Lindian Resources has recorded its best drill hit to date after its latest assays confirmed a 35m intercept at a whopping 3.94 per cent total rare earth oxides, or “TREO” at its Kangankunde project in Malawi.
The impressive section was part of a wider 179m intercept going 2.2 per cent TREO from surface and also included a 4m hit at a massive 7.82 per cent TREO.
A second hole highlighted a wide 210m intercept going 1.92 per cent TREO from surface including 47m grading 3.23 per cent TREO from 134m. A third hole produced a 162m section at 2.16 per cent TREO from surface including 23m going 3.01 per cent TREO from surface in addition to a 24m hit recording 3.04 per cent TREO from 74m.
The explorer is currently undertaking phase 1 of its 12,500m resource definition drilling program including 10,000m of RC drilling and a further 2500m of diamond drilling to test mineralisation to a depth of 300m.
Lindian has consistently produced wide drill hits with the majority of holes beginning and ending in mineralisation. Just last month the company produced a massive 300m section at 2.31 per cent TREO from surface.
Lindian Resources Chief Executive Officer, Alistair Stephens said: “I look forward to being on the ground in Malawi next week and will be providing further updates from site which I expect will include feedback from Community and Government meetings with both parties supportive of our mine development program, and the progress we have made so far.”
Kangankunde is considered one of the world’s largest rare earths operations outside China and hosts an outdated resource of 2.53 million tonnes grading 4.24 per cent rare earths oxide and containing 107,000 tonnes of rare earths oxide when using a cut-off grade of 3.5 per cent. It is a carbonatite-hosted system with mineralisation exposed at the surface and open at depth.
In January the company recorded an initial set of results from the first two holes drilled at the site that included a 1m section recording 11.8 per cent TREO from 13m with a second 1m section going 11.1 per cent TREO from 12m.
Lindian says metallurgical test work is already underway in South Africa and will begin in Australia shortly following the arrival of a one tonne sample that has cleared Australian customs and is undergoing sterilisation in Brisbane prior to dispatch to the testing facility in Perth.
To date the company has completed a total of 44 RC holes at Kangankunde for 7170m in addition to five core holes for 1105m with assays reported for the first 14 holes drilled. The ratio of neodymium and praseodymium, or “NdPr” in the total concentrate at the project is about 19 per cent and a mining licence has already been secured for the site. The ratio of NdPr in the latest results came in at around 21 per cent. The explorer says all assays show very low levels of radioactive materials uranium and thorium.
Lindian is already considering phase 2 of its drill campaign at Kangankunde with two additional deep drill holes planned to a length of 1000m and expected to commence in the second half of the year.
With more assays pending and phase 1 drilling ongoing, the market will be keen to see if Lindian can continue its excellent run of results as the company aims to table a mineral resource estimate at Kangankunde by the end of the June quarter.
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By Matt Birney
