ASX-listed Emu NL has confirmed what it says are “outstanding” rare earths at its Graceland project near Lake Grace in Western Australia’s Eastern Wheatbelt, after assays from its maiden drill campaign at the site returned results of up to 960 parts per million total rare earths oxide (TREO).
The company completed an eight-hole reverse-circulation (RC) drill campaign at the operation in January, with assay highlights showing a 32m intercept at 716.75ppm TREO from 32m, including 4m grading an impressive 960.66ppm TREO from the start of the hit.
Additional results show a wide 52m interception at 518.69ppm TREO from 8m, while another hole recorded 36m going 554.75ppm TREO from 16m, including 4m grading 848.88ppm TREO from 28m and 20m reading 611.59ppm TREO from 64m.
Emu says all drill holes ended in significantly anomalous rare earths up to 646.91ppm TREO with a complete sample average magnetic rare earths oxide of 26.7 per cent and heavy rare earths oxide of 14.6 per cent. The mineralisation varies in width from 8m to 52m and is largely hosted within a saprolite clay zone.
Emu NL chairman Peter Thomas said: “Alongside recent discoveries at Condingup, near Esperance and Viper, near Jerramungup, EMU is building a suite of clay hosted, highly desired MREO, HREO, REE projects located within fertile REE granite environments.”
The company’s drill campaign was aimed at testing anomalous geochemistry survey results, in addition to identified geophysical electromagnetic conductors, for nickel, copper and platinum group elements. Fire assays were completed for gold and platinum group elements, followed by a 62-element assay method for base metals and rare earths using the pulp samples that were first fire-assayed.
The company believes its high-value rare earths assay results recorded from 4m composite drill samples will be significantly enhanced once a re-assay is conducted on 1m split samples.
Emu will now prepare a follow-up air-core (AC) drilling program at Graceland, designed to drill deeper clay horizons adjacent to the source granite rocks. It will undertake in-field passive seismic surveys to confirm clay depths and vectors before drilling.
The company has already seen its share of success in rare earths, with its rock chips at its Condingup project near Esperance returning results of up to 1242ppm TREO. Management is also on the lookout for rare earths at its Merredin project near the WA Wheatbelt town of the same name and at its Georgetown project in Queensland.
Its rare earths-focused landholdings cover more than 1100 square kilometres of highly-prospective exploration licences and also includes the emerging Viper project, where it found significant rare earths mineralisation in a maiden five-hole drill campaign.
All round, it is a little less conversation and plenty of action for Emu after adding Graceland to its committed work schedule.
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By Michael Philipps
