MetalsGrove Mining Ltd (ASX:MGA) has kicked off a soil sampling program at the Bruce Rare Earth Prospect within the company’s Arunta Project, north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, ahead of a maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program this quarter.
The sampling aims to identify and refine priority drill targets along a 1,000 metre by 600 metre intrusive system identified by recent surface geochemistry work as highly prospective for rare earth element (REE) mineralisation.
The broader Arunta Project area has been known to contain REE anomalism associated with copper-gold and base metal mineralisation.
Systematic grid spaced soil sampling priority targets at Bruce.
Geochemistry confirmation
Assays for the initial rock chip sampling of pegmatite and carbonatite outcrops at Bruce have confirmed a geochemistry indicative of REE fertile pegmatites.
Field mapping at Bruce has identified numerous pegmatite dykes and carbonatites outcropping across the project area indicative of elements such as neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr).
Bruce’s geological setting is very similar to the REE discovery at Nolan’s Bore as a NdPr project, and Browns Range, which contains significant dysprosium and yttrium to be considered a heavy rare earth project.
The detailed soil sampling is continuing.
Considerable potential
MetalsGrove managing director Sean Sivasamy said: “We are pleased to have this important next phase of pre-drilling exploration underway at Bruce in the lead-up to our maiden drilling program set to commence this quarter.
“Exploration work to date has outlined considerable mineralised potential at Bruce, in particular comparisons of the rare earth distributions with other projects in the Arunta region – namely Brown’s Range and Nolan’s Bore – are very encouraging.
“The Arunta region is a world-class mineralised province and MGA has a clear strategy in place to systematically unlock the true underlying potential of its strategic footprint in the area.
“I look forward to providing the market with regular updates on our progress.”
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