Heavy rare earths producer Northern Minerals Limited [ASX: NTU] is pleased to announce the commencement of drilling at Browns Range, kicking off the second phase drilling campaign announced in May.
The second phase campaign will include up to 12,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling aimed at expanding the inventory of near-surface resources in the Browns Range Dome. The campaign follows on from the first phase campaign completed at the end of 2020 and is part of the Company’s $5 million investment in exploration in 2020-21.
The second phase drilling will include a combination of follow-up holes at the Banshee West and Toad prospects; drill investigation in the vicinity of the Gambit and Gambit West deposits, and at the Rogue prospect; and drill testing at greenfield targets including the Ripcord, Pulse and Quicksilver prospects.
Northern Minerals has developed a detailed plan to complete the second phase of RC drilling in a 12 week campaign, while the drill rig is mobilised at Browns Range.
Reinforcing the Company’s long-term commitment to exploration, the Board recently approved a substantial budget of approximately $10 million for 2021-22.
Northern Minerals CEO Mark Tory said:
“The team at Northern Minerals is excited to have the drill rigs arrive on site to start our highly anticipated second phase drilling campaign.
“We saw positive results following the first phase of RC drilling and will seek to convert a number of those targets to Mineral Resources from this second phase.
“The Browns Range Dome is an amazingly rich and heavily mineralised area, which underpins Northern Minerals’ current and future growth.”
