RareX Limited (ASX: REE) reported that the in-fill and extensional drilling has delivered the best-ever intercept of 90m @ 3.8% TREO and 0.3% Nb2O5 from 4m at its 100%-owned Cummins Range Rare Earths Project in the Kimberley Region of WA.
The company said that further outstanding assay results were received from the in-fill and extensional Reverse Circulation drill program at the Cummins Range project. REE said that results have been received for the initial 11 holes.
Latest results include 90m @ 3.8% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 4m incl. 20m @ 5.1% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 7m; and 8m @ 3.3% TREO + 0.1% Nb2O5 from 26m incl. 2m @ 10.4% TREO + 0.04% Nb2O5 from 30m.
REE said that assaying is ongoing with further results expected next week. The company announced that the drilling is set to begin at Weld North Project next month.
Cummins Range project
The Cummins Range Project is located 130km southwest of Halls Creek in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia and is one of two known rare earth deposits bearing carbonatites in Australia.
The project has a significant Maiden JORC 2012 Inferred Resource of 13Mt at 1.13% TREO. The resource remains open at depth and along strike, indicative of significant exploration upside.
The Cummins Range REO deposit is located on tenement E80/5092 and is owned by Cummins Range Pty Ltd which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RareX Ltd. The Cummins Range REO deposit occurs within the Cummins Range carbonatite complex which is a 2.0 km diameter near-vertical diatreme pipe that has been deeply weathered but essentially outcropping with only thin aeolian sand cover in places.
Metallurgical studies by previous explorers show the rare earth elements are hosted by Monazite which is a common and favourable host for rare earth elements.
Drilling at Cummins Range
The company had recently commenced an in-fill and extensional drilling program at the Cummins Range Rare Earths Project. REE said that 6,143m of drilling was completed recently.
The in-fill program was designed both to increase the confidence of the Resource from Inferred to Indicated category and to better define a higher-grade portion of the Resource.
Excellent results reported last month
REE’s drilling program had returned exceptional thick, high-grade results at Cummins Range on 30 September 2020. The assays from the first three Reverse Circulation (RC) holes CRX0001, CRX0002, and CRX0003 had returned results significantly above the resource grade.
This included spectacular widths and grades in both CRX0002 and CRX0003. These holes had intersected significant shallow zones of mineralisation including 41m at 4% TREO + 0.21% Nb2O5 from 29m and 36m at 4.6% TREO + 0.32% Nb2O5 from surface including an ultra-high-grade zone of 3m at 25.1% TREO + 0.45% Nb2O5.
RareX has now announced further exceptional results from the recent in-fill and extensional Reverse Circulation drill program at Cummins Range.
Best-ever intercepts
RareX announced that further outstanding assay results were received from the in-fill and extensional drill program, with results now received for the initial 11 holes.
REE said that the drill holes CRX0010 and CRX0011 are located 100m along strike from the high-grade results reported in drill holes CRX0002 and CRX0003.
Significant intercepts from the latest assays include CRX0010: 90m @ 3.8% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 4m incl. 20m @ 5.1% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 7m, incl. 3m @ 11.3% TREO + 0.5% Nb2O5from 7m, incl. 32m @ 4.4% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 62m, incl. 5m @ 9% TREO + 0.6% Nb2O5 from 64m, incl. 17m @ 5.1% TREO + 0.3% Nb2O5 from 73m; and CRX0011: 8m @ 3.3% TREO + 0.1% Nb2O5 from 26m incl. 2m @ 10.4% TREO + 0.04% Nb2O5 from 30m.
The company said that these holes also have ultra-high-grade seams within a broader high-grade intersection, with the internal zones including 3m @ 11.3% TREO, 5m @ 9% TREO, and 2m @ 10.4% TREO.
All significant intercepts to date have been noted below.
High-grade mineralised channel
The company announced that an outcropping, thick high-grade mineralised channel trending north-west has now been confirmed with further strongly mineralised drill holes.
REE said that the results are once again a significant improvement on the previous drilling in the immediate area and support the Company’s strategy of delineating a higher-grade component within the overall Inferred Mineral Resource of 13Mt at 1.13% TREO with 22% NdPr content.
What’s next?
The company reported that the second batch of assays and a further 3300 assays are yet to be received over the following weeks. RareX said that once all assays are received, a geological model and metallurgical studies will be completed.
REE announced that further work would include the development of geological model; completion of metallurgical studies; and updating the current JORC inferred resource of 13mt @ 1.13% TREO+Y.
RareX said that it would also commence drilling at its Weld North project located 84 kilometers directly north of the Mt Weld carbonatite-hosted rare earth element (REE) deposit held by Lynas Corporation Limited, next month.
Management comments
RareX Managing Director Jeremy Robinson said: “90m at 3.8% TREO is easily the best-ever hole drilled at Cummins Range and would have to be up there globally from anything I can recall. It provides a strong indication of the quality, scale and grade of this deposit, which is characterised by its high NdPr content and location in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction.
We continue to be impressed by Cummins Range and look forward to receiving further assay results that will pave the way for an updated Mineral Resource, as well as commencing drilling at Weld North next month.”