ActivEX has hailed ‘exciting’ results from first-pass exploration work at the Aramac project, pointing to rare earth element and base metal potential along a considerable strike length.

The company recently took 76 pXRF readings from geological traverses and sampling of selected outcrops at the Central Queensland project.

A maximum TREO (total rare earth oxide) analysis of 2794ppm was obtained from samples taken from an area of white to light grey fine-grained sediments of the Wallumbulla Formation, with 14 samples being greater than 100ppm TREO.

A total of five rock samples were scanned from an area of fine-grained iron-rich sediments of the underlying Ronlow Beds.

Related: ActivEX builds its Aramac rare earths asset base

pXRF results included 424ppm to 1000ppm zinc, 264ppm to 1112ppm cobalt, 177ppm to 713ppm barium, 39.01 per cent to 49.57 per cent iron, 676ppm to 1624ppm manganese, and 263ppm neodymium.

“The REE analysis of 2794ppm from only a handful of samples is very encouraging along with the 2-3m thickness of the host clayey sediments,” managing director Mark Derriman said.

“The adjacent outcropping limonite-stained metasediments with cobalt to 1112ppm and zinc to 1000ppm are of interest in that they may be the surface expression of sulphide mineralisation at depth.

“The high iron content indicates drone/airborne magnetics could be a very useful exploration tool.”

Image at top of page: pXRF sampling of white weathered fine-grained sediments adjacent to a prominent scarp at the Aramac project.

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