Dateline appointed rare earth element experts Dr Anthony Mariano and Anthony Mariano (Jr) to advise on its exploration of the Colosseum mine area in the US.

Both of the company’s new senior advisors are intimately familiar with the area as they have been associated with the Mountain Pass REE mine – the only operating mine of its kind in the US that is located just 10km to the southeast of Colosseum – for over 50 years.

Since September 2021, the duo have already confirmed that the United States Geological Survey radiometric signature at Dateline Resources’ (ASX:DTR) Colosseum is three to five times higher than the background reading while its outcrops appear to be ‘genetically’ related to the geological events that created the Mountain Pass REE mine.

“Realising the close relationship between mineralised carbonatite bodies at the Mountain Pass mine and their genetically related alkaline rocks, the need for further exploration in the Mountain Pass-Colosseum corridor is obvious and cannot be over-emphasised,” Dr Mariano said.

Rare earths experts

Both Dr Mariano and his son are mineral exploration geologists who specialise in the geology and mineralogy of REEs on a world level.

They have more than 50 years’ experience in North and South America, Africa, and Asia, evaluating economic mineral deposit potential and ranking of specialties metals and REEs.

Besides REEs, both of them also have experience with gold, platinum, iron, copper, tin, tungsten, and phosphates.

The senior Mariano was the chief consulting geologist at Mountain Pass for over a decade during the time when the mine was the chief producer of REEs in the world.

Colosseum project

While Colosseum is a historical gold producer, its potential to host rare earths captured shareholder interest back when it was revealed in July last year.

Linear trends of radiometric highs at the project were observed to be oriented in a north-northwest – south-southeast direction, demonstrating a possible relationship with radiometric data surrounding the Mountain Pass deposit.

Historical literature has also outlined the presence of a small outcrop of fenite rock within the Colosseum claims that are similar to the fenites found at Mountain Pass, which are related to the carbonatite intrusion that host its FEE mineralisation.

A follow up program of detailed structural mapping, sampling, and petrography will be completed in the current quarter.

“We are now seeing evidence of rare earth potential across a larger part of the Colosseum claims, not just in the southern area as previously thought,” Dateline exploration director Greg Hall said.

“While the primary aim at Colosseum has historically targeted gold, the rare earth potential deserves to be fully investigated.”

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Dateline 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.

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