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Molyhil Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Tungsten
  • Molybdenum
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotThe Molyhil project was given Major Project Status by the Northern Territory government in July of 2020, and this status was due for review in July 2023. During the year, this revised timeline was accepted by the Northern Territory government and Major Project Status was renewed.

The updated Mineral Resource Estimate for Molyhil, dated May 28, 2024, will be utilised in the completion of a high-level scoping study on the Molyhil project to determine the project viability in the current market (given that the last study undertaken by Thor was completed in 2018). Investigator anticipates completion of this work in the first half of 2025.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Investigator Resources Ltd. 25 % Indirect
Thor Energy Plc. 75 % Indirect
On November 24, 2022, Thor Energy Plc (the company), through its wholly owned subsidiary Molyhil Mining Pty Ltd. (“Molyhil”), signed a Heads of Agreement (“HOA”) with ASX-listed mineral exploration and development company Investigator Resources Limited (IVR) to fund the accelerated exploration of Thor’s 100%-owned Molyhil tenements (the “Tenements”).

Under the agreement, Fram Resources Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IVR, has the right to earn, via a three-stage process, 80% interest in the Tenements and acquire Thor’s 40% interest in the Bonya tenement (EL29701).

On 14 August 2024, the Company announced that effective 13 August 2024, a Joint Venture Agreement had been formalised for the Molyhil Projects, including the transfer of a 25% interest in Molyhil tenements and the transfer of Thor's 40% interest in Bonya tenement EL29701, to Investigator Resources Limited. Consequent to the formation of the JV, the Company retains a 75% interest in the Molyhil project.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Skarn

Summary:

The Molyhil Tungsten Project is a W-Mo deposit that is hosted predominantly within a Fe-enriched altered magnetite skarn that overprints meta-carbonate units of the Deep Bore metamorphic sequence at the contact of a large intrusion of peraluminous monzogranite, Marshall granite.

The Molyhil area is amongst a range of west-northwest trending 10-100km crustal scale shear zones, including the Delny Shear zone, which have caused widespread structural adjustment of geology in the area. A number of smaller faults are believed to have been activated and reactivated over the long tectno-thermal cycle of these regional shear and fault zones from 1.79 -1.70 Ga.

The Molyhil deposit consists of two adjacent outcropping iron rich skarn bodies, enclosed in granite, that contain powellite, scheelite and molybdenite mineralisation. The bodies are arranged in an en- echelon manner, the northeast body being named the Yacht Club Lode and the southwest body the Southern Lode.

Molyhil is comprised of two north-south trending, magnetite altered, mineralised zones that plunge 65° to the south and dip steeply to the east. The larger Southern Lode (approx. 55m x 65m x 360m (width x length x depth), to a vertical depth of approx. 320m) and smaller Yacht Club Lode (approx. 55m x 60m x 250m (width x length x depth), to a vertical depth of 200m) are separated by foliated, compositionally layered paragneiss and meta-carbonate rocks of the Deep Bore Metamorphic sequence.

The deposit comprises of massive and disseminated Scheelite (CaWO4), Powellite (CaMoO4), Molybdenite (MoS2) together with magnetite. Mineralisation is layer parallel and occurs primarily within horizons of the cackleberry meta-carbonate that has been altered to diopside skarn at contacts with the Marshall Granite.

The mineralised meta-carbonate exoskarn alteration comprises predominantly of garnet-scapolite-diopside- hedenbergite whilst the endo skarn granite consists of microcline-actinolite-diopsidequartz-calcite- biotite.

The deposit has a number of crosscutting structures that have offset some mineralisation including the Yacht Club Fault, a dextral fault trending east-southeast. This fault offsets and slightly rotates the Yacht club and southern orebodies which are believed to be fault displaced sections of a singular mineralised body. This faulting is typically associated with possible Neoproterozoic stage carbonate- fluorite-barite veining that crosscuts mineralisation and granite alike.

Mineralisation is coarse-grained and its distribution is irregular. Two broad lithological variations are present within each of the two main skarns:

- “Black rock skarn”: Mineralised (which, historically, was selectively mined on the basis of its colour) a calc-silicate containing a high proportion of magnetite, pyrite, and iron-rich minerals such as andradite-garnet, actinolite, and ferro-amphibole. This unit is irregularly mineralised with scheelite, molybdenite, and chalcopyrite. The mineralisation is, in general, both coarsegrained and heterogeneous. Decimetre wide bands rich in molybdenite and/or scheelite are separated by metre scale bands of barren/low grade black rock skarn.

- Unmineralised (little to no Fe/W/Mo/Cu) skarn: a pale green calc-silicate rock containing diopsidic pyroxene and garnet.

Dimensions
The Molyhil resource area extends over a combined strike length of 300m from 19,850mN to 20,150mN, a plan width of 250m from 9,950mE to 10,200mE and includes the vertical extent of 290m from 410mRL (surface) to 100mRL.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
WO3 Oxide in concentrate kt 1.28.6
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate t 3,133
WO3 Concentrate kt 1.2

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual processing rate 531 kt *
Stripping / waste ratio 7.6 *
Waste tonnes, LOM 27,053 kt *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 3,543 kt *
Tonnes processed, LOM 3,543 kt *
* According to 2018 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
C1 cash costs WO3 USD 90 / mtu * **  
* According to 2018 study / presentation.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

CurrencyAverage
OP mining costs ($/t milled) AUD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2018 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Total CapEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
EBITDA (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 5% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

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Aerial view:

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