Miramar Resources Ltd (ASX:M2R) is encouraged by a review of data that highlights multiple pegmatite occurrences with potential for rare earth elements (REE) and/or lithium at the Lang Well Project in Western Australia’s Murchison region.
The historic and government open file data available for the 210 square kilometre project, at which the company has been assessing for gold, reveals at least 50 mapped pegmatite occurrences within the largely covered area.
This information extracted from Geological Survey of Western Australia datasets also includes a swarm of outcropping pegmatites over at least 7 kilometres of strike in the northern half of the Lang Well Project.
There has been no previous systematic exploration for lithium or rare earth elements and limited historical drilling intersected highly anomalous REEs.
Pegmatite potential
Miramar’s executive chairman Allan Kelly said the company was excited by the presence of so many pegmatite occurrences and the lack of any systematic REE analysis.
“The Lang Well Project covers a very large area with only about 20% outcrop,” he said.
“Most of the 50 recorded pegmatite occurrences occur in the outcropping area in the north whereas the single historical aircore traverse intersected anomalous REEs in an area of transported cover in the southeast,” he added.
“We think it is highly likely, therefore, that there is potential for a significant number of other pegmatite occurrences either outcropping or below shallow cover.”
About Lang Well
Lang Well Project is roughly halfway between the Deflector and Golden Grove mining operations. It consists of a single granted Exploration Licence, E59/2377.
The only significant historical exploration across the project comprised an auger sampling program in 2009, however the samples were only analysed for a limited suite of elements.
There has been no recorded analysis of REEs or lithium for any of the pegmatite occurrences or the auger sampling.
This auger sampling was followed by a limited aircore program in 2010 comprising 35 holes across three lines, two of which are outside the current tenement.
Inside the project, one hole intersected highly anomalous REEs including 4 metres at 0.15% Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO) from 28 metres. Holes 50 metres either side also had anomalous REEs.
No mineral exploration was undertaken at Lang Well between 2010 and Miramar securing the ground in 2019.
Upcoming work
Miramar will shortly complete soil and rock chip sampling across the northern pegmatite trend.
The company is also planning a detailed drone magnetic survey over the south-eastern portion of the tenement to aid with the upcoming aircore drilling program which will test the auger gold anomalism.