Australia heavy rare earths-focused company Northern Minerals Ltd (ASX: NTU) has been awarded a co-funded exploration drilling program under the Exploration Incentive Scheme for up to 50% of the cost of the program, to a maximum of $180,000.
The EIS is a West Australian Government initiative that aims to encourage exploration in the State for the long-term sustainability of the State’s resource sector and the demand for critical minerals on the transition to net zero.
Browns Range, in the East Kimberley region of WA, is a globally significant source of the heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium, which are essential in the manufacture of high-performance permanent magnets used for the propulsion of electric vehicles, wind turbines and specialist defence applications. Northern Minerals is finalising a mineral resource estimate (MRE) update and a refreshed definitive feasibility study for Browns Range.
This exploration drilling program at Browns Range, part-funded by EIS, is designed to test for structurally controlled hydrothermal feeder systems with associated heavy rare earth mineralisation below the unconformity hosted Dazzler deposit.
Dazzler, located 15km south of the company’s flagship Wolverine deposit, was previously drilled between 2018 and 2020 to define the current inferred MRE of 0.21 Mt @ 2.33% TREO for 5,000t TREO reported above a cut-off grade of 0.15% TREO. The MRE is largely contained within an argillite unit located at the base of the Gardiner Sandstone and directly above the regional unconformity with underlying Browns Range Metamorphics.
The new drill program includes five holes, each of between 200m and 250m depth, for an overall total of 1,150 meters of diamond drilling. All required approvals were received, with drilling having now commenced.
