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- MinRex Resources (MRR) completes its maiden drilling program at the Coondina project in the East Pilbara region of WA, confirming its potential to host REE
- The drilling program comprised 80 shallow vertical reverse circulation holes for 1760 meters to test for rare earth element (REE) mineralisation
- Notable intercepts include 12 metres at 730 parts per million (ppm) TREE from three metres and six metres at 640 ppm TREE from six metres
- MinRex will continue to explore the tenement for LCT-bearing pegmatites and follow up on its REE results with geological mapping and rock chip and soil sampling
- MRR shares are down 4.4 per cent to 3.3 cents at market close on Wednesday afternoon
MinRex Resources (MRR) has completed a maiden drilling program over historical tin workings at the Coondina project located in the East Pilbara, Western Australia.
The drilling program comprised 80 shallow vertical reverse circulation holes for 1760 meters to test for rare earth element (REE) mineralisation.
The drilling was limited to the disturbed historical tin-tantalum mining area within the project and spanned seven lines.
MinRex said in an aftermarket announcement on Tuesday it had received assays for a suite of elements, including total rare earth elements (TREE).
Notable intercepts include 12 metres at 730 parts per million (PPM) total rare earth elements (TREE) from three metres, nine metres at 564 ppm TREE from three metres, six metres at 567 ppm TREE from six metres, and six metres at 640 ppm TREE from six metres.
MinRex said the results confirmed its view that the Coondina project had the potential to host REE.
“The drilling confirms the potential for rare earth mineralisation on the tenement, and we now look forward to extending the exploration across the remainder of the tenement,” MinRex Resources Managing Director George Karageorge said.
“The first-pass drilling program is a significant step for the Coondina project, adding confidence to the potential of hosting tin-tantalum-lithium and rare earth mineralisation.”
MinRex is the first company to systematically drill the historic Coondina mined area, which lies about 18 kilometres south of Hillside Station homestead on the east bank of the Shaw River, since 1987.
The company said the Coondina Monzogranite was believed to be hosting the “strongly anomalous” REE assays.
Historically, 1770.71 tonnes of tin concentrate and 84.33 tonnes of tantalite concentration were produced on-site through alluvial mining.
In 1987, Greenbushes completed a feasibility study over the current tenure of Coondina and other surrounding historical tin-tantalum areas.
A combination of pit sampling and auger drilling was used, and the area was determined to be tin-rich, with considerable scope for increasing the historic mineral reserve with further drilling.
No sampling for lithium or REE has been conducted in the area.
MinRex said it would continue to explore the tenement for LCT-bearing pegmatites and follow up on the REE results achieved to date with a focus on geological mapping, rock chip, and soil sampling.
MRR shares were down 4.4 per cent to 3.3 cents at market close on Wednesday afternoon.
