Lanthanein Resources Ltd (ASX:LNR) has resumed a maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Lyons prospects of the Gascoyne rare earth element (REE) Project in Western Australia after securing a track-mounted drill rig to access more difficult areas of the tenure.
The company is targeting high-grade REE results discovered in rock chip sampling of outcropping ironstones at the Lyons 11, 12, 13 and 27 prospects, with the drill rig moving to Lyons 12 and 13 for this phase of the program.
Gascoyne prospective for REEs
Lanthanein believes the Gascoyne region is beginning to gain recognition from the broader market for its ‘significant’ REE endowment.
The company’s confidence is supported by ongoing exploration success at Hastings Technology Metals’ Yangibana rare earth deposits and Dreadnought Resources’ Yin and Sabre discoveries, which sit just 2.5 kilometres and 32 kilometres from the Lyons prospects respectively.
LNR says the recent surge in modern exploration has highlighted the potential for more such discoveries in REE-bearing ironstones similar to Lyons’ geology and intends to update the market as results from this latest program become available.
Additional program of works
Lanthanein has already lodged an additional program of works (PoW) application with the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) to allow for extensions to the initial drilling campaign.
The pause in activities during the program allowed the company’s technical and geological consultants to complete drill chip logging and x-ray fluorescent (XRF) scans of the samples before shipping to the assay laboratory.
The company believes this will allow for early follow-up of any drill holes of interest now that drilling has resumed.