Lanthanein Resources Ltd (ASX:LNR, OTC:FRNRF) has applied for additional tenure to the east and north of two reconnaissance roadside aircore drill holes that returned significant assays targeting rare earth elements (REEs) in the shallow Loxton Parilla Sands at the Murraydium Project in South Australia.
The application for the new exploration licences follows the recent receipt of assay results from the roadside drilling program at Murraydium. The drill program targeted ionic clay-hosted rare earths within the Loxton-Parilla Sands unit which are present throughout the Murray Basin in South Australia and Victoria.
The assay results included:
- 2 metres grading 1,560 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxides (TREO), including 1 metre at 2,420ppm TREO with combined 23% neodymium/praseodymium and 1.8% dysprosium; and
- 2 metres at 808ppm TREO, including 1 metre at 1264ppm TREO from 14 metres, with combined 21% neodymium/praseodymium and 2.5% dysprosium.
The exploration licence application covers further projected occurrences of the Loxton Parilla Sands to the north and east. The Loxton‐Parilla Sand is a very extensive unit widely distributed across the southern Murray Basin.
Lanthanein technical director Brian Thomas said: “As a result of the significant assay results received from the roadside drilling program immediately adjacent to the eastern boundary of the Bordertown Block at the Murraydium Project in the South East of South Australia, we have applied for tenure to the east and north of those drill hits.
“These significant results once again confirm the exciting exploration opportunity in the region for ionic clay hosted rare earth deposits as evidenced by AR3 who have outlined an extensive mineralised system at Koppamurra where shallow near surface exploration has delineated a recently upgraded JORC Resource of REEs.”
Exploration plans
Initial exploration on the new tenement will consist of reconnaissance air core drilling on the roadside verges controlled by the local government.
Prior to drilling Lanthanein will once again conduct an extensive community, stakeholder and landholder consultation process on the proposed exploration activities. Should the reconnaissance roadside drilling encounter significant rare earth element occurrences the company will negotiate with the adjacent private landholder to gain access to their paddocks, allowing for a more systematic exploration program.
The Murraydium Project is located in the south-east region of South Australia with EL 6717 covering an area of 872 square kilometres of the Murray Basin.
The region is seeing continued activity in the exploration for REE minerals. Loxton Parilla Sands is the same formation that hosts Australian Rare Earths total mineral resource of 186 million tonnes at 712 ppm TREO at its Koppamurra Project.