Dec. 30, 2022 - Diversified explorer Power Minerals has identified strong concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) at the Dickson Well prospect within its Eyre Peninsula kaolin project in South Australia.
The company completed a kaolin-focused maiden drilling campaign along the Eyre Peninsula in August and sent 149 clay-rich samples for detailed REE, kaolin and halloysite analyses.
Results from 96 samples confirmed the presence of significant elevated clay-hosted REE concentrations across the project area.
Samples from nine holes returned results of more than 1,000 parts per million rare earth oxides (REO) concentration.
Three distinct areas of significant REE intersections were identified including areas of the Dickson Well prospect within the Cungena exploration licence to the northwest of the project.
High-grade REE results were returned from two drill holes at Dickson Well.
Thick zones of elevated REE concentrations were also intersected in multiple holes west of Cungena, and in the Kapinnie exploration licence to the southwest.
Best results
The best hit at Cungena was 8m at 1,947ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO), including 24.5% heavy rare earth oxides (HREO) from 50m, including 1m at 4,201ppm (or 0.42%) TREO, including 21.3% HREO from 54m.
Also reported was an interval of 5m at 1,681pppm TREO (or 0.17%) including 17.9% HREO from 57m, including 1m at 3,001ppm (or 0.3%) TREO with 22.4% HREO from 61m; and 5m at 1,229ppm TREO, including 13.3% HREO from 29m within a wider 20m zone with 842ppm TREO, including 17% HREO from 26m.
Best assay from Kapinnie was 3m at 1,684ppm TREO including 13.9% HREO from 18m.
Power confirmed the REE results were completed on raw, unscreened clay samples and said it was likely that screening the material to fine fraction (similar to kaolin samples) may result in further increased REE concentrations.
REE potential
Power executive director Mena Habib said the new results could increase the REE potential of the Eyre Peninsula kaolin project.
“This is an exciting, emerging development which continues to validate and strengthen this project’s REE potential as a component of our specialty clay strategy,” he said.
“The results from two batches of sampling have now confirmed the existence of elevated clay-hosted REE concentrations which, combined with kaolin and halloysite prospectivity, give us the opportunity to produce high-margin, value-added products to supply [global] advanced technology applications.”
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