Aldoro flags potential boost for niobium and rare earths resource in Namibia

• ARN reports more high-grade niobium and REE at Kameelburg project
• Project already hosts 279.9Mt resource, which could now be expanded in both grade and volume significantly
• Company also kicking off Phase II drilling in Namibia

Special Report: Aldoro Resources has reported strong results from diamond drilling at the Kameelburg niobium and rare earths deposit in Namibia.

Last month Aldoro Resources (ASX:ARN) announced a maiden rare earth and niobium resource of 279.9Mt at 2.45% TREO equivalent, consisting of 1.16% total rare earth oxides, 0.18% niobium and 177ppm molybdenum.

Assay results for diamond drill holes DD005C, DD008B and DD008C have confirmed that mineralisation at Kameelburg now extends an additional ~300 metres across the S-W direction.

Notable results include:

• 184.2m at 2.0% TREO, 0.23% Nb₂O₅ and 395ppm Mo 142ppm Mo (DD005C);
• 204.39m at 1.63% TREO, 0.24% Nb₂O₅ and 298ppm Mo (DD008B); and
• 101.8m 1.57% TREO & 0.14% Nb₂O₅ and 299ppm Mo (DD008C).

The company says these diamond holes ended in mineralisation, suggesting the deposit remains open at depth, demonstrating the continuity and scale of the project.

Maiden resource estimate released this month

Diamond holes DD005C, DD008B and DD008C will be included in the updated resource estimate, which is expected to increase in both head grade and resource size. 

“With Phase I drilling complete we now look forward to quantifying the overall scale and grade on the Kameelburg carbonatite with the release of our updated mineral resource estimate this month,” chairperson Quinn Li said, adding:

“We expect to see significant growth in the scale of the resource and consequently an increase in grade of all three strategic metal categories thanks to the focus on drilling the western portion of the carbonatite.”

The company has three critical objectives for Phase II, which it aims to nail by the year’s end. 

These are:

• drilling the Omuronga Carbonatite to confirm the presence of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), as well as higher-grade niobium (Nb) given our current supergene carbonatite mineralisation model; 
• drilling the interpreted high-grade Niobium zone at Kameelburg where mineralisation in DD005B intersected 6m of 1.43% Nb₂O₅ to end of hole; and 
• drilling at Kameelburg to confirm how much further mineralisation extends beyond the current discovery horizon of 500m.

In the coming weeks, Aldoro will get the Phase II drilling program underway, with the arrival of an additional two diamond drilling rigs imminent. 

This article was developed in collaboration with Aldoro Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.