Meeka Metals Ltd (ASX:MEK) is in the thick of infill and extensional drilling for rare earths at Circle Valley in Western Australia.
The 2023 infill program will focus on the north-western zone where high total rare earth oxides (TREO) of up to 6,894 parts per million (ppm), are coincident with shallow cover.
Magnet rare earths
The company says the mineralisation also “persistently demonstrates” that a high proportion of the grade, up to roughly 30%, consists of valuable neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) magnet rare earths.
Drilling targets an area of 15 square kilometres, where shallow high-grade rare earth mineralisation grading up to 6,894 ppm TREO was intersected in 2022.
The program is expected to wrap during the March quarter with delivery of an initial mineral resource to follow in the June quarter.
Extensional drilling at Anomaly A
Meeka will also be looking to build on the high-grade gold results at Anomaly A by drilling to extend strike at the prospect, where 23 metres at 5.09 g/t gold was intersected last year.
Meeka managing director Tim Davidson said: “Results received in 2022 show a shallowing cover profile to the northwest at Circle Valley, corresponding with a +1,000ppm high-grade component of the rare earth mineralisation, rich in NdPr magnet rare earth elements.
“This shallow high-grade mineralisation trends northwest into an undrilled part of Circle Valley, which will be the focus for mineral resource drilling now underway. This drilling will enable delivery of an initial rare earth mineral resource during the June 2023 quarter.
Advancing rare earth projects
“Confidence to advance our rare earth projects to the mineral resource development stage is bolstered by the positive results from our ongoing metallurgical test program.
“This program shows that the mineralisation can be upgraded using low-cost and simple beneficiation processes prior to metal extraction through leaching.
“The development of a mineral resource, in conjunction with the ongoing metallurgical test work, will support future economic studies.
“Finally, we will commence extensional drilling at Anomaly A in the coming weeks, where broad zones of high-grade gold were intersected during 2022. Drilling results are expected throughout February and March 2023.”
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