iTech Minerals returns high-grade rare earth elements intervals from drilling at Caralue Bluff
The remaining results from iTech’s Eyre Peninsula drilling campaign are expected by the end of July.
New drill results from the Caralue Bluff prospect within iTech Minerals’ (ASX: ITM) Eyre Peninsula project in South Australia have returned thick, high-grade intervals of rare earth elements (REE) mineralisation.
Results from a 478-hole campaign across four prospects tested the potential for regolith-hosted ion adsorption clay (IAC) REEs and high purity kaolin mineralisation.
Caralue Bluff was the third prospect to be drilled and showed that significant intersections of REEs occur within the kaolin (clay) rich weathered horizon over an area of approximately 10km by 9km.
Caralue Bluff results
Best intersections from Caralue Bluff were 18m at 2,050 parts per million total rare earth oxides (TREO) from 4m; 32m at 1,223ppm TREO from 4m; 13m at 1,027ppm TREO from 23m; 4m at 1,810ppm TREO from 18m; 5m at 1,056ppm TREO from 15m; 20m at 959ppm TREO from 13m; 4m at 1,147ppm TREO from 21m; and 22m at 794ppm TREO from 20m.
Metallurgical work on 60 mineralised samples are now being tested for easily-leachable REE components with results expected within the next four weeks.
Samples were selected to be representative of the entire range of geological environments within the prospect including laterally (east-west and north-south) and at various vertical levels within the weathering profile.
High-purity kaolin prospect
Caralue Bluff was initially established as a high-purity kaolin prospect with the identification of thick intervals of bright white kaolin close to surface, in several historical drill holes.
Having identified significant REEs in kaolin-rich intervals at the Ethiopia, Burtons and Bartels prospects, iTech’s geologists suspected that Caralue Bluff might also be prospective for regolith-hosted REE mineralisation.
Initial drill results in April revealed thick intervals of elevated REE mineralisation over 8km, with today’s results extending it to 10km.
A total area of 12 square kilometres was tested by 260 drill holes and the results are expected to determine the continuity of mineralisation within the already-extensive area.
Of these, 130 have been reported with the remaining results expected by the end of the month.