Substantial increase in Mineral Resources at Cowalinya
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Heavy Rare Earths Limited (ASX: HRE)
3 October 2023
FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN MINERAL RESOURCES TO
159 Mt @ 870 ppm TOTAL RARE EARTH OXIDES AT
COWALINYA PROJECT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
•
JORC (2012 Edition) Inferred Mineral Resources for the Cowalinya rare earth project
now estimated to be 159 million tonnes @ 870 ppm TREO at a cut-off grade of
400 ppm TREO-CeO2
•
This result represents an increase of:
o
468% in resource tonnes
o
39% in grade
o
690% in contained rare earths
on the project’s maiden 2022 Mineral Resources of 28 million tonnes @ 625 ppm TREO
at the lower cut-off grade of 300 ppm TREO-CeO2
•
Total contained rare earths of 138,290 tonnes (on a TREO basis)
•
Significantly, the valuable magnet rare earth component of Cowalinya has increased
from 25% to 28%
•
Resource upgrade achieved by grid drilling 14,438 metres in 509 holes on 19% of
HRE’s total land position
•
Resource excludes multiple rare earths-rich drill intercepts up to 14 kilometres from
the resource
•
Maiden Exploration Target for Cowalinya in advanced preparation
•
Downstream metallurgical flowsheet development in progress to produce
Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate (MREC) product samples for customer engagement
Heavy Rare Earths Limited (“HRE” or “the Company”) is pleased to report a very
substantial growth in Mineral Resources at its 100 per cent-owned Cowalinya rare earth
project in the Norseman-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Table 1: Estimate of Mineral Resources for Cowalinya Rare Earth Project.
JORC RESOURCE
CLASS
TONNES
(Mt)
TREO
(ppm)
MAGNET REOs
(ppm)
MAGNET
REOs/TREO
Sc2O3
(ppm)
Inferred
159
870
242
28%
32
TREO = La2O3+CeO2+Pr6O11+Nd2O3+Sm2O3+Eu2O3+Gd2O3+Tb4O7+Dy2O3+Ho2O3+Er2O3+Tm2O3+Yb2O3+Lu2O3+Y2O3
Magnet REOs = Pr6O11+Nd2O3+Tb4O7+Dy2O3
Reported above a cut-off grade of 400 ppm TREO-CeO2
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HRE Executive Director, Richard Brescianini, said, “Today we have delivered the first key
milestone for our Cowalinya rare earth project, just 13 months since Heavy Rare Earths
listed on the ASX.
“Mineral Resources for Cowalinya now stand at 159 million tonnes, and pleasingly we have
seen a 39% grade increase to 870 parts per million of rare earth oxides. This has been
achieved on just 19% of our total land position. We have also intersected thick rare earthrich horizons in drilling up to 14 kilometres from our resource zone1 and very much look
forward to presenting the project’s maiden Exploration Target in the near future.
“I also note a material increase in the valuable magnet rare earth component of the resource
to 28%. This is best in class amongst clay-hosted resources in Australia.
“Today’s exceptional result sets a solid foundation in demonstrating the potential for a longlife rare earth development project at Cowalinya.”
Figure 1: HRE’s Cowalinya project tenements showing drill hole locations and
Mineral Resources zone.
Background image: Google Earth.
1
Refer to ASX announcement 1 May 2023: New high-grade assays at Cowalinya show potential to add 14 kilometres of mineralised strike.
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Figure 2: Cowalinya Mineral Resources zone showing TREO grade-thickness of
saprolite-hosted rare earth mineralisation in ppm-metres.
Figure 3: Cowalinya grade/tonnage curve.
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Table 2: Cowalinya grade/tonnage figures.
LAYER
JORC
RESOURCE
CLASS
CUT-OFF
TREO-CeO2
(ppm)
TONNES (Mt)
TREO (ppm)
All
Inferred
100
645
501
All
Inferred
200
459
602
All
Inferred
300
285
722
All
Inferred
400
159
870
All
Inferred
500
93
1021
All
Inferred
600
56
1180
All
Inferred
700
37
1335
All
Inferred
800
26
1470
All
Inferred
1000
13
1769
All
Inferred
1200
8
2031
TREO = La2O3+CeO2+Pr6O11+Nd2O3+Sm2O3+Eu2O3+Gd2O3+Tb4O7+Dy2O3+Ho2O3+Er2O3+Tm2O3+Yb2O3+Lu2O3+Y2O3
The following information is reproduced from a report entitled Cowalinya –2023 JORC REO
Resources Summary, dated 30 September 2023. The report’s author is Mr Robin Rankin
(MAusIMM), Principal Consulting Geologist at GeoRes. Mr Rankin is referred to as “the
Consultant” in the below and is the Competent Person (CP) for these Mineral Resources.
