Lotus Resources discovers high-grade rare earth oxides at Kayelekera Project
2021-02-02 13:12:00 [Print]
Australia's Lotus Resources Ltd. has found high-grade rare earth oxide (REO) material up to 16% total REO and 3.4% critical REO at the Milenje Hills prospect, 2 kilometers from its Kayelekera Uranium Mine in Malawi, after a preliminary low-cost exploration program.
The rare-earth assemblage discovered by geophysics, mapping, and trenching at the prospect includes neodymium, europium, terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, and praseodymium - with neodymium and praseodymium oxides representing around 20% of the total REO content of the assayed samples.
The company plans to undertake a second stage of work to further define the potential of this new discovery. The work plan will consist of the following activities:
(1) Further interpretation of the geophysical data, including some additional survey lines to cover the large anomaly identified in the first pass work;
(2) Additional mapping in the broader area to define new mineralized zones;
(3) Further trenching in the identified mineralized zones with potential for shallow drilling;
(4) Mineralogical testwork to better understand the REO host minerals, associations and sizing;
(5) Initial physical beneficiation tests to determine if producing a physical concentrate is viable.
The rare-earth assemblage discovered by geophysics, mapping, and trenching at the prospect includes neodymium, europium, terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, and praseodymium - with neodymium and praseodymium oxides representing around 20% of the total REO content of the assayed samples.
The company plans to undertake a second stage of work to further define the potential of this new discovery. The work plan will consist of the following activities:
(1) Further interpretation of the geophysical data, including some additional survey lines to cover the large anomaly identified in the first pass work;
(2) Additional mapping in the broader area to define new mineralized zones;
(3) Further trenching in the identified mineralized zones with potential for shallow drilling;
(4) Mineralogical testwork to better understand the REO host minerals, associations and sizing;
(5) Initial physical beneficiation tests to determine if producing a physical concentrate is viable.
