THE DRILL SERGEANT: Hastings Technology Metals (ASX: HAS) released results from metallurgical test work carried out on drilling samples from Simon’s Find, one of the key deposits that make up the company’s Yangibana rare earths project in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

The Simon’s Find deposit is part of the eight kilometres-long Bald Hill – Simon’s Find – Frasers mineralised trend and is located close to the site of Yangibana’s proposed process plant and infrastructure.

Hasting Technology Metals’ metallurgical test work from Simon’s Find deposit has delivered strong results, including:

o 86 per cent beneficiation recovery generating a concentrate grade of 8.9 per cent neodymium from flotation test work; and

o 98 per cent recovery through hydrometallurgical acid bake and water leach test work on flotation samples.

Results show an average beneficiation neodymium upgrade factor of 28 times from the calculated head grade, equivalent to a concentrate grade of 19 per cent total rare earths oxide (TREO).

Upgrade factors up to 50 times the calculated head grade produced a concentrate grade up to 29 per cent TREO in many samples.

Hastings explained the mineralisation at Simon’s Find contains the highest level of neodymium and praseodymium to TREO across all deposits at Yangibana.

The company claimed them to be the highest neodymium and praseodymium levels of any known rare earths project in the world.

“The metallurgical test work carried out at Simon Find’s underscores the potential that we have at Yangibana,” Hastings Technology Metals chief operating officer Andrew Reid said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“These latest results continue to give us confidence in the multiple pathways we have to achieving high process recoveries and concentrate grades from the Yangibana project.

“Simon’s Find is delivering stand-out results that are remarkable given the low head grade of the deposit.

“Further test work will enable us to optimise the various aspects of our metallurgical program in terms of capital, operating costs, recoveries and operability.

“Simon’s Find further highlights Yangibana’s potential to become a source rich in NdPr (neodymium and praseodymium).

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

Web: www.hastingstechmetals.com