OD6 Metals (ASX:OD6) has completed a metallurgical core drilling program at the Splinter Rock Rare Earth Project in Western Australia, with core samples to be sent to Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
Between two and two and a half tonnes of rare earth bearing has been collected to support ongoing metallurgical optimisation and feasibility studies.
The core samples will be sent as part of a planned optimisation and scale-up program aimed at refining the heap-leach and impurity removal flowsheet and providing final product samples for offtake discussions.
OD6, which has a market capitalisation of $11.94 million, says mixed rare earth carbonate and mixed rare earth hydroxide samples will be used for offtake discussions, to assess commercial payability options for the product.
Brett Hazelden says this is a critical step toward advancing Splinter Rock as one of Australia’s “leading emerging clay-hosted” projects.
“With this program complete we now turn our minds to the next drilling program at our Gulf Creek Copper Project in New South Wales,” Hazelden says.
“Our drill and geological crews are scheduled to be onsite next week with more details to follow.”
At Gulf Creek, drilling is targeting large geophysical anomalies which may represent repeats of the historical mine.
OD6 is continuing to engage government and potential financing organisations, which is anticipated to be a continuous process over the development cycle.
The Splinter Rock Project contains a resource of 682 million tonnes @ 1,338 total rare earth oxide at 1,000 parts per million cut-off grade.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: OD6 Metals
