American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR) aims to firm up a 308-385 million tonne rare earth element (REE) conceptual exploration target at its Halleck Creek Project in Wyoming, US, through a maiden drill program consisting of nine holes for 825 metres.
The company believes initial results from the deep core drilling will provide observations of mineralisation, potential resource depth, lithologic boundaries and fresh rock core material for metallurgic and process testing.
Drilling is planned for the first quarter of 2022, or early second quarter depending on regulatory approval of permit applications.
Complete suite of magnetic REEs
“Surface samples collected in 2018 and 2021 show high-grade REE mineralisation which is rich in neodymium and praseodymium with low penalty elements of thorium and uranium (radioactive elements),” ARR managing director Chris Gibbs said.
“We believe the exploration targets at Halleck Creek with neodymium and praseodymium complement our La Paz deposits in Arizona which contain elevated terbium and dysprosium.
“Thus, giving ARR a complete suite of valuable magnetic rare earths to develop. We are excited about the opportunities these proposed core holes present for the future of Halleck Creek.”
The company recently compiled a JORC exploration target report providing an overview of the geology, results of surface sampling, and exploration target tonnage estimates at Halleck Creek.
Halleck Creek
Halleck Creek project area in Albany County, Wyoming, consists of two main areas - the northern Overton Mountain area and the southern Red Mountain area.
The project is owned by Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Rare Earths, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR).
American Rare Earths is an Australian exploration company focused on cementing itself as a key player in the development of critical high value scandium and rare earths in mining friendly Arizona and Wyoming in the US.
If favourable results are received from the maiden drilling campaign, ARR will expand exploration drilling into developing a preliminary resource estimate for Halleck Creek.
Historical exploration
Initial surface sampling of the Overton Mountain area conducted in 2018 by Zenith Minerals, an Australian mining company, revealed average Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) values of 3,297 ppm, average Heavy Rare Earth Oxide (HREO) values of 244 ppm, and average Magnetic Rare Earth Oxide (MREO) values of 816 ppm.
In June and July of 2021, a follow-up surface sampling program totalling 197 samples were collected from the Halleck Creek project area with favourable and significant results showing an average Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) value of 3,187 ppm and a combined neodymium and praseodymium average of 702 ppm.
The results also showed that the Red Mountain Pluton is Light Rare Earth Oxide (LREO) dominant, with an average of 2,836 ppm.
Next steps
ARR, through its subsidiaries, is performing additional detailed geological mapping and systematic sampling across the entire project area.
The company has exploration permits for drill holes on federal claims and is currently waiting on the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) to permit on state land and to set bonding requirements for the project area.
ARR hopes to begin exploration drilling in Q1 2022 or early Q2 2022, depending on the time required for WDEQ and Bureau of Land Management approvals.