Introduction: HRE’s Cowalinya Rare Earth Element (REE) Project (the Project) is mineral
exploration for REEs in shallow (±50 m deep) REE-enriched weathered saprolitic regolith
developed above granitic rock in southern Western Australia (WA). Resources for REE
deposits are reported for their commercial product Rare Earth Oxide (REO) equivalents
(hence REO Resources). The Project is operated within WA mineral exploration adjacent
tenements E63/1972, E63/2144 and E63/2145 (Figure 1). This 2023 Resource estimate
includes new data from a large 441-hole air core (AC) drilling program completed since
HRE’s 2022 announcement of maiden REO Resources estimated from its initial 109-hole AC
drilling in 2021.
Background: HRE has operated the Cowalinya Project since 2021 when it undertook a
drilling program. Resources estimated from that drilling data (by Mr John Tyrrell of JMCT
Consulting) were published in a June 2022 Independent Geologist’s Report (IGR) on HRE’s
exploration projects by Mr Robin Rankin for GeoRes. HRE undertook a further large drilling
program in 2022 in a greatly expanded area. Assaying in 2022 included finer compositing
(from 4 to 2 metres) and re-assaying of the 2021 samples. GeoRes was re-engaged in early
2023 to re-estimate Cowalinya Resources from new drilling data. Mr Rankin (as the CP)
visited the Project site in late July 2023, a due diligence visit which confirmed all
assumptions underpinning the estimation work.
Cowalinya tenements: HRE owns 100% of the Cowalinya Project tenement E63/1972
(granted in 2020 for 5 years). This 80-block tenement is large enough (232 km2) to easily
host an “Ion-Adsorption Clay” (IAC) REE deposit of mineable size and has enough time
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before expiry (January 2025) to allow it to be fully explored. HRE purchased two additional
immediately adjacent (on the SW boundary of E63/1972) smaller tenements E63/2144 and
E63/2145 in December 2022. HRE’s tenements are surrounded by other active tenements
also apparently being explored for REEs in the saprolitic regolith.
Project: The Cowalinya REE Project concerns near-surface mineral exploration for lateritic
REEs in south central WA within tenements E63/1972, E63/2144 and E63/2145. The
partially-explored Project targets shallow secondary lateritic REE-enrichment deposits in
supergene in-situ saprolitic clays weathered from immediately underlying granitic rocks –
termed IAC REE deposits.
Geography: Regionally Cowalinya is located in the far south of WA ~70 km south-east (SE)
of Norseman and ~110 km north-north-east (NNE) of the port of Esperance (Figure 4).
Locally the Project is situated on vacant Crown Land characterised as thick native bush land
with very low relief (rising very gently to the NE – Figure 5). Low-lying areas are
occasionally wet salt flats, often adjacent to ancient sand dune fields. Access is on unsealed
roads off the N/S oriented sealed Coolgardie / Esperance Highway, the principal road from
the village of Salmon Gums on the highway ~50 km due west of the Project. Local bush
tracks are sandy but easily navigable.
Figure 4: Location of HRE’s Cowalinya tenement holdings on unallocated crown land
near Salmon Gums in the Esperance region of Western Australia.
Background image: Landgate aerial imagery.
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Figure 5: Cleared drill line at Cowalinya looking east, showing
typical low relief vegetated landscape.
Regional geology: Regionally the Project is located on the south-eastern margin of the
very old Eastern Goldfields Super-terrane (EGS) of the Yilgarn Craton and within the SWtrending younger Albany–Fraser Orogen (AFO). The Yilgarn Craton is the major western
part of the WA Craton occupying most of Western Australia. Yilgarn Craton rocks are
granites and greenstones; AFO Orogen rocks are variably igneous and high-grade
metamorphic (the Orogen is essentially meta-granitic). The Cowalinya Project lies within the
AFO. To the east of the AFO rocks are younger sediments of the Eucla Basin. AFO rocks
along or close to the margin with the Yilgarn Craton were extensively re-worked as it was a
collisional suture zone between two cratons.
AFO rocks are characterised by high-grade gneisses and granitic rocks (orthogneiss,
paragneiss, migmatite and granitoid) but also contain large sheets of meta-gabbro, remnants
of mafic dykes, and widespread low to medium-grade metasedimentary rocks. The AFO is
split into two NE-trending components – the Foreland component (in the NW and probably a
re-worked edge portion of the Yilgarn Craton) and the Basement component (in the SE).
The crystalline Basement is split into 3 fault-bounded zones – the Biranup Zone (in the NW
and hosting Cowalinya), the Fraser Zone and Nornalup Zone (in the SE). These NEtrending components represent SE-dipping thrust sheets ascribed to NW low-angle thrusting
(continent collision).
