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Atlas Iron Ltd has a number of other prospective landholdings within its project portfolio in addition to those mentioned above.
The Northeast Pilbara is rugged, sparsely populated, vastly under-explored and capable of providing enormous reward for the persistent and effective explorer. Recent state government support for multi user infrastructure in Port Hedland and Geraldton is to be commended. It will further encourage private sector capital investment in exploration and project development as well as associated service industries. Atlas has been aggressively exploring its prospective Pilbara landholdings with outstanding results, and will continue to do so.
Atlas has a distinct advantage through the quality of its landholding and access to existing and proposed infrastructure. These two factors enabled Atlas to bring low capital cost projects into production quickly, realising operating margins early and subsequently seizing further growth opportunities for the benefit of its shareholders. The same factors will continue to allow Atlas to grow its export profile rapidly, without being forced to wait for third party rail access to move its products to port.
Hedland Project
Atlas' focus has been on assessing the potential of isolated outcrops of Channel Iron Deposit (CID) material interpreted as remnants of the Poondano paleodrainage system. In total eight surface rock chip samples have been collected during previous reconnaissance surveys. The best result returned was 58.1% Fe from Lena prospect. Follow up drilling (completed in 2005/06) totalling 12 holes for 338m returned best intercepts of 8 metres at 54.0% Fe and 4 metres at 56.1% Fe. Evaluation of possible effective and inexpensive beneficiation options as well as further work on targets within the project areas is planned for the coming year.
Turner River
Located approximately 50km south of Port Hedland the project area is considered prospective for hosting economically exploitable CID Deposits. The most significant of these recognised to date is the Mount Wallareenya Prospect which forms a narrow ridge some 1.5 km long, up to 100m wide and up to 12 metres thick.
Rock chip samples returned values ranging from 52 to 59% Fe. The best intercept returned was 12 metres at 54.1% Fe from surface in WLRC025, which included 4 metres @ 57.5% Fe from 6 metres.
Farrel Well
Located some 100km south east of Port Hedland, this project area is considered prospective for hosting a commercial iron ore operation. Atlas has delineated several areas of iron enrichment, with the largest of these, the Grant prospect, drilled in September 2008. Final assay results for the Grants drilling are still pending.
White Springs, Western Shaw and Hillside
These projects are a group of three exploration licence applications that are located between 150 to 210 kilometres south and south-southeast of Port Hedland in the southern part of the Eastern Pilbara Craton. Lower Hamersley Group sediments lay unconformably onto the Pilbara Craton either within the southern parts of the tenements or immediately to the south of the tenements. Some seven CID deposits have been identified in the Western Shaw Project area and rock chip sampling has returning results up to 62.7 % Fe.
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