The Company has two tenement applications targeting mineral sands in the South West of WA.
The Company's granted tenement at Gairdner, E70/3902, is located 140 kilometres north-east of Albany in the Bremer Basin and covers part of a Late Eocene fossil coastline. The area was explored for heavy minerals in the late 1980's by Eucla Mining NL, which reported concentrations of ilmenite and zircon.
Uses
Initially mined for paint pigmentation, minerals sands are now recognised as being of strategic importance for exciting developments in industrial and scientific technology.
Titanium minerals
Titanium pigments are pure white, highly refractive, ultra-violet-absorbing, non-toxic and inert. They are used in a wide and growing range of products: protective coatings, such as house, car paints and sunscreens, as well as in plastics, paper and textiles. Titanium pigments are also increasingly used in a range of foodstuffs and cosmetics.
Titanium minerals also act as a fluxing agent in welding electrodes that are used extensively in shipbuilding and construction. Titanium minerals are also used for the production of titanium sponge, used in the manufacture of titanium metal. The strength and lightness of titanium metal makes it ideal for advanced engineering applications, particularly in the aerospace industry, and in a range of other applications, including sports equipment and jewellery.
Zircon
Over 50 per cent of zircon is used in the production of ceramics, including tiles, sanitary ware and tableware. Zircon is also used in refractories, television glass and foundry applications, such as the casting of jet turbine blades.
In addition, it is the source material for zirconia and a wide range of zirconium-based chemicals. These products are used in a multitude of high-tech industrial applications, including autocatalysts, fuel cell technology, electronics and abrasives.
Market Demand
Australia is a pioneer of the mineral sands industry and is the world's largest mineral sands producer. The Australian mineral sands industry currently generates approximately AUD$1.2 billion in export income per annum.
Continuing international growth in demand for titanium and zirconium minerals offers an opportunity to develop new mineral sands resources in the south west of Western Australia where a significant amount of Australia's heavy mineral sands are located.
AMMG South West Mineral Sands Project