The Panton Complex is a layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion which is a 10km long and 3km wide, south-west plunging synclinal layered intrusion situated within the Central Zone of the Halls Creek Orogen of Western Australia. The Panton Complex displays many geological similarities to the Bushveld Complex in South Africa on a smaller scale.

The lower range of the Panton intrusion comprises a massive variable olivine orthocumulate ultramafic intrusive phase, primarily dunite, with various other phases recognised including wehrlite, lherzolite and harzburgite. Various stratiform reefs of PGM-bearing cumulate chromitite magnetite occur in the lower ultramafic phase at Panton. Horizons vary in thickness from 0.2 metres to 8 metres in thickness and multiple stacked reefs are common. The majority of historic drilling has been focused on the ultramafic-hosted chromite reefs of the A, B and C zones in the northern part of the Panton Complex.

The top zone of the Panton intrusion comprises mainly layered mafic phases that vary from gabbro, gabbronorite, and norite and then transitions upward to anorthosite and leucogabbro through to a ferrogabbro or magnetite-bearing gabbro at the top of the sequence. PGMbearing stratiform reefs are known to occur within the upper layered mafic sequences however these reefs have received much less exploration attention.

The Panton Complex has been folded into a syncline such that the shallowest chromite reefs occur around the outer edges and become deeper towards the centre of the complex. The syncline axis is interpreted to plunge toward the southwest. In addition to folding, the Panton Complex has been subject to several stages of faulting, many of which offset the chromite reefs including a major north-south oriented fault that offsets the C zone to the south which is now known as the D zone

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 ........