Northern Minerals Ltd (ASX:NTU) plans to begin a major drilling program at the Browns Range Heavy Rare Earth Project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia next month after allocating a budget of $5 million.
More than 16,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling is planned and drill rigs are expected at the site in mid-October with around 8,000 metres scheduled before the end of 2020.
The program will focus on increasing the mineral resource and life of mine potential at Browns Range and the results, along with findings from pilot plant test-work, will feed into a new feasibility study to evaluate the potential for a commercial, larger-scale heavy rare earths plant.
“Commitment to exploration”
Chief executive officer Mark Tory said: “This significant commitment to exploration in the next 12 months will underpin the company’s ongoing ambition to realise the potential of Browns Range beyond the Pilot Plant Project, which if successful would create significantly greater opportunities.”
The drill program will test several new drill targets as well as following-up on significant drilling intersections at several prospects including Polaris, Rogue and Banshee South.
Drilling will also target the Dazzler area where mineralisation occurs in four separate zones over a strike length of around 600 metres.
Dazzler prospect area.