The first results are in from exploration at the Tanbreez Project in Southern Greenland, where European Lithium Ltd (ASX:EUR OTCMKTS: EULIF) and Critical Metals Corp (NASDAQ:CRML) have drilled the first hole.
Strong rare earth resource
The results point to the potential of Tanbreez as a high-grade, high-tonnage source of light and heavy rare earth elements alongside strong tantalum, niobium and gallium.
Read: European Lithium’s Critical Metals Corp an early adopter when it comes to Greenland’s unique potential
Tanbreez, 7.5% owned by European Lithium, was initially reported by Critical Metals Corp on the NASDAQ in November and December 2024.
The September-October 2024 drill program included 16 diamond drill holes designed to confirm and further explore the high-grade rare-earth and rare metal mineralisation at the Tanbreez tenement.
Wide mineralisation
Laboratory results from the first hole indicate a 40-metre-wide mineralised zone from surface with significant concentrations of rare-earth oxides (TREO) and other critical minerals.
The assays revealed an average of 4,722.51 parts per million (ppm) TREO, including 26.96% heavy rare earth oxides (HREO).
Additional significant results include 1.82% zircon oxide (ZrO2), 130.92 ppm tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O), 1,852.22 ppm niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5), 393.68 ppm hafnium oxide (HfO2) and 101.67 ppm gallium oxide (Ga2O3).
The Tanbreez Project’s mineralisation is hosted within eudialyte, concentrated in the kakortokite rock layer at the base of the Ilimaussaq intrusive complex.
High-grade, high-tonnage, high-quality
This highly differentiated deposit spans an area of around 18 kilometres by 8 kilometres and has a significant depth, with the kakortokite sequence exposed over a 5-kilometre by 2.5-kilometre area and a total thickness of 270 metres.
“I am pleased to report the outstanding assay results from the first hole confirming the high-grade, high-tonnage and high-quality potential that Tanbreez brings to EUR and Critical Metals Corp,” said executive chair Tony Sage.
“The company is pleased to announce that its first confirmation drill hole has yielded the high-grade percentage of light earth and heavy rare earth ratios with strong tantalum, niobium, and gallium results.
“We are excited by the scale of the thick source rock only 40 metres from the surface containing the mineralized high-grade intersection within the first drill hole.”
Further assay results from the remaining 15 drill holes are pending.