Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) has resumed drilling at its namesake Mount Ridley REE Project.
The 100% owned Project is located approximately 50km north of the Port of Esperance Western Australia, with an area covering approximately 3,400 sq. km.
The first of three drilling rigs has arrived at site and will twin approximately 20 aircore holes that returned strong REE mineralisation at key prospects including Tyrrell’s, Keith’s, Jules’, Vincent, Winston’s, Butch and Mia, to provide material for minerology and metallurgical test work,” Chairman Peter Christie said.
“Aircore drilling is then scheduled to resume during November, with approvals in place to drill up to 50,000m over the next two quarters.”
Drilling is targeting widespread and well-developed clay-hosted rare earth element mineralisation within a mineralised footprint of 1,200 sq. km.
Aircore drilling will resume thereafter.
With Stage 4 – Diamond Core Drilling advancing, with step out and infill drilling sufficient to drill out a JORC Resource later in CY 2022.
- Stage 2 – Regional Drilling (continued): Very encouraging results have been reported from many of the drill holes analysed to date.
Stage 2 drilling has been along existing bush tracks within vacant crown land. The company has adopted a policy of avoiding adjoining cultivated farmland.
- Stage 3 – Primary Target Expansion Drilling: The company has received Programme of Works (POW) approvals from the Department of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS), which provide for up to 50,000m of aircore drilling at all named prospects, including Mia, Tyrrell’s Keith’s, Marcellus’, Winston’s, Jules’ and Vincent’s Prospects. Drilling will initially be completed on a 400m by 400m grid pattern and then infilled to a sufficient density for a JORC Resource estimate.
ONGOING WORK
Ore Genesis Petrography and Metallurgy Commences
409 bottom-of-hole mostly fresh samples of Proterozoic-aged geological basement, have been submitted to Portable Spectral Services to be scanned using a Bruker M4 Tornado microXRF. 344 samples have previously been scanned.
This technology is used to confirm the lithology of basement rocks, and REE-containing minerals and other mineralisation indicators.
Sighter Metallurgy Samples with ANSTO
17 composite samples from eight drill holes distributed throughout the Project have been submitted to ANSTO for sighter REE extraction work. Composites were made up from upper and lower zones of mineralisation from a variety of depths throughout the Project. Results are expected during Q4 2022.
