Highlights
- Pre-drilling detailed surface mapping is underway at the Bruce Rare Earth Prospect
- ~6,000-line kilometre airborne magnetic and radiometric survey completed with data interpretation currently underway
- Broad conductor confirmed along strike from the Plenty River mine which is adjacent to magnetic features interpreted to be components of the pegmatite intrusion
- Mine Management Plan (MMP) approved for Box Hole and Edwards Creek Prospects – MMP is in progress for Bruce Prospect
- Heritage survey approval is in progress for Arunta projects
- Drilling is planned for Q4 2022 following completion of the heritage survey and surface field mapping works
Critical metals exploration and development company MetalsGrove Mining Limited (ASX: MGA), (“MetalsGrove” “MGA” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that a pre-drilling detailed surface mapping program is underway at the Company’s Bruce Rare Earth Prospect in the Northern Territory.
As previously reported (see ASX release dated 20 July 2022), MetalsGrove has identified a broad conductor along strike from the Plenty River mine which is adjacent to magnetic features interpreted to be components of the pegmatite intrusion. The broad conductor has not been tested to date.
Surface field mapping and sampling is underway to identify and refine additional drill targets for testing during the planned drilling program scheduled to commence after completion of the current surface field mapping. This drilling program will be designed to test the bedrock conductor and historical pegmatite mines in Q4.
Commenting on the surface mapping at Bruce, MetalsGrove’s Managing Director, Sean Sivasamy said:
“Following the completion of the successful field mapping program in WA at our Upper Coondina Lithium Project, we are pleased to have our technical team completing the same exercise on the ground at Bruce. This program will play an important role in confirming the priority drill targets for our maiden drilling program at Bruce scheduled for later this year.
The Arunta Project hosts a suite of exciting critical metals prospects, and our team is systematically working through each prospect to prioritise the most compelling targets for initial drill testing. I look forward to providing further updates on our progress.”
Bruce Rare Earth Prospect Summary
The Bruce Rare Earth prospect is located within the Central Desert Region of the Northern Territory and covers an area of approximately 17,722 ha.
Significant rare earth occurrences have been found in the Harts Range and Plenty River mica fields within the Irindina Province. Joklik (1955), and Daly and Dyson (1956), provided details of the mica mines and documented numerous minerals associated with the host pegmatites. MetalsGrove is currently exploring pegmatite, breccia, vein and alteration-hosted rare earth mineralisation at Bruce.
Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS) completed the geological study in the Arunta and identified numerous pegmatites hosting rare earth occurrences including the Plenty River mica mine area. Figure-1 shows NTGS survey mapping and location of mineral occurrences (Geological Survey Record 2003-004, Rare Earth Element (REE) mineralisation in the eastern Arunta Region – KJ Hussey).
The nearest historical mine is the inactive Harts Range garnet mine (approximately 80 km to the west-southwest), while the Molyhil tungsten-molybdenum project (Thor Mining PLC) is approximately 10 km and copper-silver project (KGL Resources) 75 km to the northeast.
