Red Mountain has identified a number of anomalies for rare earth exploration including the 5km long Vader anomaly at its Mt Mansbridge project in WA.
This follows a review of all pertinent open file soil sample and rock chip data by Perth-based exploration geochemist Dr Nigel Brand, which also highlighted the Killi-Killi and Kylo anomalies as areas for focused exploration.
All three areas are prospective for “unconformity style mineralisation and will be the focus for initial exploration that will begin in the second quarter of 2021”.
These anomalies add to the 32 radiometric anomalies that Red Mountain Mining (ASX:RMX) had previously identified.
Vader is a regional scale yttrium-lanthanum-cerium that was identified from a mobile metal ions (MMI) soil survey undertaken by Quantum over the eastern portion of the project.
It was identified on the prospective northern unconformity between the basement Killi-Killi Formation and overlying Pargee Sandstone while the centre of the anomaly is coincident with a radiometric anomaly and an abnormal topographic feature that is interpreted as a potential area of erosion resistant alteration and mineralisation.
Yttrium is commonly associated with valuable heavy rare earth elements while lanthanum is associated with light rare earth elements.
Killi-Killi and Kylo
Killi Killi is a rare earth anomaly identified within the conventional soil sampling survey area.
It covers 1.5km by 1km and is proximal to the prospective unconformity between the basement Killi-Killi Formation and overlying Gardiner Sandstone.
It is also coincident with the T1 radiometric anomaly and is open to the west.
Additionally, anomalous rock chips were identified around a north-east trending, 200m long zone of veining and alteration that return values of up to 2,380 parts per million (ppm) total heavy rare earths, 3,549ppm light rare earths, 1,924ppm yttrium and 386ppm dysprosium.
Meanwhile, Kylo – previously Mansbridge South – is one of two prospects within the project area with observed xenotime mineralisation, which is a rare earth mineral that is rich in heavy rare earths.
It was originally identified by Sigma Resources Group in 1982 and later validated by Northern Minerals (ASX:NTU) in 2011.
Red Mountain noted that NTU’s success in using radiometric surveying and geochemical sampling to find unconformity mineralisation at their Browns Range project made the unconformity at the Mt Mansbridge a priority for exploration.
This article was developed in collaboration with Red Mountain Mining, 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.