Mining Mirror March 2019 | Page 13

Global news and projects Río Loa basin sedimentary infill in northern Chile,” says Harwood. Reconnaissance channel sampling by the founders of the evaporite lacustrine sequences found in the Avispa Project area revealed anomalous values of lithium and iodine, as well as potassium, sodium, and calcium as nitrates and sulphates that are generally encountered in the caliche deposits of the Chile nitrate fields. “Lithium values of up 517 parts per million (ppm) and iodine values of more than 852ppm are reported from reconnaissance sampling in the license area, with anomalous values of potassium and sodium nitrates. Montero has undertaken confirmatory and reconnaissance sampling over the license area and will provide further updates as results are obtained. The project adds to our portfolio of lithium projects in good mining jurisdictions. Chile is one of the foremost mining jurisdictions and a major source of global lithium supply,” says Harwood. Australia Rio tests autonomous transport Diversified mining company Rio Tinto is working with Scania to make the Dampier Salt operation in Western Australia a safer environment by testing an autonomous transport system. The first phase of the trial, which started in August, has involved a Scania XT 8×4 autonomous tipper truck that has worked separately from active operations at Dampier. During the initial stage, a safety driver has been riding in the vehicle to observe the truck’s performance and intervenes if necessary. Rio Tinto will add more autonomous Scania trucks in subsequent phases to develop vehicle-to-vehicle awareness and intelligent fleet supervisory controls. According to Rob Atkinson, head of productivity and technical support at Rio Tinto, the trial has the potential to give the company more flexibility in the way it operates across a number of areas. “We have seen automation create safer and more efficient operations in our business and this is a next step in evaluating options for delivering further improvements through the use of technology,” says Atkinson. Argentina Patagonia consolidates Patagonia Gold has entered into an agreement to purchase four property blocks, located in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, from Oroplata, a 100% subsidiary of Goldcorp, one of the largest gold producers in the region. According to the terms of the agreement, Oroplata will transfer ownership of the four property blocks, comprising 20 mineral tenements to Minera Minamalu, a subsidiary of Patagonia Gold. In exchange, Minera Minamalu has committed to provide Oroplata SA with a one per cent net smelter royalty of future production, if and when the properties are put into production. According to Christopher van Tienhoven, CEO at Patagonia, the company will consolidate the properties adjacent or near to its El Tranquilo block, thereby expanding its potential mineral resources in the highly prospective El Deseado Massif region. Future detailed exploration activities will be carried out in the acquired areas in order to seek to increase its inventory of resources. www.miningmirror.co.za MARCH 2019 MINING MIRROR [13] MARCH 2019 MINING MIRROR [13]