Australian rare earth element (REE) exploration and development company Heavy Rare Earths (ASX:HRE) reports it has uncovered mineralisation beyond the existing resource from ongoing aircore (AC) drilling at its Cowalinya REE Project in Western Australia (WA).
The results generated by the first 53 holes of the 421 hole program, have intersected thick sequences of REE mineralisation in saprolite along 5 exploration traverses up to 4.2km long and indicate an increase in the average thickness of saprolite by 29.8% to 22.2m.
It is reported that these coherent zones of mineralisation discovered share similarities in nature and potential size to those hosted within the Cowalinya deposit.
Drilling has returned grades of up to 2,255ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO), with other grades returned exceeding the Cowalinya resource grade, with key results including; 5m at 1,258ppm TREO (27.6% magnet REOs) from 16m including 2m at 2,255ppm TREO from 18m (ACC122).
Recent drilling was designed to explore for thick developments of clay-rich mineralised saprolite on the company’s E63/1972 tenement to the south, south-east, east and west, as well as guide a subsequent grid-based resource drilling.
Speaking on the results, Heavy Rare Earth’s Executive Director, Richard Brescianini says: “We are very pleased with the results from drilling at our Cowalinya rare earth project. Despite having received assays from only 13% of the holes, we have already confirmed the presence of thick, saprolite-hosted rare earth mineralisation more than four kilometres away from our existing resource. The potential to grow our rare earth resource base at Cowalinya improves with every hole drilled.
“Despite having received assays from only 13% of the holes, we have already confirmed the presence of thick, saprolite-hosted rare earth mineralisation more than four kilometres away from our existing resource”
Today’s findings are very promising. We look forward to the period ahead as results continue to flow.”
The company also notes that the results have also defined a relationship between the upper and lower saprolite and REE mineralisation along 3 of the 5 exploration drill traverses.
This relationship is supported by the Cowalinya resource in which mineralisation tends to concentrate in the lower saprolite unit.
In addition, it is reported that thicker saprolite has been drilled to the west and south of the Cowalinya South deposit with assays pending.
Heavy Rare Earths is an ASX-listed exploration and development company that is focused on the discovery of REE mineralisation at its Western Australia and Northern Territory projects.
The company’s Cowalinya project is located about 70km of the township of Norseman in Western Australia’s Norseman-Esperance region and comprises a single 230km-square exploration licence that is wholly owned by the company. The project is considered prospective for shallow, flat lying, supergene concentrations of REE mineralisation present within the weathering profile overlying granitic basement.
With the AC exploration and resource expansion drilling still ongoing, Heavy Rare Earths announces that assays for the balance of the remaining 368 drillholes will be reported when they are complete.
Images: Heavy Rare Earths Ltd & iStock
