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- IRIS has updated Beecher’s resource estimate significantly.
- New MRE has total resource 3.03M tonnes; averaging 1% Li2O, 0.116% Rb2O.
- Beecher one of first U.S. resources to specifically quantify rubidium, hosts “one of the most significant deposits domestically.”
IRIS Metals (ASX:IR1) has significantly updated its JORC 2012-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for the Beecher Project in South Dakota, establishing the explorer’s project as a multi-commodity site and confirming there’s a lithium resource with a substantial, high-grade rubidium component.
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The updated MRE reports a total resource of 3.03 million tonnes, averaging 1% Li2O and 0.116% Rb2O. The newly-prepared estimate includes both Indicated and Inferred categories and is reported above a cut-off grade of 0.5% Li2O.
The resource is distributed across three primary pegmatite deposits: Longview, the largest deposit that stretches 520 metres in strike, Black Diamond, which runs 650 metres and is 115 metres wide, and the smaller Beecher Lode.
The Western Australian explorer has also identified a high-grade rubidium zone within the Indicated resource containing 1.04 Mt at 0.203% Rb2O, which represents approximately 2,100 tonnes of in-situ rubidium oxide.
This update marks Beecher as one of the first U.S. resources to specifically quantify rubidium. The metal was recently designated as a critical mineral by the U.S. government.
“The updated Beecher MRE marks a significant milestone for IRIS – not just as a lithium resource, but as what we believe to be the only mineral resource estimate in the United States to include a rubidium component,” Matt Hartman, the company’s President of U.S. Operations, told shareholders today.
“Black Hills have long been recognised for their pegmatite endowment, and this result confirms that Beecher hosts one of the most significant rubidium deposits recorded domestically, positioning the project at exactly the moment America needs secure sources of these critical minerals.”
While rubidium’s not currently factored into the economic cut-off grade for “eventual economic extraction,” Iris believes it has potential to enhance project value given the U.S. imports 100% of its rubidium requirements.
Current technical work being run at Beecher has been focused on assessing recovery pathways for rubidium as a by-product, Iris confirmed today.
Initial metallurgical studies have already confirmed that the mineralisation found at Beecher is amenable to conventional processing methods, including Dense Media Separation (DMS) as well as flotation. Testing achieved lithium recoveries of up to 80%, capable of producing SC6 spodumene concentrate.
IR1 opened at 8.2cps, and has since climbed +3.7%.
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The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
