Heavy REE from Browns Range

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Drilling at the Browns Range project of Northern Minerals in northern Western Australia has delivered positive Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREE) results, which have confirmed and extended HREE mineralisation.

Results from the drilling have indicated several Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) intersections in excess of one per cent.

The assays are from the first 72 holes of a 134 hole for 11,000m RC drilling program being carried out by the company at Browns Range and follow on from the release of results from the first 11 holes in July.

The 61 holes assayed in the latest batch were all drilled at the Gambit prospect and include:

– 11 metres at 2.07 per cent TREO (0.19% dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) from 35 metres;
 
– 18m at 1.19% TREO (0.11% Dy2O3) from 51m;

– 9m at 1.68% TREO (0.15% Dy2O3) from 86m;

– 11m at 1.07% TREO (0.10% Dy2O3) from 48m;

– 7m at 1.61% TREO (0.15% Dy2O3) from 66m;

– 3m at 2.31% TREO (0.21% Dy2O3) from 42m;

– 3m at 1.48% TREO (0.13% Dy2O3) from 45m; and

– 3m at 1.54% TREO (0.14% Dy2O3) from 30m;

Northern Minerals identified a key feature of the results to be the xenotime hosted REE mineralisation, and the dominance of high value heavy REE.

HREO accounts for an average 83% of the TREO from Gambit, with high levels of dysprosium a key feature.

“The high grades and the widths of these intersections at Gambit are giving us considerable confidence in the project, particularly with the exciting early indications from the completed drilling at the adjacent Wolverine which look even better,” Northern Minerals managing director George Bauk said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
 
“It means Browns Range is really shaping up as a significant new discovery, and a potential HREE project of global significance.”
 
The company also considers the relatively low levels of uranium and thorium of the Gambit mineralisation to be another key advantage.

The levels of uranium and thorium average 37 parts per million uranium per 1% TREO with a cut-off of 0.2% TREO.

Metallurgical test work carried out by the company has indicated thorium is not directly associated with the xenotime mineralisation, and therefore can be readily removed.

Northern Minerals has also completed drilling a number of holes at the nearby Wolverine prospect, with early analysis using a portable XRF unit returning HREE intersections over widths up to 40m.

Laboratory assay results from several of these holes are pending, and the company expects the first to be available shortly, with the remainder expected during October.