Accelerate Resources has engaged CSIRO to carry out a detailed study of manganese mineralisation at its Woodie Woodie North project after receiving a $50,000 Kick-Start research grant.
The project, titled Multiscale Characterisation of Manganese Mineralisation, will be led by CSIRO’s Dr Yoram Teitler and will examine 150 metres of large-diameter diamond core taken from the Dale’s Patch and Nathan’s Flat prospects in Area 42.
In the first phase, CSIRO will log and scan the core using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and hyperspectral methods, and record hardness measurements. The second phase will focus on petrographic, mineralogical and microanalytical work to establish how each mineralisation style formed and how weathering has altered the ores.
The data will be used to understand how different manganese ore types respond to processing, to steer Accelerate’s ongoing metallurgical and ore-sorting testwork, and to sharpen geological models that feed into resource assessment and mine planning.
“CSIRO brings world class mineral characterisation capability that would be very difficult for a company of our size to access on this scale. Understanding how the different manganese ore types at Area 42 behave is fundamental to designing the right processing route.”
Core from the earlier large-diameter drilling program is already at CSIRO’s Kensington laboratory in Perth and work is expected to start shortly. CSIRO has scheduled delivery of a technical report and recommendations by mid-2027, and Accelerate will publish its own metallurgical and ore-sorting results as they are completed.
Woodie Woodie North covers 432 square kilometres and lies about 55 km north of Consolidated Minerals’ operating Woodie Woodie manganese mine in the Pilbara, a region noted for high-grade manganese. The metal is listed on Australia’s Critical Minerals List and is used in steelmaking and in some lithium-ion battery chemistries.
Accelerate has defined a maiden inferred resource of 1.2 million tonnes grading 19.1% manganese at Area 42. The company has also outlined a broader conceptual exploration target of 5.3 million to 10.7 million tonnes at 10 to 19% manganese, figures that do not include the Gingarrigan and El Largo trends.
Recent surface mapping of more than 200 manganese outcrops across the project has identified high-grade corridors beyond the stated resource. Rock chips returned up to 59.4% manganese at El Largo and 59.6% at the separate Faris prospect, results the company says could point to potential direct-shipping-ore opportunities subject to further drilling and metallurgical testing.
Drilling continues across Woodie Woodie North. The core now under study was recovered from earlier large-diameter holes at Area 42, where Accelerate reported visible manganese over a 72-metre downhole span at Nathan’s Flat, from 5.6 metres to the end of the hole at 77.6 metres.
The CSIRO collaboration complements Accelerate’s other Western Australian interests, which include gold projects at Balagundi and Kanowna East and lithium prospects near Karratha, and gives the junior explorer access to advanced mineral characterisation capability that will inform future development decisions.
