Ongoing sampling by Aruma Resources Ltd (ASX:AAJ) at its 100%-owned Saltwater Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region has returned the highest grade rare earth element (REE) results at the project to date.
Recent surface rock sampling has identified high REE pathfinder elements and elevated TREO (total rare earth oxide) with surface rock sampling returning up to 1,777.5ppm TREO, including 752.2ppm neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr), and 1025.7ppm TREO.
The company’s soil sampling has also delivered, returning best results of 1,092.5ppm TREO, including 242.2ppm NdPr, and 572.0ppm TREO in two areas.
High NdPr levels
Aruma is encouraged by the NdPr results as NdPr is a key REE utilised in the production of permanent NdFeB magnets, which are core components in the production of electric vehicles (EVs).
Further positive results from the company’s systematic exploration reaffirm the project’s potential to host a multi-commodity mineralised system and add strength to a plan to undertake first-pass drilling of priority targets next year.
Positive early results
Aruma managing director Glenn Grayson said: “Our ongoing fieldwork at the Saltwater Project continues to deliver highly positive early-stage results, which validate the potential of this large greenfield project area.
“Aruma’s targeting and sampling work has successfully highlighted the multi-commodity potential of Saltwater, and these latest high REE results continue to reinforce the project’s REE potential in line with the company’s exploration model.
“Given the positive results achieved to date, first-pass drilling of priority targets will be a focus for 2024."
Saltwater Project location.
About Saltwater
Saltwater Project covers 450 square kilometres within an emerging multi-commodity province, where Dreadnought Resources holds a significant landholding with its Bresnahan REEU Project, which surrounds Aruma’s Saltwater area.
The latest phase of Aruma’s soil sampling program has pinpointed anomalous geochemical signatures, indicative of a substantial enrichment in REEs.
Samples re-analysed
In results released last month, 14 samples displayed exceptionally high levels of cerium and lanthanum and were selected for further scrutiny.
These samples have been re-analysed via the Sodium Peroxide Fusion method and results from this re-assay have confirmed the presence of elevated concentrations of neodymium and praseodymium.
This reinforces the initial positive outcomes of the sampling program and also underscores the economic significance and validity of the unconformity model being applied by Aruma in its REE exploration at the Inkwell Ridge and Saltwater Pool targets at Saltwater.
Soil sampling has proved successful in providing vectors towards defining targets for a maiden drilling program planned for 2024.
The soil sampling has been strategically planned to collect samples from areas with previous anomalous rock chip samples, and vector in on mineralisation source locations.
Outcrop sampling and mapping generated multiple new targets across the project.