• After six months of drilling Brazilian Critical Minerals has defined an updated resource estimate for the starter zone
  • The 350Mt starter zone resource is sufficient for long life scoping study assessment
  • A scoping study is being finalised for release during Q1

 

Special report: Brazilian Critical Minerals has made another crucial step in the development of the Ema project in Brazil with an updated resource defining  350Mt at 778ppm total rare earth oxides for its starter zone.

Of that, 36% or 126Mt at 772ppm TREO is already in the higher confidence indicated category at the starter zone, which represents only 14% of the available tenement area.

The starter zone area confirms sufficient resources to underpin a long a mine life, with mineralisation close to surface and amenable to widely used in-situ recovery mining methods, which supply almost all the world’s ionic clay  rare earth production.

The total updatedresource for the Ema project now stands at 977Mt at 729ppm TREO.

The company has been focusing on drilling the central starter zone over the last six months with handheld augers, a drilling technique which offers the advantage of low costs, rapid deployment and mobility.

Brazilian Critical Minerals’ (ASX:BCM) previously announced drill results for the priority 1 area were the only results to be incorporated into this interim resource update, but there’s already more data to expand the tonnages. Once all outstanding assays are received from priority drilling areas 1 – 3, an additional update will be completed.

 

Low capital strategy

Brazilian Critical Minerals managing director Andrew Reid said the resource update reaffirms the technical robustness and commercial attractiveness of Ema.

“We expect a large portion of the remaining starter zone inferred material to be converted to the indicated category once all final assays are received,” he said.

“We are now focused on finalising the scoping study and beginning the important permeability field trials ahead of feasibility study commencement.

“The scoping study has been developed to leverage the project’s major competitive advantages, focusing on a low capital start up strategy.”

Low costs are a critical aspect of any new mining operation, especially in rare earths, supporting a project that can survive and prosper at all stages of the cycle.

“It will outline a long-life rare earth project that has potential to maintain solid cashflow margins throughout the rare earth price cycle one Ema is in production,” Reid added.

 

Ema’s point of difference

The Ema project is considered unique amongst Brazilian rare earth assets in that it shares almost identical characteristics with the ionic REE deposits developed over felsic volcanic rocks in southwest China.

China is the world’s largest known ionic clay region, where a large proportion of the world’s production of rare earths is mined and processed annually.

Those styles of deposits in China account for ~30% of the world’s rare earth production.

Ema spans a vast 189km2 of felsic volcanic terrain with 45% yet to be explored, signalling the possibility for resource expansion as additional drilling is undertaken.

Further drilling results are expected in the coming weeks with the scoping study earmarked for completion during Q1 2025.

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Brazilian Critical 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.

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