Godolphin Resources has applied for a huge 112-square-kilometre package of prospective rare earths ground next to its estimated 94.9-million-tonne Narraburra project going 739 parts per million total rare earth oxides (TREO) in New South Wales – with nearly half the resource sitting in the indicated category.
The company believes its world-class mineralisation at Narraburra, which contains a high-grade core of 20 million tonnes at 1079ppm TREO using a 600ppm cutoff within the indicated category, may extend north-west into the new tenement, which will be named “Cambrai”.
Once the Cambrai exploration licence is granted by the NSW Government’s Department of Industry and Investment, management plans to immediately get to work to find out exactly what it is sitting on.
Godolphin Resources managing director Jeneta Owens said: “This application for new ground is a logical addition to our enviable tenement portfolio and the Narraburra Rare Earth Project. From our recent work, we have identified that the existing Narraburra resource is open in several directions. Of note is the area to the west and north-west, having this ground under an application for a full exploration licence will provide the ability for natural growth of the resource into the future. Further, the considerable landholding that Cambrai provides will also increase space around Narraburra, unlocking room for infrastructure as development commences.”
The new tenement is about 340km west of Sydney in the Lachlan Fold Belt and the company says it contains Devonian-aged granites and Cenozoic sediments believed to be prospective for rare earths, but which have never been tested. Previous exploration in the tenement was only limited and focussed on porphyry-style copper-gold mineralisation that was supported by geochemical sampling from four shallow drill holes.
A tin mine once operated in the northern section of the Cambrai land package. Godolphin says the tin and tungsten mineralisation is associated with reduced and fractionated S-type granites derived from the partial melting of a sedimentary source rock. S-type granites are known to be prospective for rare earth ores in other parts of the world.
The company expects the exploration licence to be granted for three years and the large scale of the new tenement, with its proximity to proven rare earths ground, represents a valuable addition to its exploration portfolio.
Having completed metallurgical testwork on Narraburra ores – and returning impressive recoveries of 94 per cent neodymium, 90 per cent praseodymium, 80 per cent dysprosium and 83 per cent terbium – Godolphin may have opened the door to low-cost project development options.
The company says further testwork will be expedited and expanded this year for Narraburra rare earths pay, leading it to identify potential processing pathways ahead of a scoping study later this year.
Narraburra has been earmarked as one of Australia’s biggest zirconium, rare earths and rare metals resources. It received a boost in 2020 when it was given “Critical Minerals Project” status by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
The significant rare earths resource at Narraburra allows Godolphin to start strategic critical minerals discussions with end users and government agencies related to project development, in addition to assessing downstream processing and potential off-take arrangements with a range of local and international partners.
With the new ground at Cambrai pegged and the company wondering just how far its Narraburra mineralisation extends, Godolphin is poised to begin a busy program aimed at trying to understand the volume of rare earths it may have obtained.
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By Andrew Duffy
