White Rock drilling expands tungsten and tin

  Paradigm Metals has reported a number of significant tungsten and tin drill intersections from its recent reverse circulation drill program at White Rock in New South Wales.According to Paradigm, the purpose of the recent drilling was to extend the footprint of the high-grade skarn mineralisation, and to confirm the continuity of the tin-tungsten halo mineralisation given limited previous tin data. The company said both of these objectives were successfully met. The new results have extended the footprint of tungsten mineralisation up to 50m to the east and 80m to the north of the current Mineral Resource (150,000 tonnes @ 0.9% WO3). High-grade tungsten (>1% WO3) occurs on the margin of a granite outcrop associated with ‘black skarn’, consisting of pyroxene-biotite, commonly with significant magnetite. High-grade tungsten was intersected in drill holes WRP060 and WRP062 during recent drilling. Tin-tungsten mineralisation occurs as a ‘halo’ in flat-lying stratigraphy further outwards from the granite and, prior to the recent drilling, was not well characterised.The tin-tungsten is associated with ‘green-brown skarn’ consisting predominantly of garnet and epidote. Holes drilled inside of the current resource (WRP048-050) intersected grades of between 0.3-0.7% SnO2+WO3 over several metres, less than 10m from surface. Paradigm said these results are encouraging given that tin could be an important credit to a potential future mining operation, especially where mineralisation is shallow. Tungsten in both skarn types occurs as a mix of scheelite (CaWO4) and ferberite (FeWO4), both common tungsten ore minerals. The company said it was expecting metallurgical results for concentrate analyses of the two skarn types, utilising magnetic and gravity separation methods. Paradigm is targeting a preliminary tungsten concentrate grade of approximately 60% WO3, which the company said it expects to be able to improve with further test work. Paradigm said an update of the Mineral Resource for White Rock will be completed in early December 2008, with further reverse circulation percussion drilling planned for January 2008 to test exploration targets north and northeast of the current mineralisation envelope.