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- Vital Metals (VML) subsidiary, Cheetah Resources, has updated the market on its Nechalacho Rare Earth Project in Canada
- An updated resource estimated for the Upper Zone of the Nechalacho project, in agreement with the JORC 2012 code, has been prepared
- Drilling will commence at the Tardiff Zones in early 2020, with the aim to expand the existing high-grade resource
- Vital metals have successfully filtered the minerals from high-grade rare earth concentrate
- Vital Minerals is up 9.09 per cent on the market today and is selling shares for 1.2¢ apiece
Vital Metals (VML) subsidiary, Cheetah Resources, has updated the market on its Nechalacho Rare Earth Project in Canada.
The project is located at Thor Lake in the Mackenzie Mining District of the Northwest Territories, approximately 100 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife.
Nechalacho is near roads and railways allowing for direct barge access during summer or ice road access during winter.
Upper Zone Rare Earth Project
The company has completed geological work to re-estimate resources at the project.
An updated resource estimate for the Upper Zone of the Nechalacho project, in agreement with the JORC 2012 code, has been prepared. This followed recent geological re-interpretation and creation of new geological wireframes.
The zone is estimated a mineral resource of 94.7 megatonnes grading 1.46 per cent rare earth oxide including 0.29 per cent of neodymium oxide at a cutoff grade of 0.1 per cent neodymium oxide above the 150-metre elevation level.
Managing Director Geoff Atkins says the JORC highlights the potential as a world-class rare earth project.
“The high-grade targets and high NdPr (neodymium and praseodymium) has reinforced our belief that the Nechalacho Rare Earth Project has the potential for a near-term start-up operation exploiting high-grade, easily accessible near-surface mineralisation initially from the North Tand Tardiff Zones,” he said.
The Tardiff Zones contained a measured resource of 286,563 tonnes at 2.7 per cent of total rare earth oxides (TREO) at a 0.3 per cent neodymium oxide cutoff grade (24.2 per cent neodymium and praseodymium).
It contained an indicated resource of 1.6 megatonnes at 2.4 per cent TREO at a 0.3 per cent neodymium oxide cutoff grade at a 0.3 per cent neodymium oxide grade (24.2 per cent neodymium and praseodymium).
And lastly, an inferred resource of 1.3 million tonnes at 2.2 per cent TREO at a 0.3 per cent neodymium oxide grade at a 0.3 per cent neodymium oxide cutoff grade (24.2 per cent neodymium and praseodymium)
Drilling will commence at the Tardiff Zones in early 2020, with the aim to expand the existing high-grade resource.
North T Deposit
Vital metals have successfully filtered the minerals from high-grade rare earth concentrate.
The North T deposit is within its Nechalacho Rare Earth project and is the same zone from which samples were used for undertaking ore sorting and testwork on December 5.
The purpose of this test work was to confirm the amenability of filtering rare earth contained within the concentrate, that is produced by ore sorting. It did this via the recognised flowsheets for the treatment of bastnaesite.
High-grade bastnaesite samples (approximately 50 per cent of rare earth oxides (REO)) from the site. Results saw 97 per cent recoveries into solution via sulphuric acid and 93 per cent recoveries into solution via hydrochloric acid.
Metallurgical testwork was verified by two independent laboratories SGS Lakefield and Saskatchewan Research Council.
“The results achieved leaching rare earth into solution, using recognised techniques, together with the ability to produce high-grade concentrate via ore sorting confirms the potential for a low cost, near-term operation to be established at the North T-Zone deposit at Nechalacho,” Geoff said.
“With these results Vital will now accelerate efforts to define a proposed operation,” he added.
These results provide Vital with confidence to continue exploring the North T deposit.
Vital Minerals is up 9.09 per cent on the market today and is selling shares for 1.2¢ apiece at 11:45 am AEDT.
