Ark announces giant Sandy Mitchell exploration target

Ark Mines has set an exploration target of 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion tonnes at its Sandy Mitchell rare earth and heavy mineral project in Far North Queensland. The exploration target comes after an extensive reconnaissance drilling program at the site and builds on the recently announced maiden indicated mineral resource estimate of 21.7Mt at 1419ppm monazite equivalent. This was calculated using a 700ppm MzEq lower cut-off grade and developed from only 1.2 per cent of the available anomaly area at Sandy Mitchell. “The sheer scale of the Sandy Mitchell exploration target, up to 1.5 billion tonnes, delivers a clear statement that this is one of the world’s largest surface-expressed, sand-based placer rare earth deposits," Ark Mines executive director Ben Emery said. "With the consistent grades of rare earths and heavy minerals from surface to only about 11m deep, we are working with an exceptionally large and very simple deposit with an extremely low environmental impact. "Sandy Mitchell has considerable advantages over projects where rare earths are housed in ionic clays or hard rock material. "Most of the processing has already been done by mother nature, so to produce a monazite concentrate, simple, low-cost gravity separation is all that is required. Our pre-feasibility study, which has commenced, will illustrate this." Related: Maiden resource out for Sandy Mitchell rare earths site Drilling completed at Sandy Mitchell totals more than 986 holes for more than 4900m across six drill programs. Ark Mines plans further exploration this year to test the exploration target across its entire area with a grid of 189 auger holes. Drilling is planned to commence this month and run until the wet season. Most of the exploration target lies immediately to the north of the project’s indicated mineral resources. The exploration target includes a basket of high-value heavy minerals totalling 15.6 to 22.3 million tonnes of contained heavy minerals. It is comprised of the following: Monazite from 781,000 tonnes to 1,119,000 tonnes, grading from 590ppm to 710ppm, Xenotime from 103,000 tonnes to 148,000 tonnes, grading from 80ppm to 90ppm, Zircon from 810,000 tonnes to 1,160,000 tonnes, grading from 620ppm to 730ppm, Rutile from 721,000 tonnes to 1,032,000 tonnes, grading from 550ppm to 650ppm, Ilmenite from 13,169,000 tonnes to 18,855,000 tonnes, grading from 10,000ppm to 11,930ppm. Meanwhile, high magnetic REOs (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium) make up 24 per cent of the total rare earth oxides basket, positioning Sandy Mitchell as one of Australia’s most enriched magnet rare earth oxide deposits. You may also like: https://industryqld.com.au/drilling-confirms-new-gold-zones-at-alice-river

Ark announces giant Sandy Mitchell exploration target

Industry Queensland

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