Fast-tracked results from rock chip samples have confirmed the presence of anomalous rare earths for White Cliff Minerals at its Yinnetharra project about 100km north-east of Gascoyne Junction in WA.
The 13 returned sample results of up to 780 parts per million total rare earths oxides, along with nearby thorium anomalies, have given the company a greater understanding of potential exploration targets over the next few weeks.
The Yinnetharra lithium and rare earths project comprises of six tenements in the Gascoyne lithium region, about 85km south of Hastings Technology Metals’ world-class Yangibana rare earths acreage.
Rare earths are becoming increasingly significant around the world because of their applications in modern technology. They are used to make strong magnets for electric motors and hybrid vehicle power systems and also utilised as catalysts in rechargeable batteries.
White Cliff says it plans to advance aggressively its lithium and rare earth element project portfolio following Yinnetharra and the Hines Hill rare earths projects returning favourable first-pass results.
A number of targets and anomalies at Yinnetharra were sampled in a geochemical program completed earlier this month, with results expected within three weeks.
In April the company completed a reconnaissance soil sampling program as part of a first-pass, covering the 128 square kilometre Hines Hill tenement in WA’s Wheatbelt.
Samples from Hines Hill 11 showed highly anomalous rare earths results above 300ppm total rare earths oxides with a peak value of 550ppm TREO.
White Cliff Minerals Technical Director, Ed Mead said: “Our knowledge of Yinnetharra is growing at an exponential rate, with a small batch of positive rock chip results returned for REE’s, and with regional success from pairs for Thorium anomalies adding to our exploration model, we are starting to grasp the exploration potential from a project area that has had in essence, no exploration.”
Late last year a helicopter-supported first-pass field trip to Yinnetharra focused on lithium and rare earths elements across 15 sites identified through satellite imagery and historical Geological Survey of Western Australia, or “GSWA”, sampling programs.
The GSWA survey yielded strong cerium hits as high as 332 parts per million. Cerium is regarded by Geoscience Australia to be one of the most abundant rare earths elements.
Additional historical exploration at the project unveiled a handful of lithium-bearing pegmatites at the nearby Thirty Three Supersuite — a massive north-west to south-east granite unit that runs along the Ti Tree shear zone that has been found to host a series of rare earths-bearing pegmatites at its basement.
White Cliff says it is compiling detailed geophysical datasets to also target nickel, copper and gold mineralisation associated with greenstone belts at its Diemals lithium and rare earths project.
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By Matt Birney
