American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF) continues to uncover high-grade rare earth mineralisation at the Cowboy State Mine (CSM) area in Wyoming.
The 2024 drill campaign, conducted by ARR’s wholly owned subsidiary, Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc, returned significant high-grade total rare earth oxides (TREO) within the western portion of the CSM deposit.
Highlights
Notable results include 172.4 metres at 3,716 parts per million (ppm) TREO, 51 metres at 3,390 ppm TREO and 30 metres at 2,203 ppm TREO.
These assays are part of the first phase in the development of the larger Halleck Creek deposit, which holds a JORC-compliant resource of 2.34 billion tonnes containing 7.48 million tonnes of TREO.
The campaign also marked the definition of the eastern boundary of the Red Mountain Pluton, with lower-grade results there.
The focus now shifts to the higher-grade zones near Red Mountain, where a drill hole returned an impressive 4,393 ppm TREO over 299.1 metres.
More drilling in higher-grade areas
Because the program has been so efficient, with the drill campaign coming in under budget, the company has been able to plan for four more reverse circulation (RC) drill holes to target higher-grade areas.
These holes, amounting to around 730 metres, are expected to be completed within the week.
Geochemical analysis is ongoing to further refine the understanding of rare earth element distribution, with the data informing future geological mapping and drilling strategies.
CEO Chris Gibbs said: “We are very pleased with the 2024 drilling campaign results, which have defined the eastern portion of the Cowboy State Mine (CSM) deposit and confirmed that higher-grade material is concentrated to the west, within the Red Mountain area.
“These additional drill holes will help us update our resource model and define mine plans for CSM.
“As the first phase of our development program, CSM has the potential to be the next rare earth mine built in the USA, outside of Mountain Pass.
“With 2.34 billion tonnes of JORC resources at Halleck Creek, we believe this project has the potential to be one of the largest rare earth developments in North America, supporting the nation’s growing demand for critical minerals.”