Our Projects
Lennard Shelf
The Lennard Shelf Zinc Lead Project is located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia approximately 80km SE of Fitzroy Crossing. This area is recognised as one of the world’s premier Mississippi Valley Type zinc-lead provinces.
Meridian Minerals is currently completing a Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) examining the viability of recommencing mining at Kapok and developing the Kapok West and Cadjebut Splay resources.
With its extensive drilling program, to date Meridian has increased the mineral resource inventory by 48% to 12.1Mt and the BFS is due for completion in the third quarter of 2011.
The MVT style of zinc and lead mineralisation, which occurs on the Lennard Shelf project, produces metal concentrates which are very highly sought by smelting companies due to the very high-grade and clean nature of the concentrates. Of all the resources mined to date, the overall recovery has been around 95% for zinc and 85% for lead. Concentrate grades have also been high with the zinc concentrate historically containing 58-60% zinc and the lead concentrate containing 72-77% lead. The clean, high-grade nature concentrates from the Lennard Shelf project have in the past attracted a premium price from smelters.
Project History
BHP Minerals conducted extensive exploration in the area in the past, namely discovering the Cadjebut deposit in 1984, Goongewa in 1987 and Kapok in 1989. BHP Minerals and Billiton jointly brought Cadjebut into production in 1987 and in the mid 1990’s both BHP Minerals and Billiton sold their respective interests in the project to Western Metals. Western Metals continued with exploration, extending the known resources at Cadjebut, Goongewa, Kapok, Kapok West and discovered a new resource at Kutarta. Production from Cadjebut ceased in 1998. Goongewa produced from 1995 to 2001, and Kapok from 1997 until 2003.
Teck purchased the Lennard Shelf assets from the receivers of Western Metals in 2003 and subsequently sold a 50% interest in the project to Noranda (now Xstrata), forming the joint-venture company Lennard Shelf Pty Ltd (LSPL). LSPL undertook exploration within the Lennard Shelf tenements during the field seasons of 2004 - 2008. Highlights included intersecting previously undiscovered mineralisation at the Palijippa prospect in 2005 where, following further drilling in 2006, an in-house inferred resource was estimated. The Palijippa discovery by LSPL demonstrates the excellent potential of the project area for the discovery of additional mineral resources.
In October 2009 following an extensive Due Diligence process, Meridian Minerals completed the acquistion of the Lennard Shelf Project from former owners, Lennard Shelf Pty Ltd, an Xstrata Zinc/Teck Resources Limited (‘Teck’) joint venture company. Soon after the Company commenced an agressive +20,000m drilling program.
In December 2009, Meridian Minerals increased the total tenement area to 679km2 following the acquisition of an additional four exploration tenements from Zinc Co Australia Limited located in close proximity to the Lennard Shelf Zinc Project.
In August 2010 Meridian announced they are to make an application to the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee (ACMC) to obtain approval to continue the drilling relevant to the Emanuel Range Bankable Feasibility study (BFS) on the Project. This application will be made under Section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA). All aspects of the Emanuel Range Bankable Feasibility Study, not related to drilling, will continue and will include submitting the various long lead time permits required to allow the Emmanuel Range Project to proceed to development. Mining companies in Western Australia are required to carry out archaeological and heritage surveys to identify artifact sites and avoid disturbance, wherever possible. These surveys are performed through consultation with the Traditional Owners.
