Lincoln Minerials Limited
Quarterly Activities Report
September 2015 28 October 2015
Key Points
Advanced Graphite Projects on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula
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Kookaburra Gully Mining Lease Proposal (MLP) released for public review and comment on 17 September 2015 by the SA Department of State Development. The MLP is open for public submissions until 29 October 2015.
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Maiden Inferred Mineral Resource for the Koppio graphite deposit of 1.85 million tonnes grading 9.76% total graphitic carbon (TGC) with 180,733 tonnes of contained graphite within the high-grade core
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Koppio Mineral Resource increases Lincoln's total graphite Mineral Resource inventory on Eyre Peninsula to
4.03 million tonnes at 12.35% TGC or 0.5 million tonnes of contained graphite (at a nominal 5% TGC cutoff) in the Koppio-Kookaburra Gully area
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Targeting graphite production of more than 25,000 tonnes per annum from Kookaburra Gully and sales of high purity (>93% TGC) concentrate beginning in CY2016
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Commonwealth Government EPBC Referral updated for Kookaburra Gully Project with additional spring survey data
Timetable to graphite mining in SA
The Kookaburra Gully Mineral Lease Application (MLA) lodged in February 2015 was a milestone for Lincoln Minerals. The second milestone was the release of the Mining Lease Proposal (MLP) by the SA Department of State Development for public comment on 17 September 2015. These position Lincoln, for the first time in the Company's history, with a firm and near-term horizon to achieve the transition from explorer to graphite miner. Importantly, the MLA coincides with continuing positive Australian and global equity market interest in graphite, spherical graphite for batteries and graphite's acclaimed graphene derivative. Subject to statutory approvals outcomes, Lincoln's anticipated scheduling provides for the granting of a Mineral Lease for the proposed Kookaburra Gully mine early in 2016. Pilot plant processing, finalisation of mine and processing plant design and preparation and approval of a Program for Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) are scheduled for the first half of calendar 2016. Subject to project financing, this should allow commencement of mining and process plant construction within the second half of calendar 2016.
Kookaburra Gully is one of Australia's and the world's premier graphite deposits with total Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources of 2.2 million tonnes grading 15.1% TGC.
Lincoln Minerals Limited (LML) and its 100%-owned subsidiary, Australian Graphite Pty Ltd (AGL), aim to take the Kookaburra Gully project to critical development and commercialisation milestones over the next 12 months.
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS DURING THE QUARTER
Proposed Kookaburra Gully Graphite Mine (SA's Eyre Peninsula)
(LML and its 100%-owned subsidiary, Australian Graphite Pty Ltd (AGL), have exclusive rights to graphite on all tenements)
On 26 February 2015, Lincoln Minerals, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Australian Graphite Pty Ltd (AGL), formally lodged a Mineral Lease Application (MLA) to develop a graphite mine at AGL's wholly- owned Kookaburra Gully project on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.
On 17 September 2015, Kookaburra Gully's graphite Mining Lease Proposal (MLP) was made available for public comment by the South Australian Department of State Development (DSD).
A full copy of the MLP and supporting documentation including instructions on how and where to make a submission can be viewed on DSD's website at:
http://minerals.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/mining/public_notices_mining
A full copy is also available to view at Lincoln's Adelaide and Melbourne offices and, on Eyre Peninsula, at the Tumby Bay District Council office and the Port Lincoln City Council office.
The MLP is open for public submissions until 29 October 2015.
Lodgement of the MLA and release of the MLP for public comment were key milestones for Kookaburra Gully and Lincoln Minerals in every sense. They mean the backbone of work needed to elevate this project from
exploration and assessment through to where we believe it can now be a viable new mining operation in Australia's graphite sector, has been realised.
Figure 1: location of AGL's Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project and Koppio
Following receipt of public and Government submissions, AGL will prepare a Response Document for DSD to use in conjunction with the MLP for assessment of AGL's Mineral Lease Application.
After critical/peer review and extensions imposed by DSD in the assessment process, a smooth approvals process should position Lincoln to achieve its objective of securing a Mineral Lease for Kookaburra Gully early in 2016.
It is the benchmark from which Lincoln can now springboard real-time project financing, detailed design and engineering, development, and off-take negotiations and agreements.
The Kookaburra Gully graphite project is located 35 kilometres north of Port Lincoln on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.
The MLP is for a conventional open pit mining operation with associated processing plant to upgrade graphite ore into high grade graphite concentrate at a rate of ~25,000-55,000 tonnes per annum. Kookaburra Gully is one of Australia's premier graphite deposits with total current Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources of 2.20 million tonnes grading an average 15.1% TGC (Total Graphitic Carbon) (Lincoln Minerals Limited, ASX release 19 December 2013). Metallurgical tests have shown that the deposit can produce a range of flake graphite products from very fine (176 microns) at concentrates in excess of 93% TGC.
The Kookaburra Gully graphite deposit ranks in the world's Top 10 graphite deposits based on grade and is close to water, electricity and an export port 35kms away.
AGL owns the graphite mineral rights over a number of LML and Centrex Metals-SA Iron Ore Group (CXM-SAIOG) Exploration Licenses (see the Tenement schedule at the end of this report) and there is considerable potential for further significant graphite discoveries on Eyre Peninsula.
