DevEx Resources (ASX: DEV) reports that in-fill RAB drilling at the company’s 100%-owned Kennedy Ionic Clay-Hosted REE Project in North Queensland continues to demonstrate good continuity of total rare earth oxide (TREO) mineralisation from surface, with higher grade intervals.
These shallow TREO assay results include the important and high-value rare earth elements such as Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb), which are essential in the manufacture of permanent rare earth magnets used in electric vehicles and numerous other renewable energy applications.
The company said the results are significant when considered alongside recent metallurgical test work which confirmed the REE mineralisation from recent drilling to be Ionic Adsorption REE Clays.
The leach test work demonstrated rapid recoveries could be achieved by desorption of REE’s in the first 30 minutes using weak acid ammonium sulphide solution (pH4).
Following on from the company’s previous broad-spaced drilling (~1.0 km hole spacing), DevEx commenced a programme of in-fill drilling (31 RAB holes) to determine the continuity of the REE’s in the surficial clays between the previous holes. These in-fill RAB holes were designed to test the Target Regolith between previous holes on spacings between 200 and 400m apart. Additional in- fill drilling to test the centre lines is also planned.
To date, 30 of these 31 RAB holes reported significant intercepts >200ppm of TREO-CeO2 from surface, with widths ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 metres and demonstrating good consistency of REE’s in these surficial clays.
These clays are generally recognisable in drilling due to their mixed content of unconsolidated clay, gravel and loose nodules.
Next Steps
DevEx deliberately targeted the Government-mapped Target Regolith for REE’s originally as a proof-of-concept test. The results generated to date are viewed as extremely positive, considering:
- Recent metallurgical test work, which confirmed the REE mineralisation to be Ionic Adsorption REE Clays demonstrating rapid recoveries in the first 30 minutes using weak acid ammonium sulphide solution (pH4), together with low gangue dissolution and very low acid consumptions.
- Ongoing in-fill RAB drilling is demonstrating good continuity of REE’s in surficial clays (the Target Regolith) over a ~3.0 km x 3.0 km selective area. In-fill air-core drilling, on the centre drill traverses, is also planned this month.
- Beyond the area drilled to-date, DevEx has only tested a small portion of the Target Regolith, with the remaining 20km x 18km on EPM28009 and 10km x 8km on EPM28012 untested by drilling.
In conjunction with landholder engagement, step-out air-core drilling is planned to test these areas in the coming months to evaluate the scale of the Ionic Adsorption Clay REE mineralisation at the Kennedy Project.
