55g/t from 43m
and 21m at 2.03g/t from 81m - LDDD028: 6.19m at 8.78g/t from 80.2m
- LDDD029: 4m at 65.34g/t from 53m
Mt Chester Manganese Project
The Mt Chester Manganese Project is located 10km from the township of Ravensthorpe in the South West of Western Australia. The project forms part of the Ravensthorpe Joint venture with Galaxy Resources Limited who hold a contributing 25% interest in the project.
Rock chip sampling has identified a 600m long anomalous manganese horison within the Chester Formation with rock chip samples grading up to 45% Mn.
Acra Joint Venture Project (Xstrata Nickel Australia (XNA) earning 80%)
XNA currently hold a 60% interest in the Acra Joint Venture and are spending a further $1.2M over the next two years to complete the earn in and take their interest up to 80%. XNA recently handed management of the final earn in on the project to Pioneer.
The project is located approximately 60km NNE of Kalgoorlie and comprises a portfolio of tenements covering an area of approximately 600 square kilometres.
The project provided a dominant tenement position along the EMU fault covering approximately 140km length of prospective ultramafic units that host high tenor massive and disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation. Existing nickel sulphide prospects occur at ACRA, and Jubilee.
Last year XNA identified a mineralised intact basal contact at the new Jubilee West Prospect that returned
- JBDD0014 0.1m at 2.58% Ni from 553.72m
This intersection is significant because it is the first time an intact nickel sulphide intersection with the project area has been made.
Mt Thirsty South Project
The Mt Thirsty South Project is located approximately 20km NNW of the township of Norseman. The company is targeting cobalt, nickel and manganese mineralisation within lateritised ultramafic rocks. The project is 100% owned by Pioneer.
The project covers the immediate southern extension of the Mt Thirsty Joint Venture Project ("MTJV") (Barra Resources Limited (ASX: BAR) and Fission Energy Limited (ASX: FIS)) where a resource of 21 million tone of 0.62% Ni, 0.14% Co and 1.01% Mn is reported (FIS announcement 21 April 2008).
Recent RAB Drilling by Pioneer has identified anomalous cobalt nickel mineralisation within a similar geological horison including:
- 6m at 1,532ppm Co, 0.35% Ni, 1.04% Mn
- 3m at 4,634ppm Co, 0.26% Ni, 5.80% Mn
Golden Ridge
Pioneer is in joint venture with Australian Mines Limited (AUZ) to explore the Golden Ridge Project for sulphide nickel mineralisation. Current project equity is Pioneer 56% and AUZ 44% and diluting. The project is located approximately 25km from Kalgoorlie and is linked by a 40 kilometre haul road with the Kambalda nickel processing facility.
Development Projects
Balagundi
The Balagundi Project is 100% owned by Pioneer Resources Limited and comprises a number of tenements covering up to 770km² of Archaean greenstone predominantly within the Gindalbie Terrane (Witt et el), Eastern Goldfields Province, Western Australia.
Regional mapping and geochemistry survey reports conclude that the Gindalbie Terrane contains bimodal felsic volcanics with, in parts, a flat rare earth geochemical signature. Based on the geochemistry of similar belts in the Abitibi Province, Canada, these may be fertile for VMS style mineralisation. The Gindalbie Terrane hosts the Jaguar and Teutonic Bore VMS mines located further to the north.
Pioneer’s work to date has confirmed these observations. Work has included detailed regolith and geological interpretations (MacIntyre, 2008), field mapping (Maniw, 2009), auger (Pioneer, Brand, MacIntyre, 2008) and RAB/rock chip geochemical and PIMA analysis (Maniw, 2009; MacIntyre and Hally 2008). This work was designed to generate VMS Cu-Zn targets in particular, in a geological domain recognised by the CSIRO as having potential for this style of mineralisation.
Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake project is located approximately 60 km NNE of Kalgoorlie and immediately south of the Acra Joint Venture. Pioneer holds the title and 100% of all mineral rights except for gold.
The tenement is prospective for VMS style base metal and sulphide nickel mineralisation.
Rock chip sampling by previous explores has returned up to 12.5% Zinc and 1.2% copper within a felsic volcanic sequence.
Other JV & Royalty
Ramelius Alliance Area
Pioneer and Ramelius Resources Limited have entered into a series of agreements which, collectively, has resulted in a large project, managed by Ramelius, that has areas prospective for nickel and gold. The project is located approximately 60km SW of Kalgoorlie.
The Project is located at the northern end of the Widgiemooltha Greenstone Belt with ultramafic units interpreted to correlate with the host units of the Mt Edwards, Widgiemooltha, Miitel and Redross Nickel Sulphide Mines. The area is also prospective for gold and tantalite mineralisation is recorded.
Ramelius is very active in the Wattle Dam District where it has a gold mining operation and an aggressive exploration program for both nickel and gold.
In an announcement by Ramelius in early June 2007, a drill hole was reported as having intercepted 32 metres at 2.0/t Gold from 12 metres depth at the centre of a 700 metre long anomalous zone within the West Larkinville JV Project.
Maggie Hays Lake Joint Venture Project (Norilsk Nickel Australia (NNA))
Pioneer has entered into a farm-out joint venture with Norilsk Nickel Australia (NNA) (formerly LionOre Australia (Nickel) Pty Ltd) to explore the Maggie Hays Lake prospect; NNA has earned an 80% interest in the project through expending $200,000. Pioneer continues to be free-carried until the commencement of mining.
Shallow Rotary Air Blast ("RAB") drilling confirmed the prosectivity of the targeted area with analyses up to 10m at 0.4% Ni, and with anomalous in Cu and PGM.
Conductors identified by NNA since the commencement of the joint venture are thought to relate to sedimentary horizons adjacent to the target ultramafic. The next phase of work will include stratigraphic drilling to locate geological targets.
Pioneer Joint Venture Project
Pioneer recently announced that it had sold an 80% interest in the Pioneer Project to Panoramic Resources Limited.
The project is located approximately 30 km NNW of Norseman and contains ultramafic stratigraphy that correlates with the mine sequences at Miitel, Redross and Mt Edwards Nickel Sulphide mines. Panoramic are actively exploring the surrounding ground for nickel sulphide mineralisation.
Pioneer retains a 20% free carried to decision to mine on the project.
Heazlewood and Whyte River Projects
Bass Metals has entered into a joint venture covering iron tin and tungsten with Venture Minerals Limited. Pioneer retains a 2% NSR royalty.
