DY6 Metals Ltd (ASX: DY6) has commenced exploration activities at the company’s flagship, Machinga heavy rare earths (HREE) and niobium project (Nb) in Malawi.
The diamond drill (DD) rig has mobilised to site at Machinga and has commenced drilling the first of 6 DD holes. Diamond drilling will provide the company with a better understanding of the geological controls of the mineralisation at Machinga, as well as provide material for initial metallurgical test work.
The Machinga project is only 40km east of Lindian Resources’ Kangankunde carbonatite discovery, which is widely regarded as the world’s best undeveloped rare earths project. Machinga is particularly enriched in the high-value heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium, which are gaining increasing importance for use in electric vehicles, wind turbines and high-tech military applications. The project also holds significant niobium and tantalum potential as well, which are vital to alloys and electronics.
Drilling at the Machinga North target – one of six targets identified to date within the Machinga concession – in 2010/12 returned intercepts of 11m @ 1.0% TREO with 330ppm dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) from 12m (MARC005), 5.0m @ 1.5% TREO with 596ppm Dy2O3 from 26m (MARC015) and 3.0m @ 2.2% TREO with 295ppm dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) from 66m (MARC033) including 1.0m @ 5.1% TREO with 584ppm dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) from 67m.
The company also plans to carry out detailed geophysical and geological sampling programs at the Salambidwe REE project to aid in defining targets for a maiden drilling campaign towards the end of the year. RC drilling at the Ngala Hill PGE Project is scheduled for around the same time.
