Red Mountain Mining (ASX: RMX) reports that it has encountered key heavy rare earth minerals xenotime and florencite from a petrology study carried out on drill samples at its Mt Mansbridge Project in Western Australia’s East Kimberley.
The results, which were generated using optical and Scanning Electron Microscope techniques, come from three drill samples which were taken from the recently-announced mineralised heavy rare earth zone within the Solo prospect.
Commenting on the update, Red Mountain Mining Non-Executive Chairman Troy Flannery said: “The petrological confirmation of Heavy Rare Earth mineral xenotime is a significant technical step in the exploration for heavy rare earths at Mt Mansbridge. With a similar xenotime mineralisation to the Browns Range Project along with its close proximity to Northern Minerals (ASX:NTU) processing facility makes the Mt Mansbridge project highly prospective.”
“The petrological confirmation of Heavy Rare Earth mineral xenotime is a significant technical step in the exploration for heavy rare earths at Mt Mansbridge”
Xenotime is a rare earth phosphate mineral, whose major component is yttrium orthophosphate. Secondary rare earths include dysprosium, erbium, terbium, and ytterbium.
Importantly, the company notes that the average ratio of heavy rare earth oxide (HREO) to total rare earth oxide (TREO) in drill samples from Solo was measured at 66.62%, with the xenotime content made up of 43.15% yttrium, 5.65% dysprosium and 0.97% terbium.
Scanning Electron Microscope image of polished thin section displaying xenotime (white) and florencite (grey). Image: Red Mountain Mining LimitedHeavy rare earths are considered more-scarce than their light counterparts, and are valued as critical inputs in a number of strategic applications including electric vehicle batteries, fibre optics medical devices and defence equipment & weaponry.
Moving forward at Mt Mansbridge, Red Mountain is expected to resume its 1,200m RC drill program in early 2022 at the end of the Kimberly wet season, with ‘substantial’ access tracks and heritage clearance already established.
