Kendrick Resources (LSE:KEN) Chairman Colin Bird says the company credits its Teufelskuppe Rare Earths Project in Namibia, with “higher tonnage than most top tier projects”, following the completion of a high-resolution digital elevation model survey.
The digital elevation model volumetric assessment has defined a surface volume of 4.6 million cubic metres which, when combined with a revised bulk density of 3 grams per cubic metre, supports an in-house estimate of 14 million tonnes of above-ground mineralised carbonatite.
Surface carbonatite grades range from 2.2% to 7.06% total rare earth oxide.
While it is not yet JORC-compliant, Kendrick says the exposure, grade continuity, accessibility, and abundance of visible mineralisation places these surface carbonatites in a “uniquely low-risk” category relative to typical sub-surface deposits.
The company says it is believed that there are only a few rare earths projects globally that can show such a “large, coherent body of high-grade material exposed at surface”.
Bird adds that this above-ground tonnage estimate is confined to the Teufelskuppe Project.
“We have not considered any tonnage contribution that may come from the Kieshöhe (KH) Project,” the Chairman says.
“KH is expected to have an even larger tonnage that will be open pittable. Thus, our expectations for a gross tonnage much larger than most other global rare earth projects appears to be realistic.”
Kendrick Resources entered into a definitive agreement with privately held Bonya Exploration to gain a 70% interest in the Teufelskuppe and Kieshöhe projects. The company has been conducting work aimed at providing a more detailed understanding of the configuration of both projects’ mineralised outcrops leading to defining an initial surface resource estimate.
The company is also aiming to provide further details of the rare earth chemistry and petrology to guide optimisation of metallurgical test work.
Kendrick Resources is a mineral explorer and developer focused on acquiring and enhancing the value of mineral resource projects through exploration, technical studies, and resource development.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Kendrick Resources
