Encounter Resources Hits Thick, high-Grade Niobium-REE at Aileron
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) reported the intersection of high-grade niobium and REE mineralisation at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Aileron critical minerals project in the West Arunta region of Western Australia.
Although in Western Australia, the Arunta project Is located approx. 600 kilometres west of Alice Springs.
Encounter’s drilling campaign followed earlier large gravity, magnetic and radiometric surveys at Aileron, from which it defined three initial drill targets at Caird, Crean and Hoschke.
The first two holes at Crean, drilled 1.5km apart on the Elephant Island Fault, intersected carbonatites with both RC pre-collars finishing in high-grade niobium and rare earths mineralisation.
Hole EAL008 intersected 94.7m of carbonatite from 55m to 149.7m.
Assays results from the 90m deep RC pre-collar returned:
34 metres at 1 per cent niobium (Nb2O5) and 0.6 per cent total rare earth oxide (TREO) from 56m to end of pre-collar, including 4m at 3.8 per cent Nb2O5 and 1.9 per cent TREO from 56m.
Hole EAL007 intersected 282m of carbonatite from 64m to end of hole at 346m.
Assay results from the 69m deep RC pre-collar returned:
2m at 1.2 per cent Nb2O5 and 0.6 per cent TREO from 67m to end of pre-collar.
“The intersection of high-grade niobium and rare earths at Crean in the first two holes drilled 1.5 kilometres apart is an incredible start and demonstrates the critical minerals potential that is emerging in the West Arunta,” Encounter Resources managing director Will Robinson said in the company’s ASX announcement.
“An 8,000 to 10,000 metres RC drill program is scheduled to commence in August to extend the niobium-REE mineralisation at Crean as well as drill testing a suite of new, high-quality targets.
“It’s still very early days but the success rate from the small number of holes drilled in the West Arunta is quite extraordinary and bodes well for future drill programs at Aileron.”
TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE