Heavy rare earths producer, Northern Minerals Limited (ASX: NTU) announced that it has returned encouraging assay results across several targets from the first phase of its latest exploration drilling program at the Browns Range Project in WA.
HIGHLIGHTS:
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Northern Minerals successfully completed 8,500 metres of exploration and resource definition drilling at Browns Range in late 2020;
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First batch of assay results received from 2020 drilling demonstrate prospectivity at new greenfield targets;
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Best assay results from new greenfield target “Toad” of 9m @ 0.54% TREO and 11m @ 0.37% TREO; and
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Initial results at new prospects warrant further investigation and follow-up in second phase drilling in 2021.
Northern Minerals completed 8,500 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at Browns Range in late 2020, following the Company’s announcement on the 2 November that it had commenced a $5 million exploration program that would include up to 16,500 metres of drilling before the end of June 2021.
The first batch of assay results have been received from 45 drill holes at Dazzler Northwest (7 holes), Dazzler North/Ripcord (16 holes), Dazzler (6 holes), Gambit West (7 holes), Wolverine West (4 holes) and a new prospect named Toad (5 holes).
The assay results from the remaining 71 drill holes in the 2020 program are expected to be returned over the course of the next few weeks.
Encouraging drill results were received from first-pass drilling at the Toad and Dazzler North prospects, in particular. Best results from Toad were 9m @ 0.54% TREO from 53m in BRR0541 and 11m @ 0.37% from 52m, while at Dazzler North an intercept of 3m @ 0.74% TREO from 8m was returned.
Northern Minerals will follow-up these initial results in the second phase of drilling being planned at Browns Range in 2021, following the end of the wet season in the Kimberley region.
Northern Minerals CEO Mark Tory said: “We are very pleased to have exceeded our target of getting at least 8,000 metres of drilling completed before Christmas as well as post some very encouraging early results.
“Following up on these results will be one component of the second phase of our exploration drilling campaign, which we will be back on the ground to complete before the end of June.”
“The relatively shallow depth as well as the grade and widths of some of these intersections give us plenty to work with, however much of the drilling in the first half of 2021 will be at new greenfields targets.”
“Our overall strategy remains to increase the Mineral Resource and the life-of-mine potential at Browns Range to more than 20 years. This will feed into a future feasibility study for a potential commercial scale heavy rare earths operation at Browns Range.”
