Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Stage	Preliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities	Manganese
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	In August 2023, an updated Manganese Concentrate Scoping Study was completed, with results confirming Oakover as a long-life, tier-one manganese operation. Key workstreams at Oakover over the next 12 months remain focused on the completion of environmental studies and surveys as the Firebird Metals Limited (the Company) works its way to EPA referral for the project. In December, 2024, Firebird Metals signed an important agreement with the Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation (KNAC) for Mining Lease 52/1086 at the Oakover Manganese Project. Agreement with the KNAC covers key areas related to future development work and commencement of operations at Oakover.

Deposit type

• Laterite

Summary:

Oakover is situated in the Collier Basin near the edge of the Pilbara Craton. A major portion of the tenement is covered by Quaternary cover with some calcrete along drainages. Several outcrops of the Middle Proterozoic Bangemall Group (Manganese subgroup), including various sediments of the Balfour Formation, Jigalong Formation and the Stag Arrow Formation are found on E52/3577 (Rohde, 2010).

The manganese mineralisation occurs as multiple seams or bands of varying thickness within a highly weathered shale (Balfour Formation). The mineralisation was generally found to be shallow (mostly within 20 m of the surface), gently dipping and laterally extensive across the target area. The lateritic profile and subsequent manganese mineralisation show the zonation within the regolith and distribution of manganese mineralisation. The higher-grade (or nearer-surface supergene/lateritic) manganese material is generally located within the upper portion of the regolith profile at shallow depths (0–15 m).

Basal lithologies at the project are manganiferous shale of the Balfour Formation, with total grades ranging from 5-10% Mn. Mineralisation is hosted with lenticular layers of ferruginous/manganiferours shale, within host silty / cherty shale.

The higher grade semi-massive manganese domain is a sub-horizontal shale horizon that has been preferentially enriched with manganese oxides and is ~15 m thick. This domain sits beneath a thin veneer of waste shale (silty/cherty shale) that is generally unmineralized and ranges from 0-10 m thick. Grades of the semi-massive domain vary from 10-15% Mn. A surficial duricrust of supergene enriched lateritic manganese occurs discontinuously over the top of Sixty-Sixer and Karen deposits but is notably absent at Jay-Eye. This final mineralised domain is up to 15 m thick (though averages 2-5 m) and has grades that very widely up to 28% Mn.

Dimensions
The combined Sixty-sixer and Jay-Eye deposits have been drilled over a strike length of 4,000 m in a northeastsouthwest direction.

Drilling at Sixty-sixer extends approximately 900 m across strike, and 600 m at Jay-eye. Drilling at Karen extends approximately 1,000 m along strike (northeast-southwest) and approximately 800 m across strike.

Mineralisation at all deposits extends to depths of approximately 50 m and varies in thickness from section to section, averaging 15-20 m.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Operational metrics

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Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Dec 9, 2024