Figure 2: Location of Kookaburra Gully MC 4372 and MC 4373 and proposed mine plan
For further information regarding the Mining Lease Proposal, please consult the September 2015 Community Information Update No. 4 which is available on the Company website www.lincolnminerals.com.au.
EPBC Referral for Kookaburra Gully
As part of its detailed independent expert environmental studies at Kookaburra Gully, AGL identified flora and fauna of National Environmental Significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) that might be impacted by the Company's proposed mining and associated activities. Consequently a detailed EPBC Referral outlining environmental aspects of the area and potential flora and fauna impacts was prepared and lodged with the Commonwealth Department of the Environment in April 2015.
Following initial assessment of the Referral, further information was requested and an additional spring orchid survey was conducted. This information was compiled by AGL and submitted early in October to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment for final assessment of the EPBC Referral to determine if it is a controlled action or not.
Warden's Court
Following plaints lodged by landowners at the northern end of AGL's Kookaburra Gully deposit (MC 4372), AGL has been involved in SA Warden's Court proceedings to resolve the matters raised. The first of these involved the validity of Notices of Entry issued by AGL in 2014 to peg a Mineral Claim. Following a trial on 1 June 2015, Warden Fahey ruled that the Notices were valid and complied with the Mining Act 1971.
A second trial was held early in August 2015 to determine matters in relation to disputed exempt land. Following that trial, Warden Cannon reached a decision that denied the landowners' claims that springs existed within and near the proposed open pit. In the same proceedings, the Warden found in the landowners' favour that a small area within
and near the proposed pit comprised cultivated land exempt from mining operations without the benefit of a waiver of that exemption from the landowners.
A Conciliation Conference has been scheduled late in October 2015 by Warden Cannon to facilitate an access and compensation agreement(s) between the parties and to negotiate a waiver of the benefit of any exempt land status.
Koppio Graphite Deposit - Resource Geology
In July 2015, Lincoln announced a maiden Inferred Mineral Resource (Table 1) for the Company's second graphite deposit near Port Lincoln (Lincoln Minerals Limited, ASX release 13 July 2015). The resource is for the historic Koppio graphite mine deposit wholly-owned by Lincoln's subsidiary, Australian Graphite Pty Ltd, on Exploration Licence EL 5065 and just 2.5 km to the south of the Company's flagship Kookaburra Gully graphite project.
The Koppio resource estimation and modelling were undertaken by OreWin Pty Ltd (OreWin), an independent mining and resource consultancy, based on information compiled by Lincoln's geologists and reported in accordance with JORC Code 2012. The resource is based on drilling completed by Lincoln in April 2014. This included 20 aircore and reverse circulation (RC) drillholes for a total of 1,680.2 metres.
Table 1. Koppio Mineral Resource
Mineral Resource Classification
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Lower Cut-off Grade (% TGC)
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Tonnage (Mt)
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Average Grade (% TGC)
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Contained Graphite (tonnes)
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Density (g/cc)
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Inferred - Domain 1
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5%
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1.85
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9.76
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180,733
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2.67
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Inferred - Domain 2
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2%
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1.21
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3.18
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38,560
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2.80
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TOTAL (>2% TGC)
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3.06
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7.16
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219,293
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2.72
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Mt = million tonnes TGC = Total Graphitic Carbon
The Koppio graphite deposit occurs within Palaeoproterozoic Hutchison Group metasediments metamorphosed to Upper Amphibolite facies, and locally to Lower Granulite facies, which has produced coarse-grained flake graphite within graphitic schist units. The graphite occurs in a number of steeply-dipping lenses with an aggregate thickness of about 10-30m in the central and southern parts of the deposit as interpreted from the historic mine workings, surface mapping carried out by Lincoln, and drillhole intercepts based on OreWin's interpretation. The aggregate thickness reduces to about 10m at the northern end of the deposit (160m north of the mine workings). The interpreted dip of the graphite units is 60°-75° to the east-southeast but they are complexly folded.
The Mineral Resource at Koppio has a strike length of 575m and a depth extent of at least 100m below ground level at the site of the historic mine workings. The strike length is still open to the north and south of the drilling extents.
The historic Koppio graphite mine was intermittently mined from the early 1900s to 1944 (South Australian Department of Mines (now SA Department for State Development) Report Book 21/87, 1945) and contains high-grade lenses of coarse flake graphite up to 32% TGC. Up to 100 tonnes of graphite was mined from Koppio during the 1940s and processed in Port Lincoln. However, it is not known what concentrate was produced and/or sold.
The Mineral Resource at the historic Koppio graphite mine, when combined with the Company's high grade Kookaburra Gully Resource only 2.5km to the north, clearly indicates that this region of Eyre Peninsula is highly endowed in graphite and is shaping up as a world-class graphite province. The new Koppio Mineral Resource, while slightly lower grade than Kookaburra Gully, represents a 52% increase on the Company's total contained graphite resources in this region, which total just under 0.5 million tonnes based on a 5% TGC cutoff grade (Table 2).