South Australian mining exploration company Marmota (ASX:MEU) reports it is set to commence a maiden Rare Earth Element (REE) drilling program over its ‘extensive’ Western Gawler Craton tenements in South Australia.
The drilling campaign will target at least 4 distinct zones that are considered to be ‘highly’ prospective for REEs, including the recent discovery of REE mineralisation at the company’s tenement boundary.
It is reported that drilling will comprise a total of 120 drillholes that will be conducted via Rotary Air Blast (RAB) and Aircore (AC) drilling methods. This program is expected to continue across the tenements until the Christmas break period.
Speaking on the upcoming drill program, Marmota Chairman Colin Rose says the company is delighted to be commencing its first REE program.
“Marmota will now have two drill teams and two drill rigs running simultaneously: an RC rig drilling at Aurora Tank and Comet for our gold program which is progressing very well, and another rig at the Muckanippie and Bradman tenements for REE.
“Marmota will now have two drill teams and two drill rigs running simultaneously…”
Drilling is expected to continue at both sites until the Xmas break.”
The company also notes that the drilling program comes following an ‘extensive’ review of REE anomalies over its Western Gawler Craton tenements, including analysis of historical drilling, chip trays and core library samples.
Analysis of this data has highlighted that a combination of rare earth mineral-bearing Archaean basement and overlying tertiary regolith cover provides large areas that are geologically highly prospective for potential economic regolith clay-hosted REE deposits.
Marmota is a South Australian mining exploration company focused on gold, copper and uranium within the Gawler Craton, Yorke Peninsula and Junction Dam areas respectively. The company’s gold exploration is centred on its 6,000km-square dominant tenements near the Challenger Gold Mine, which has produced in excess of 1 million ounces of gold, within the Woomera Prohibited Defence Area.
With the start of the maiden REE drilling program at the Gawler Craton tenements imminent, Marmota announces that drilling will first target the Muckanippie and Bradman tenements following the arrival of the drill rig and crew.
Images: Marmota Ltd
