RareX Limited (ASX: REE) reported that over 6,000m of reverse circulation and diamond drilling is set to begin in late April 2021 at its flagship 100%-owned Cummins Range Rare Earths Project, located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, after a geological review revealed significant upside for the project.
The company noted that the new geological model highlights the potential for high-grade depth extensions with the Main Fault structure open in all directions. REE said that good potential for high-grade parallel structures was also identified.
Geological review of Cummins Range
REE had completed a highly successful drill program at Cummins Range deposit in 2020, after which a thorough geological review of the Cummins Range was undertaken by RareX geologists over the wet season.
Based largely on the 58 RC drill holes that were completed in August-October 2020, the company had recently established a revised geological model.
Potential for high-grade depth extensions
RareX said that the new geological model had led to the identification of significant new high-grade exploration targets.
The company said that the new interpretation has established that there are pre-existing high-grade fault structures that represent high-priority exploration targets with the potential to substantially change the scale of the Cummins Range Project.
New drill program planned
RareX said that the new understanding from the geological review has formed the basis of a major new exploration drilling program at Cummins Range. The company said that over 6,000m of Reverse Circulation and diamond drilling is planned to commence in late April 2021.
The company reported that the 2021 drilling campaign is split into two programs – Mining Study Work and Mineral Exploration. REE said that all drill contractors have been locked in and mobilisation of the camp has begun from Perth pending station tracks becoming useable.
Mineral Exploration drill program
The company announced that 2,000-3,000m of HQ/NQ2 diamond drilling would test for down-dip extensions to the Main Fault (MF), with 10 drill holes ranging from 150m to 400m deep. REE said that 2,000-3,000m of RC will be used to test for extensions to the MF to the north-west and south- east and above 280mRL.
Mining study work
REE said that three PQ diamond drill holes will be drilled into high-grade ore to obtain geotechnical information for pit designs, SG data, and further metallurgical samples. The company said that six water monitoring bores will be drilled to assess ground water movement and impacts on local and regional environments, in line with pre-mining requirements.
Updated MRE in May 2021
RareX announced that work is continuing on upgrading to the existing Inferred Resource of 13Mt at 1.13% TREO with 22.1% NdPr, with an updated Mineral Resource expected to be released in May 2021.
Management comments
RareX Managing Director, Jeremy Robinson, said: “The work undertaken over the wet season by the RareX geological team has the potential to be a game-changer for the Cummins Range Project, building on its existing attributes as an advanced, high-quality rare earths project in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction with the ability to yield a premium product.
If the new geological interpretation is confirmed, the upcoming drilling has the potential to dramatically expand the scale of the deposit and delineate a significant volume of new high-grade material. We are looking forward to what the upcoming drilling can deliver.”
*Image Source: RareX Limited
