Locksley prepares for high-impact drilling at Mojave

• Locksley receives tick of approval for expanded drilling at the Desert Antimony Mine
• Drill contractor secured with drilling to start at El Campo momentarily
• Multiple work streams are underway, allowing the company to fast track its US mine to market strategy

Special report: Locksley is shifting into gear at its Mojave project in California, locking in approvals and drill rigs to fast-track the Desert Antimony Mine and El Campo targets, with the expanded program set to light up the back end of 2025.

The company has secured approval from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to expand its Plan of Operations at the Desert Antimony Mine and has already lined up a drilling contractor for Q4, with El Campo’s rare earths lode the first in the spotlight.

Concurrently, Locksley (ASX:LKY) has generated a 3D model from the results of a recently completed LiDAR survey across the Desert Antimony Mine to help accurately identify the extend of historical underground workings and refine drill targeting to identify untapped high-grade antimony zones.

The explorer will then head underground to carry out systematic sampling of the old workings to confirm grade continuity and reconcile historical production numbers.

Work will focus on an adit approximately 50m from the old smelter, where mapping and sampling will inform the orientation and consistency of the stibnite-rich quartz-carbonate veins.

Regional sampling to extend reach of Mojave exploration

Underground stopes carry reminders of the mine’s history, with timber beams and ladders dating back to the 1920s and 30s, and early observations show sheeted veining dipping sharply west and northwest, mirroring the trend of the stopes.

Broad field reconnaissance is also being rolled out across the wider Mojave asset including regional  sampling to cover the newly acquired ground and prospective corridors.

The team is also evaluating the benefits from a range of  geophysical methods, from airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys to IP, gravity and passive seismic, with airborne work seen as a way to uncover new REE anomalies like those linked to carbonatite intrusions at MP Materials’ neighbouring Mountain Pass mine.

Widespread stream sediment and rock chip sampling is planned across all major blocks of tenure, helping to identify new REE, antimony and base metal targets.

Sets sights on near-term US antimony supply

LKY CEO Kerrie Matthews said since commencing as CEO her focus had been on advancing Mojave through multiple, parallel workstreams.

“The exploration team is rapidly progressing technical programs, from securing a drill rig to underground sampling and Lidar surveys at the Desert Antimony Mine,” she said.

“With the Plan of Operations now approved pending bond finalisation, we are commencing activities to prepare for the initial drilling at the El Campo REE target.

“The team and I are extremely focused on our fast-track mine-to-market strategy and it positions Locksley to deliver near-term US antimony supply into critical defense and energy supply chains.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Locksley 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.