Taruga Minerals Ltd (ASX:TAR) has completed preparations for a drilling program focused on clay-hosted rare earth elements (REE) at several distinct targets across the wholly-owned Mt Craig Project in South Australia, particularly at the Morgans Creek prospect, where drilling will begin.
The company’s preliminary test-work has demonstrated high REE recoveries of up to 72% total rare earth oxides (TREO) and up to 75% for high-value magnetic rare earth oxides (MREO), using a weak acid solution which should provide for a simple metallurgical flow sheet.
TAR will apply rotary air blast (RAB) drilling across the suite of newly identified REE target in order to generate geochemical profiles.
Results to support further exploration
“We have been systematically working across the Mt Craig project over the past 8 months to identify the most prospective areas for clay-hosted REE mineralisation,” Taruga Minerals CEO Thomas Line said.
“The current RAB drilling program will allow us to characterise several target styles which will assist with guiding ongoing exploration at the project.
“Importantly, the RAB program will test direct strike extensions of the Hydrothermal Hill REE mineralisation, however, it will also test REE targets in new areas never before drilled by Taruga, over more than 6 kilometres of strike.”
All of Taruga’s drilling has been co-funded by the South Australian Government under the Accelerated Discovery Initiative (ADI), from which Taruga was recently awarded $650,000 in funding for REEs and sediment-hosted copper exploration at the Mt Craig Project.
The company has left open the option of including additional REE targets in the program based on data gained from drilling of initial targets.