Companies:

 

Articles:

 
Mining

Mamba Exploration makes wide and shallow rare earths hits at Hyden project

Go to Imelda Cotton author's page
By Imelda Cotton - 
Mamba Exploration ASX M24 wide shallow rare earths hits REE Hyden project TREO
Copied

Initial shallow aircore drilling by Mamba Exploration (ASX: M24) over the eastern gravity anomaly at the Hyden rare earth elements project in Western Australia has intersected significant widths and grades of clay hosted TREO (total rare earth oxide) mineralisation.

Of the 58 holes completed, 45 intersected TREO, with 26 ending in mineralisation.

The intersections have been categorised as having very wide and higher-grade zones of mineralisation (displaying an interval x grade of greater than 30,000 parts per million TREO); wide zones of moderate-grade (between 10,000ppm and 30,000ppm TREO) and narrower or lower-grade zones (less than 10,000ppm TREO).

High-grade zones returned intercepts of 32m at 1480ppm TREO from 16m including 12m at 1899ppm; 48m at 1086ppm TREO from 8m including 24m at 1197 ppm; 59m at 904ppm TREO from 4m including 24m at 1052 ppm; 41m at 1073ppm TREO from 4m including 28m at 1203ppm; and 44m at 1068ppm TREO from surface including 32m at 1151ppm.

High concentrations of neodymium and praseodymium (averaging 23%) were also reported.

Drilling over the gravity anomaly target area returned results considered to be up to four times more significant than those from the clay target area.

Exploration success

Managing director Mike Dunbar said the aircore exploration had been a success for Mamba.

“This initial drilling was designed as a first-pass test of the target and identified high widths and grades of regolith-hosted mineralisation with TREO grades commonly over 1000ppm in zones up to 59m thick,” he said.

“The results from 45 holes indicates that the mineralisation is very widespread, is remarkably consistent within the intervals shallow, with little to no surficial cover.”

Mr Dunbar said the full geochemical data set would be evaluated to better understand the source and composition of the REE mineralisation at Hyden and to assist with Mamba’s ongoing exploration efforts.

Preliminary metallurgical leach test work has also commenced at the clay target zone and the eastern gravity target area.

The tests are aimed at gaining an initial understanding of the leachability of the project’s REE mineralisation.