Biranup (underlying the Project) is a 60 km wide SW/NE belt containing rocks which are
strongly deformed. Those rocks are meta-granitic and granulite-facies gneissic-dominant,
locally with mafic amphibolite lenses, and may include remnants of Archean rocks. The zone
is isoclinally folded and tectonically interleaved by thrusting with layered mafic intrusions of
the Fraser Zone, and may also have formed by modification of the Yilgarn Craton.
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Local geology: Locally bedrock outcrops are rare (and are mostly granitic) and the
weathered bedrock is covered by a thin veneer of predominantly Quaternary aeolian sand
cover. Local development of deeper Tertiary palaeo-channels is common, containing sand,
silt and clayey sediments, with overlying carbonaceous clays and lignite in deeper channels.
Quaternary and Tertiary sediments are generally less than 10 m thick, but extend to over 60
m (maybe ~100 m) in palaeo-channels. Local geology within the tenement is relatively
poorly known with limited fine scale mapping available. GSWA 1:250,000 scale mapping
indicates the great proportion of the tenement area surface as eolian deposits (Qqs), created
by wind action. At surface this colluvium/alluvium material is partly unconsolidated or loose.
Very limited solid outcrops through the sand are ferruginous and siliceous cemented residual
and reworked rocks (Ttf). These would either represent concretions of the eolian deposits or
residual highly weathered caps of the granitic basement just below. A very small outcrop of
granite is mapped on the northern boundary of the Project. It is likely that detailed mapping
within the tenement could reveal more outcrop. Past drilling on the tenement showed
bedrock to consist mainly of medium to coarse grained granitic gneisses, including
monzonites and tonalites, along with subordinate amphibolites after dolerite.
Deposit type: HRE’s Cowalinya Project targets shallow secondary lateritic REE-enrichment
in supergene in-situ saprolitic clays weathered from immediately underlying basement
granites and granitic gneisses (the primary source of the REEs). This style of REE
mineralisation is termed an “Ion-Adsorption Clay” (IAC) REE deposit. These are similar to
extensive southern Chinese deposits which are dominant REE producers. Chinese IAC
REE deposits are often enriched in the more valuable “heavy” REEs (HREEs). IAC REE
deposits exist in shallow soft weathered material they are therefore inexpensive to mine,
allowing for extraction of relatively low grades. REE extraction from those ores is typically
though inexpensive and effective acid-leaching. These economics mean IAC REE deposits
typically have low grade cut-offs (~300 ppm TREO quoted for Chinese deposits).
IAC REE deposits require stable (in order that they not be eroded after formation) subtropical (with enough regular rainfall to create sustained lateritisation) conditions to form
above granitic source rocks – conditions which appear well suited to Cowalinya’s ancient
low-relief topography above granitic rocks. Weathering in a periodically wet sub-tropical
environment compresses and concentrates the granite profile at surface (by dissolution and
mechanical weathering). Percolating groundwaters eventually deplete pre-existing REEs in
the upper part of the weathered profile and secondarily concentrates them in clays in the
lower parts.
IAC REE-enriched deposits generally form a thin (~5-10 m) laterally extensive sub-horizontal
REE-enriched layer. In comparison to hard rock REE deposits regolith-hosted IAC REE
deposits are predominantly low-grade, typically containing 0.05-0.30 wt.% extractable Rare
Earth Oxide (REO).
Historical exploration: Other explorers in the immediate area since 2009 were looking for
gold, base metals or uranium. Luckily a few assayed partially for REEs thus supporting the
project. That exploration was within the eastern parts of the tenement area (AngloGold
Ashanti Australia Ltd (AngloGold); Great Southern Gold Pty Ltd (Great Southern); and
Buxton Resources); nearby to the south (eMetals Limited); further to the SE (Salazar Gold
Pty Ltd (Salazar) and Mt Ridley Mines Limited); and to the west (Salmon Gums Minerals Pty
Ltd). Most exploration comprised initial surface soil/calcrete sampling (<2 m deep) followed
by shallow (<60 m deep) AC drilling of the weathered zone, both mostly on E/W oriented
lines. Salazar’s metallurgical test-work proved that local REEs could be successfully acidHeavy Rare Earths Limited (ASX:HRE)
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leached. The area possesses reasonable airborne geophysical coverage with magnetics
and electromagnetics (EM) being of principal interest.
