Results of a regional air-core drilling program on Horizon Minerals’ tenements 25km southeast of Kalgoorlie has returned multiple shallow clay-hosted rare earth and scandium anomalies. Results up to 2437 parts per million, or “ppm” total rare earth oxides, or “TREO” were obtained with magnet rare earths up to 718ppm as scandium oxide results grading up to 445ppm formed a linear zone at Snake Hill in the Golden Ridge project. Horizon will submit samples for metallurgical testing before considering a scoping study based upon a conceptual resource.
The drilling program was undertaken by Metal Hawk which has the nickel rights of several Horizon tenements in the Kalgoorlie region. As part of the agreement Metal Hawk routinely assay 5m composite samples for a suite of elements on behalf of Horizon.
Last year Metal Hawk drilled 123 air-core holes near Horizon’s Golden Ridge and Cannon gold projects, eight holes returned anomalous cerium and lanthanum. These holes were then resampled as single metre intervals and tested for the complete rare earths suite and associated elements including scandium, yttrium and lanthanum.
Horizon believes the anomalous TREO and scandium results are hosted by ultramafic saprolitic clays at approximately 30m depth and are open in all directions.
Magnet rare earths which are comprised of praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, terbium and dysprosium gave values up to 718ppm over 1m downhole in the area south of the Cannon gold project. Metal Hawk drilled four lines of air-core holes south of the Cannon gold deposit, one line returned significant amounts of clay hosted rare earths enrichment. The company says the mineralisation was flat lying and laterally extensive and in an area with little previous testing for rare earths.
Whilst Horizon has a strong focus on adding gold inventory and development to its Cannon gold mine near Kalgoorlie which it hopes to bring into production in late 2023, the company says it was a relatively easy opportunity to potentially add rare earths and scandium to its portfolio of interests. After initial metallurgical testing the potential economics will be assessed to direct future work.
If metallurgical results are positive, Horizon may just have added a new string to its bow in a favourable jurisdiction close to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
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By Matt Birney
