REE! It’s high tenor results for Impact Minerals – and they’re ‘high’ and ‘large’. Pic via Getty Images
Impact hits ‘high tenor’ REE notes at its new Hyperion prospect in WA
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- IPT continues to make an impact in southwestern WA, with a big new REE anomaly
- Dubbed Hyperion, the prospect is part of the Arkun project, which is surrounded by territory being explored by Anglo American
- Fieldwork and early drilling/bulk sampling planned
Special Report: Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) has uncovered a large rare earths (REE) anomaly at its Anglo American-surrounded Arkun project in WA. Dubbed Hyperion, the new prospect adds to Impact’s belief it could be sitting on a significant clay-hosted REE deposit.
Although Impact is focused on a Pre-Feasibility Study on its Lake Hope High Purity Alumina Project also in WA, Arkun is a standout project with demonstrated potential for not only REE but also nickel-copper-lithium and gold.
Surrounding the project area is global miner Anglo American, which has staked a vast area of some 10,000 km2 directly surrounding three sides of Impact’s project area.
The company’s MD, Dr Mike Jones, recently spoke with Stockhead about the high expectations it has this year for its flagship Lake Hope HPA project, but the company’s latest reveal centres around Arkun’s potential; specifically at a recently discovered prospect dubbed Hyperion.
Significant high-grade REE results have now been returned from recent soil geochemistry surveys at Hyperion, a +3sqkm anomaly at greater than 1,000ppm TREO, open along strike to the northwest and southeast.
Jones noted: “The discovery of the Hyperion prospect is a significant breakthrough in exploring the Arkun project, which has so far focused on nickel, platinum, and copper.
“Impact’s exploration strategy recognises that the Corrigin Tectonic Zone has potential for various commodities, including Rare Earth Elements (REEs), and the Hyperion Prospect could host a large REE deposit in the clays developed in weathered granite.”
High-tenor REEs at Hyperion
Delving into the details, the REE soil anomaly at Arkun’s Hyperion has revealed up to 5,880 ppm (0.59%) Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO+Y) and Nd+Pr of up to 21%.
The company has made it a prime target for a potentially large clay-hosted REE deposit, with the host weathered granite covering a further area of about 170km2, which is yet to be explored.
The new Hyperion results come on the back of other recent good news at Arkun – strong results from nearby Swordfish and Horseshoe prospects, the latter a 10km-long REE anomaly about 25km east of this new find.
Next steps
Early drilling and bulk sampling for metallurgical test work is planned for the next two quarters at Arkun.
The company does caveat that the full nature, depth and thickness of the REE mineralisation at Hyperion, and indeed the Swordfish prospect, are unknowns for now.
Drilling is expected to define the extent of the mineralisation and Impact intends to get drills spinning at Hyperion and other target areas as soon as they can this year, depending on the timing of statutory approvals and landholder consent.
Adding to this, Jones said:
“The key to an economic discovery is to evaluate how easily the REEs can be extracted through simple acid leaching.
“For this purpose, initial drill testing and bulk sampling for metallurgical test work will be conducted in the upcoming field season.
“The extraction characteristics will help guide resource definition drilling later in the year.”
This article was developed in collaboration with Impact Minerals, 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.
