Eclipse Metals Ltd (ASX:EPM) has hit the ground running with a maiden drill program at its Ivigtût and Grønnedal rare earth prospects in Greenland.
The predominantly percussion drilling campaign will cover roughly 2,000 metres and is designed to follow up on rare earth element (REE) targets across its flagship project.
Eclipse expects to close the books on its maiden campaign later this month, paving the way for future exploration.
Chairman Carl Popal has joined the Greenlandic drilling contractor and geologist on site to oversee and report on the program.
What’s in the ground?
Assays from grab samples completed earlier this year show the various styles of REE mineralisation at Grønnedal and Ivigtût.
These range from light to heavy REE and Eclipse says their various geological host environments are a testament to a complex intrusive history and multiple episodes of REE enrichment.
In the past, historical tenement holders concentrated on exploring and mining the Ivigtût cryolite deposit, but Eclipse will be the first company to test the REE and multi-element potential at both prospects.
Other programs
In addition to the drilling, the company is undertaking a surface sampling program in areas of interest defined by remote sensing surveys near the historical mine precinct.
Promisingly, results from the modelling and satellite imagery analysis have provided many targets for field checking and sampling, which will be conducted during the current exploration program.
Investigations around the Ivigtût mine site will include sampling over remnant waste dumps to assess their cryolite and fluorite base metal content. Eclipse will also investigate the outcrop areas to determine their REE and lithium prospectivity.
Moving ahead, Eclipse will update the market with the results of this exploration program as they come available.