Moho has kicked off a second round of aircore drilling at its Peak Charles project in WA, to follow-up on some truly intriguing clay-hosted rare earths hits from earlier reconnaissance drilling.

The 80 hole Phase 2 program will focus on the Top Block, Rolland Road East and Gimli prospect areas at the project about 88km northwest of Esperance.

At Top Block, Moho Resources (ASX:MOH) will extend the existing drill coverage to test the continuity of clay-hosted REE concentrations between the Northern Track, Pyramid Road and Ned’s Corner prospects where grades of up to 1,800 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxides (TREO) were intersected.

Some Phase 1 holes that failed to penetrate the near surface hardcap layer will also be redrilled using an aircore hammer.

Over at Rolland Road East, the company will test an area close to OD6 Metals’ Grass Patch-Belgian Road prospect where high grades of up to 3,300ppm TREO were recently reported.

It is over at Gimli where things become a little different. Drilling here will test the area around a discrete radiometric anomaly to determine its potential to host a hard rock (rather than clay-hosted) REE-bearing carbonatite intrusion.

“This second phase of drilling should provide Moho with an improved understanding of the geological constraints to REE mineralisation at Peak Charles,” managing director Ralph Winter said.

“We anticipate improved confidence and an expanded REE target to be generated at the Top Block prospect area, and possibly a new REE target to be identified at the Rolland Road East prospect.

“We are also very excited to be drilling in the vicinity of the radiometric anomaly at the Gimli prospect, possibly indicative of a carbonatite intrusion.”

Planned drilling

The majority of the program – 47 holes in total – will be drilled to further understand the geological constraints of the project area, and to test for the continuation of the clay-hosted REE mineralisation defined during the first phase of aircore drilling.

This drilling will be carried out along road reserves and existing tracks at a 400m hole spacing and drilled to refusal at the base of the clay horizon.

Moho will drill the remaining 33 holes at the Gimli prospect to test around the discrete radiometric anomaly.

Drilling here will be carried out along road reserves at 400m hole spacing and closing in to 200m over the radiometric anomaly.

The company plans to carry out metallurgical test work to determine the TREO extraction rates from the clay as well as further geophysical interpretation of the airborne magnetics to outline the granite basement topography required for the ionic clay basin target modelling.

This article was developed in collaboration with Moho 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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