Axel REE Drilling Confirms Ionic Clay Rare Earth System at Woolrich Deposit

Assays from drilling at Axel REE’s (ASX: AXL) Woolrich deposit within the Caladão project in Brazil have confirmed a laterally extensive and vertically developed ionic clay rare earth system across a 20 square kilometre footprint.

The company identified thick, shallow mineralisation with multiple total rare earth oxide (TREO) intervals exceeding 12 metres from 1m depths.

Best assays included 1m at 8,517 parts per million TREO (41% mixed rare earth oxide) with 269ppm dysprosium-terbium and 332ppm yttrium, 4m at 3,740ppm TREO (36% MREO), and 10m at 3,055ppm TREO.

The campaign’s 200m-by-200m drill spacing was designed to support conversion of Woolrich’s Inferred mineral resource of 128 million tonnes at 1,013ppm TREO to the Indicated classification, while providing geological inputs for in-situ recovery wellfield design and leach domain definition.

HREE Enrichment Highlighted

Drilling at Woolrich highlighted the project’s high-value heavy rare earth enrichment (HREE) of dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium compared to predominantly light rare earth (LREE) deposits elsewhere in Brazil.

This should support production of the higher-value mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC).

The HREE signature is seen as more consistent with high-value ionic clay systems of southern China — the world’s leading analogue for this deposit type — and is considered to be a commercially important characteristic.

Standout values included 1m at 269ppm dysprosium-terbium and 803ppm yttrium, 1m at 148ppm dysprosium-terbium and 556ppm yttrium, and 1m at 125ppm dysprosium-terbium and 482ppm yttrium.

‘Outstanding’ Outcome for Axel

Non-executive chair Paul Dickson called the Woolrich assays an “outstanding” outcome for the company.

“Thick mineralised intervals with strong continuity across the drill pattern and high-grade assays are exactly the characteristics we want to see as we progress Woolrich towards an indicated mineral resource and future field recovery trials,” he said.

“The results also confirm Woolrich’s high-value HREE enrichment profile, which has the potential to enhance the revenue profile of a future MREC product subject to ongoing metallurgical and downstream test work.”

Mineralised intervals have been sent to SGS for magnesium sulphate leach testing to help define soluble rare earth elements distribution, support leach domain modelling, and prioritise areas for future field studies.