Eclipse Metals submits historic drill core samples from Ivittuut project for evaluation
Eclipse Metals特别感兴趣的是在Gronnedal-Ika碳酸盐岩地区钻取岩心，该地区认为有开采稀土元素的前景。
Eclipse Metals (ASX: EPM) has secured historic drill core samples from its Ivittuut cryolite project in Greenland and submitted them for analysis.
In August, Eclipse revealed it had identified historical drill core from the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite area, which is 10km from the former Ivittuut cryolite mine and within the wider project.
The historic drill core was extracted more than 50 years ago and was found stored at a Greenland Government facility.
Eclipse has now submitted core samples from the Ivittuut mine and the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite area for chemical and petrological analysis at a Perth-based laboratory.
It is expected the assessment will provide Eclipse with a greater understanding of the quartz, cryolite and siderite mineralisation within the mine’s pit environ and a preliminary understanding of the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite complex.
Eclipse says of particular interest is the carbonatite intrusive.
The company’s own exploration at the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite complex earlier this year uncovered anomalous rare earth elements (REE) grading up to 34,400 parts per million from grab samples.
As well as submitting the historic drill core for analysis, Eclipse has also carried out a further surface sampling program at the project, with additional samples expected to be dispatched for evaluation in November.
Advancing Ivittuut
Ivittuut previously hosted the world’s largest known mineable resource of naturally occurring cryolite.
It operated between 1865 and 1985, with about 3.8 million tonnes of high-grade cryolite extracted for export.
Until the mine was closed, Ivittuut was the world’s only source of industrial-scale cryolite, which is used as fluxing agent to reduce energy consumption during aluminium production.
Eclipse acquired Ivittuut in January this year and recognised the potential for the project to be mineable for several other commodities.
The company is assessing the project’s potential for REE, quartz, cryolite-fluorite and iron-zinc.
Ivittuut is in southwestern Greenland and is only 5km from twin settlements Kangilinnguit and Gronnedal which have a heliport and wharf.