ABx Group (ASX: ABX) has obtained high-grade rare-earth elements (REE) results from the recently completed 97-hole drilling campaign at Rubble Mound, which enlarged the extent of the Rubble Mound high-grade REE zone within the extensive 52 million tonne Deep Leads-Rubble Mound resource in Tasmania.
The results also expand the areal extent of the REE mineralisation and confirms that ABx’s northern Tasmanian REE exploration target area exceeds sq. 100 km.
High Dy+Tb enrichments
Like all ABx rare earths mineralisation in Tasmania, the new drill results continue to be highly enriched in the two rare earths with the most critical supply risk, dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb), with Dy+Tb exceeding 4.5% of TREO. This remains the highest proportion of Dyand Tb of any clay-hosted rare earths resource in Australia, and is globally very high.
Thick zones of high-grade ionic clay REE with Dy+Tb/TREO ratios above 5% are globally rare.
ABx’s REE are enriched in Dy and Tb which is a strategically important characteristic of these unique REE resources. The grades of thorium and uranium are also very low.
Ore geometry is considered favourable
Assays from eight strongly mineralised holes display mineralisation which is clay-hosted. Typically there is a low-grade, REE-depleted surface layer 2 to 5 metres thick overlying an REE-enriched layer that is 4 to 17 metres thick.
This geometry is considered to be ideal for restoring any mined areas to be used for plantation timber, agricultural use or for other purposes.
“It is exciting to see that our exploration program continues to produce outstanding results. A focus of the recent drilling campaign was to expand the Rubble Mound high-grade zone within the existing resource, and this has been achieved. A distinctive feature of the ABx deposits is the high proportion of Dy and Tb, and the recent results confirm this pattern,” Group Managing Director and CEO Mark Cooksey said.
“We look forward to providing the remainer of the assay results from this drilling campaign, and a resource update, which will include Wind Break for the first time.”
