Reward Minerals Ltd has thirteen Exploration Licence applications covering approximately 5,600km2 in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia prospective for Potash mineralisation.
The tenements cover four separate areas of Officer Basin stratigraphy believed to be underlain by substantial evaporite horizons prospective for Potash mineralisation.
The southernmost block of tenements are located over regions where extensive evaporite (salt) flows have occurred resulting in typical circular diapiric structures and also linear salt walls covering considerable distances (100+ kms).
The uplift of salt diapirs and salt walls provides potential for relatively shallow mining scenarios should the evaporite flows host significant potash values. Examination of satellite imagery of the northern block of tenements suggests several diapiric structures within a 100km zone trending north west – south east.
While exploration data are limited for this remote area, the exploration model is supported by a number of seismic lines and oil exploration holes drilled in the southern tenement area. While no potash has been recorded in the evaporites intersected in Hussar and Dragoon exploration holes a large number of targets – both salt wall an diapiric structures appear as exciting prospects worthy of drilling.
In the Potash producing region of Cardona in Spain, the Potash mines are generally located on diapiric structures where the evaporites containing potash have been uplifted to shallow mineable depths. The Company’s Officer Basin tenements are located within the Martu lands and have remained in pending status while negotiations between the Company and the Martu people regarding Lake Disappointment progressed.
Since reaching agreement with the Martu people on the Mining Agreement for Potash operations at Lake Disappointment and recent discussions with the Martu representative body WDLAC regarding the Officer Basin project, the Company believes that it may be able to reach agreement on terms allowing exploration and mining of the Company’s Officer Basin tenements in the foreseeable future. Negotiations in this regard are at an early stage but are promising.
