Red Mountain Mining (ASX:RMX) intends to collect further samples across Monjebup’s vast exploration licenses with mapping of the rare earths source rocks to define soil halos around the source rocks.
The company says drill targets are to be determined with an upcoming drill plan to occur over the next several months.
The latest assay results of its Monjebup sampling program located in the southwest region of Western Australia involved collection of 9 rock chip and 112 soil samples.
This initiative identified 4 notable areas with anomalous REE-bearing granitoid/gneissic rocks altered with possible late-stage metamorphic fluids exhibiting TREO values greater than 1000ppm.
The soil sampling process involved taking screened regolith material from 20-50cm depth at 112 sites. A total of 15 samples revealed greater than 400ppm TREO.
The Monjebup Project is located in the Albany portion of the Albany Fraser Orogen.
The Albany Fraser Orogen extends along the southern and south eastern margin of the Archaen Yilgarn Craton and comprises ortho-gneisses, granites and to a lesser degree sedimentary rocks and remnants of mafic dykes and large sheets of metagabbros, as well as mafic granulites.
Historical sampling by Windward Resources in 2015 identified anomalous Ce, La and Y levels. However, sampling was mainly targeted for nickel-copper-gold and REE potential was not considered at the time.
In early 2022, Liontown (ASX:LTR) applied for the project tenements with the intention to explore for ionic clay rare earth element potential. Early stage field reconnaissance and surface sampling along publicly accessible roads was completed within the project area.
Highly anomalous REE results were subsequently obtained, including up to 969ppm TREO within E70/6043.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Red Mountain
