West Cobar Metals reports high-grade results from drilling at Salazar rare earths clay project
St George holds hope for the projects which lie in an area that has delivered significant lithium results for other explorers.
Assays from a maiden aircore drill program at the Salazar rare earths clay project in Western Australia have identified more high-grade mineralisation for owner West Cobar Metals (ASX: WC1).
The phase one program comprised 283 holes for a total 9,342 metres and was designed to extend and infill the existing inferred resource of 43.5 million tonnes grading 1,192 parts per million total rare earths oxide (TREO) at the Newmont deposit.
It also aimed to explore an area to the south of Newmont, as well as part of the O’Connor prospect licence area.
Significant results were 11m of 3,682ppm TREO from 21m, including 1m of 2.2% TREO (22,316ppm TREO), 1,353ppm praseodymium oxide, 6,273ppm neodymium oxide, 1,042ppm dysprosium oxide and 192ppm terbium oxide from 29m; 16m of 1,547ppm TREO from 10m; and 8m of 1,426ppm TREO from 32m.
The results come the area adjacent to and outside of the inferred resource and show the REE mineralisation extends north, south and east.
They are believed to confirm the presence of high TREO grades at Newmont which include relatively high magnetic heavy rare earth oxides (terbium and dysprosium oxides) and locally-high scandium oxide content.
O’Connor drilling
Drilling at the O’Connor prospect area validated the continuity of thick REE intersections and the shallow nature of the mineralisation.
Best assays from 27 holes at the prospect included 32m of 973ppm TREO from 7m; 20m of 1,181ppm TREO from 8m; 33m of 951ppm TREO from 15m; and 11m of 1,446ppm TREO from 13m.
Pleased with assays
West Cobar non-executive chair Rob Klug said the company was pleased with the latest assays.
“They demonstrate that REE mineralisation extends the inferred resource at Newmont validated the continuity and exploration potential of thick REE mineralisation at O’Connor,” he said.
“These results represent less than 60% of the total number of drill holes assayed and we look forward to receiving the remaining assays during April.”
He said final results would be integrated with historical data to produce an updated inferred resource for the Newmont deposit during the June quarter.
The exploration target covering Newmont and O’Connor would also be revised.