iTech Minerals builds REE potential further at Eyre Peninsula project
iTech managing director Mike Schwarz said the company was looking forward to testing the REE potential at Eyre Peninsula in an upcoming drill program.
iTech Minerals (ASX: ITM) has built the rare earth element potential further at its Eyre Peninsula project in South Australia with a second batch of positive assays.
This second assay batch includes beneficiated and unbeneficiated samples from the Ethiopia prospect where REE potential was first identified.
Beneficiation comprised concentrating the clay fraction and was noted to increase thickness and extent of REE across the prospect.
Best beneficiated assays were 22m at 904 parts per million total rare earth oxide from 2m, including 10m at 1,113ppm TREO from 14m; 18m at 839ppm TREO from 2m; and 12m at 508ppm TREO from 2m.
All these were at a -45 micrometre (µm) thickness.
Samples that were untreated also contained valuable heavy REE and were enriched with elements neodymium and praseodymium which are critical for electric vehicles and renewable energies.
Highlight unbeneficiated results were 32m at 1,038ppm TREO from surface, including 8m at 1,687ppm TREO from 8m.
Enrichment with neodymium and praseodymium was about 24%, while heavy REE was 34%.
iTech managing director Mike Schwarz said the results confirm the anticipated high REE grades and suggest the mineralisation is open in several directions.
“iTech is really looking forward to testing these areas in our upcoming drilling program.”
REE at Eyre Peninsula
Today’s positive assays from the Ethiopia prospect follow the discovery of another REE target within the Eyre Peninsula project.
Reviewing Archer Materials’ (ASX: AXE) historic drill data from the Salt Creek prospect identified “significant” REE.
Notable intercepts from the historic data were 30m at 511ppm TREO from 3m, including 3m at 1,327ppm TREO from 30m; 6m at 1,507ppm TREO from 16m; and 12m at 1,698ppm TREO from surface, including 4m at 3,093ppm TREO from surface.
The average neodymium and praesidium content was 23%, while heavy REE was about 39%.
Similar to the REE found at Ethiopia, Salt Creek is also within an ion adsorption clay setting.
These results and those from Ethiopia, along with historic data will feed into an upcoming drilling program at the project.