PVW Resources (ASX:PVW) reports it has identified a new Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREO) breccia target at its 100% owned Tanami Heavy Rare Earth and Gold Project in Western Australia.
The company says this ‘high-priority’ exploration target has emerged as a result of reinterpretation of the structural geology around the unconformity-hosted rare earth element (REE) mineralisation intersected in the recently completed 2022 drilling program at the Watts Rise Prospect.
An extensive mapping program conducted by a leading consultant geologist has resulted in the identification of a northwest oriented Breccia Zone which PVW suspects is a possible control on REE mineralisation in the area.
As a result, a new target has emerged based on the interpreted extensions of this structure at depth where it intersects the unconformity at a high angle.
PVW Resources Executive Director George Bauk says this is an exciting breakthrough by the team which highlights the value of exploration utilising tried and tested methods including field mapping and structural geology
“When the field geologists identified the breccia structure, they immediately realised its potential link to the existing mineralisation. At Watts Rise, the Pargee Sandstone may be acting as a cover to significant mineralisation.
“When the field geologists identified the breccia structure, they immediately realised its potential link to the existing mineralisation”
The unconformity mineralisation which we intersected in south-oriented drilling earlier this year is controlled and confined by stratigraphy limiting its lateral extent, however structurally controlled mineralisation below this in steep structures may not have the same limitations.
The mineralisation in the Pargee Sandstone and at the unconformity confirm the mineralising system and given the intensity of alteration, we believe it is close to a mineralising structure.
If our interpretation is correct the real prize would lie deeper, and the Breccia Zone represents a possible controlling structure. The continuity and nature of the brecciation needs to be tested with drilling, which we plan to progress as soon as we can.”
PVW reports the recently completed 2022 field campaign comprising 10,727m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling, 16,206m of aircore drilling, ground gravity surveys and detailed mapping of the Castella and Watts Rise prospects.
Positive drill results combined with initial mapping outcomes have already identified new REE targets, and the full review of all levels of data is due in January 2023 and will be the prerequisite to identifying and providing the technical support for new targets.
The company says the REE mineralisation model at Tanami is an unconformity and structurally controlled HREO system which is being refined and developed as more geological data is acquired. It also tested the unconformity for mineralisation at both Castella and Watts Rise.
At Watts Ruse, REE anomalism was intersected along the unconformity at the contact between the Killi Killi Formation and Pargee Sandstone, and ‘higher-grade; mineralisation in the Pargee Sandstone around 50m to 60m stratigraphically above this unconformity.
During the recent mapping program, the about 1km long and up to 5m wide brecciated structure north of the Watts Rise mineralisation was highlighted, and field maps are currently being digitised into a GIS format for use on plans and sections.
When putting the mapping and interpretation into context with the drilling results at Watts Rise, the company says a new REE target emerges. This target is mapped as dipping to the southeast and sub-parallel to the 2022 drilling, and therefore the conceptual location has not been tested by current drilling.
While the structure is not mineralised at surface, PVW suspects it could control mineralisation along the unconformity and within the Pargee Sandstone.
The breccia at surface displays intense silification and a level of brecciation not seen elsewhere within the Pargee Sandstone which suggests the breccia could serve as a REE fluid pathway and a feeder to the system.
Additionally, PVW reports a geochemical discontinuity appears between holes drilled on either side of the interpreted position of the breccia zone, and a ‘distinct’ increase in aluminium content seen in drillholes within the interpreted footwall when compared to those in the hanging wall of the breccia zone.
Mineralising fluids migrating up the structure from depth could intersect the unconformity and suitable host rock within the Pargee Sandstone or Killi Killi Formation and precipitate REE mineralisation as evident in the 2022 drilling results (max 1.43% TREO at 63m, 90% HREO/TREO in 22TARC101).
The company states this could potentially leave the segment of the breccia structure near surface devoid of REE mineralisation, and the segment of the breccia structure below the unconformity in the Killi Killi Formation represents a part of the system that could host untested mineralisation.
The size of the structure and continuity away from the mapped outcrops (down-dip and along strike) is uncertain, however based on the interpretation, the target is a priority for PVW’s next drilling campaign, and ground gravity survey interpretation due in December will be useful in further developing this target.
PVW Resources is a diversified resource company with a collection of projects across Western Australia. These projects include the Tanami, West Yilgarn, Leonora, and Kalgoorlie Projects.
Over the past few years, significant actions have been taken globally to ensure an alternative supply chain to China and also to meet the growing demand for REE, of which a lot is used in electric vehicles (EVs).
PVW Resources is targeting deposits similar to the Browns Range project which are
rich in dysprosium and terbium. The high levels of these elements coupled with developed
flow sheets to extract the minerals out, makes for an exciting journey. The mineralogy is
critical in REE processing and a xenotime hosted deposit will be a premium deposit, the company reports.
Images: PVW Resources NL
