Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights
- Summit Minerals (SUM) begins drilling at its Stallion project in Western Australia as unseasonal rainfall in the Goldfields region clears
- This round of work is following up previously defined rare earth element (REE) mineralisation at the project by Manhattan Corporation (ASX:MHC) over a decade ago
- The target is regolith-hosted rare earth oxide mineralisation, which the company believes is potentially associated with an ion-adsorption deposit
- SUM plans to assess the total rare earth oxide tenor by analysing samples for the full complement of REE and also hopes to identify shallower REE mineralisation
- Shares in Summit Minerals are down 8.82 per cent, trading at 15.5 cents at 3:40 pm AEDT
Summit Minerals (SUM) has begun drilling at its Stallion project in Western Australia.
The company’s reverse circulation drilling program was delayed due to unseasonal rainfall in the Goldfields region which has since cleared.
This round of work is following up previously defined rare earth element (REE) mineralisation at the project by ASX-listed Manhattan Corporation (MHC) over a decade ago.
The target is regolith-hosted rare earth oxide mineralisation, which SUM believes is potentially associated with an ion-adsorption deposit, resulting from weathering rare-earth-rich host rocks and forming clays.
Drilling by Manhattan intersected anomalous REE mineralisation in a weathered granite underlying a deep channel with grades up to 2666 parts per million in four of 17 rare earth elements.
Now, SUM is hoping to assess the total rare earth oxide tenor by analysing samples for the full complement of REE.
Through this round of drilling, the company also aims to identify shallower REE mineralisation marginal to the channel.
Managing Director Jonathan King said the Summit team is pleased to be drilling at Stallion where “all the essential ingredients” for ion-adsorption deposit REE mineralisation are present.
“Validation of the historical REE results, complemented by the analysis of the additional 13 oxides, will define the project’s prospectivity and scale and should provide the company with early momentum moving into the New Year,” Mr King said.
Shares in Summit Minerals were down 8.82 per cent, trading at 15.5 cents at 3:40 pm AEDT.
