The Panton Intrusion is a layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion situated within the structurally complex Central Zone of the Halls Creek Orogen (“HCO”), in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The HCO consists of three north-north-easterly trending, highly deformed, medium to high-grade metamorphic zones comprising sedimentary, volcanic and intrusive rock suites. The HCO separates the Paleoproterozoic Kimberley Basin to the northwest, and the late Archaean Granites-Tanami Region to the southeast.

In outcrop the Panton intrusion is a 12km long, 3km wide and 1.7km thick layered, differentiated ultramafic-mafic body.

The Panton intrusion comprises a basal ultramafic zone of chromite rich olivine cumulate rocks; dunites, peridotites and transitional rocks, with an overlying mafic zone of similar thickness made up of leucogabbro, gabbro, ferrogabbro, gabbronorites, norites, pyroxenites, and anorthosite units.

The Panton intrusion has undergone a number of structural deformation events. These various events have resulted in large scale folding, faulting and widespread shearing of the ultramafic/mafic sequence. The intrusion is asymmetrically folded into a tight syncline, which gently plunges to the southwest. The fold is closed at the north-eastern end and faulted off at the southwest end. Other dominant structural features include the numerous small scale and lesser large-scale faulting. The main orientation of faults strike north-south and near ........

Mining of the deposit is envisaged to be by open pit and underground methods. An assumption of non-selective total vein width mining was made in the estimation, no other mining factors were considered during the interpretation and 2D modelling of the mineralisation however mining dilution and mining loss are likely to be material factors in a combination of small open pit and underground exploitation. Minimum mining widths were not considered during the interpretation and 2D modelling of the mineralisation. No assumptions were made regarding environmental restrictions.

Platinum Australia’s feasibility study was based on a proposed processing plant incorporating standard crushing-grinding-flotation to produce a low grade concentrate which was then to be treated onsite though a patented Calcine-Leach-Metals Recovery process developed by Platinum Australia and Lonmin Plc.

Following acquisition of the Panton PGM Project in 2012, Panoramic conducted a variety of metallurgical test work on Panton ore in order to establish the best processing strategies for the deposit. The test work comprised the following work programmes:
• Various laboratory flotation test work programmes at various grind sizes;
• Ore sorting test work to selectively remove waste rock;
• Magnetic separation processes; and
• QEMScan analysis for the identification of ore minerals.

Red Emperor intends to appoint a metallurgical and processing consultant with experience in PGMs to assess in detail the results of the previous test work and provide re ........