Select Sands Corp. completed a resource-definition drill program at its Sandtown project in Northeast Arkansas. The company has hired Little Rock, Ark.-based consultants for the quarry permitting process, and the process has begun with:
- Twenty drill holes completed.
- Drill hole P-04 intersected 98 ft. or 29.8 m of potential frac sand, ending in the zone (drill limits reached).
- All drill holes except one intersected potential frac sand intervals, averaging 52 ft. (15.84 m).
- Current drilling is focused on the northern half (200 acres) of the 530-acre property.
- Potential to find additional resources on the remaining property exists.
- Quarry (mine) permitting application process has started.
Twenty drill holes have been completed, of which all but one intersected thick zones of the St. Peter Sandstone (SST) formation. The St. Peter SST is host to Tier-1 frac sand deposits, a necessary mineral used in the extraction of shale oil/gas. Holes were drilled at approximately 600 ft. (183 m) centers over an 810,000 sq. m area (200 acres). The total property size is 530 acres and potential to find additional resources on the property exists as the SST outcrops on the property outside the drilled area.
The average thickness of the SST intersected during drilling is 52 ft. (15.84 m). Based on these intercepts and the apparent continuity of the SST across the property, the company is targeting 8-10 million tons of frac sand. The company cautions that this estimate of exploration potential is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient work done to define a mineral resource at this stage. It is unclear if additional exploration will result in this target being defined as a mineral resource.
Samples collected from the drilling are being submitted for analysis. The company expects to have the results incorporated in a resource report in about 4-6 weeks.
The company has also started the quarry/mine permitting process by hiring consultants from Little Rock, Ark. Baseline data gathering for the permit application has started. The company anticipates submitting the quarry/mine application within a few weeks. Select Sands Corp. expects to receive a final quarry/mine permit within 60 days after the application has been submitted.