Great Western Exploration’s (ASX: GTE) heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) analysis results have confirmed the company’s large, robust, and coherent Sumo Niobium Target is drill ready in Western Australia.
The Sumo Niobium Target is within the company’s 100% Yerrida North Project, located on the western portion of the Yerrida Basin, approximately 800km north-east of Perth and 90km north-west of the town of Wiluna and 70km south-east of Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa Copper-Gold Project.
The Sumo Niobium Target was defined by lag soil sampling, with a large, coherent >20ppm niobium anomaly measuring 2km x 1km wide delineated. The niobium anomalism is co-incident with As, Ag, Bi, Cr, Mo, Sb, Sn, Ta, Ti, Th, U W and Zr, with these pathfinder elements commonly associated with carbonatite niobium deposits.
Heavy mineral concentrate sampling (HMC) was completed, to better understand the mineralogy related to niobium mineralisation, and to further develop a genetic mineralisation model for future exploration programmes.
Thirty-four samples were collected and scanned, with spectral analysis and interpretation completed. The results reported included grain, mineral and elemental counts, and mineralogy and pixel chemistry.
The HMC analysis confirmed the Sumo Niobium Target is drill ready, with the results finding niobium mineralisation was closely related to titanium, interpreted to be most likely contained with the mineral Ilmenite. This association is often found with weathered niobium mineralisation systems (for example carbonatite systems, Mitchell 2015), with secondary niobium mineralisation potentially located below surface. In addition, the HMC results supported the initial interpretation that the niobium soil anomaly is not related to iron and manganese scavenging. Mineral counts found the dominant mineralogy to be iron-oxides and aluminium- iron silicates, indicative of a weathered regolith.
Great Western has now furthered preparations for drilling Sumo, with a heritage clearance now scheduled to be undertaken next month.
