Terrain Minerals (ASX:TMX) is planning to continue advancing the gallium potential at its Larins Lane and Lort River projects, amid receiving ‘encouraging’ drill results.
The first batch of the 537 assays have been received from the December 2023 aircore drilling program conducted at Larins Lane, with 27 holes returning rare earths grades above the 1,000 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxide (TREO) lower cut-off.
Meanwhile, 17 holes have so far returned gallium oxide grading above 38 grams per tonne.
Although it is still early days, with about 75% of drill samples yet to be analysed for rare earths and gallium, the data appears to suggest that the Midwest region of Western Australia may become an important region for clay-hosted rare earths in Australia.
Terrain says it intends to examine a metallurgical testing program, which will incorporate both the clay-hosted rare earths and gallium materials from Larins Lane.
The company has reached out to a REE consulting group with the aim of establishing a JORC compliant exploration target for Larins Lane. The latter is designed to enable the company’s shareholders to form a view on the longer term potential of this project as a rare earths and gallium play.
Larins Lane is part of the Smokebush Exploration project which sits within the Yalgoo Mineral Field of Western Australia.
Gallium is a soft, silvery metal, at standard temperature and pressure. The elemental gallium is a liquid at temperatures greater than 29.76C (85.57F) (slightly above room temperature), where it becomes silvery white.
Solid gallium alloys are used in optics, electronics, and nuclear engineering because of their non-toxicity and resistance to neutron radiation and beta decay. Used in alloys with other metals such as aluminium, copper, and tin to create gallium arsenide (GaAs), as well as being used in semiconductor fabrication, one of gallium’s most important uses.
It provides a critical component in multiple steps of the manufacturing process for computer chips and other electronic devices including photovoltaics (solar panels cells due to a recent patent expiring).
The Lort River project lies 50km northwest of Esperance, Western Australia and covers a 500km-square area.
Terrain Minerals is a Western Australian-based mineral explorer focused on discoveries within the state. The company’s assets are considered prospective for gold, rare earths, and nickel.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Terrain Minerals