Within the SE part of the tenement E63/1972 Great Southern’s AC drilling roughly defined
the Night Watch REE prospect and AngloGold defined the Double Tank REE prospect ~2
km to the NW (these prospects roughly became the areas for HRE’s 2021 drilling and
Resources). Although initially targeted from their shallow surface calcrete sampling it is very
likely that the surface REE samples were not linked to REE samples from the B Zone of the
weathered saprolite above the fresh granite bedrock.
HRE’s previous 2021 exploration: HRE completed a comprehensive 109-hole AC drilling
program (for 3,089 m) in 2021 with depth in the vertical holes averaging ~29 m. HRE’s
drilling built on the two previously delineated prospects, calling them Areas 1 (Night Watch)
and 2 (Double Tank). The Areas were separated from each other in a roughly NW/SE
orientation (Area 1 to the SE and Area 2 to the NW) and existed within a 6*4 km enclosing
area although each prospect was much smaller and they were not adjacent. Subsequent
Resource estimate work referred to Area 1 as the “South Area” or “Cowalinya South”, and
Area 2 as the “North Area” or “Cowalinya North”.
AC drilling employed on the Project was considered highly applicable because of its efficient
sample recovery in the loose and/or soft material found in the Project area. Sampling was
well performed, was continuous down-hole, with the 1 m individual primary samples
variously composited to 4 m for assaying. 827 samples (2,481 m) were assayed for REEs,
60% being 4 m composites. Samples were assayed for all REEs using a 4-acid digestion
process. The drill-hole spacing (~100*250/400 m) appeared suitable for first-pass
exploration as correlation of mineralisation and geological layers was clearly possible
between multiple adjacent drill-holes in the E/W drill sections.
HRE’s previous resource estimate: Rare earth Resources were independently estimated
in February 2022 from HRE’s 2021 drilling data. Estimation was performed by Mr John
Tyrrell (the CP) of JMCT Consulting. Block grades were estimated using Ordinary Kriging
for each individual REE within geologically layered upper and lower saprolite models.
Sample scan distances were interpreted from variographic range interpretations for the
different saprolite layers and were very long (~450-865 m) and generally omni-directional.
Input sample lengths were composited to 4 m and all REEs were top-cut to a degree. Total
Inferred Mineral Resources of 28 Mt @ 625 ppm TREO were reported above a 300 ppm
TREO-CeO2 (Total REO minus Cerium oxide) grade cut-off using a default dry density of
1.63 t/m3. The South Area contained 75% of the Resources, and the lower saprolite
contained a slightly greater proportion than the upper saprolite.
HRE’s new 2022 exploration: HRE completed a second very extensive vertical 441-hole
(for 12,569 m) AC drilling program in late 2022 (Figures 6 and 7). The program covered the
whole SE protrusion of the tenement and surrounded the previous drilling areas. Drilling
was predominantly at 200 m spacing along E/W lines spaced 400 m apart. Holes were
sampled in continuous 1 m intervals and composited to 2 m for assaying. All samples from
the previous 2021 drilling were re-composited to the same 2 m and re-assayed. Assaying by
LabWest Minerals Analysis in Perth used Lithium Metaborate Fusion / ICP-MS.
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Figure 6: Drilling of hole AC198 Cowalinya project on 12/10/2022.
Location: 6358205N 429402E. Total depth 46 metres.
Figure 7: Drill hole AC313 Cowalinya project.
Location: 6358603N 431600E. Total depth 26 metres. Drilled on 18/11/2022.
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Sampling & assaying QA/QC: HRE’s sampling and assaying QA/QC in 2022 was
assessed independently by Dr Andy Wilde of Wilde Geoscience and reported in June 2023.
Assay QC involved submitting sample standards (Certified Reference Materials (CRMs)),
blanks and duplicates every 20th sample. The Consultant considers that Wilde’s overall
assessment of Project sample QA/QC was very positive. Wilde concluded that HRE’s QC
measures (CRMs/blanks/duplicates) represented effective quality control; that there was
close agreement between certified and analysed values for field CRMs for the REEs (<2
STD); approximately 80 % of field duplicate pairs returned analytical values for REE within
20%; REE analyses of the 127 pulps (plus 12 QC samples) sent to Intertek for umpire
analysis were generally within 5% of LabWest’s analysis (with a few outliers); and no
evidence of sample contamination or errors in sample labelling was detected.
Data: Input data for the 2023 Resource re-estimation by GeoRes comprised HRE’s
combined 2021 and 2022 drill hole location and assay data, geological logging data, density
data and surface topography data. All data was in MGA94 (Zone 51) coordinates.
2023 Resource estimation process: Steps in the resource estimation including modelling
surface topography as a DTM surface; databasing all drill hole data (and converting REE
values to oxides (REO)); geologically interpreting and modelling the base of weathering (top
of fresh bedrock) surface; geologically interpreting the REE mineralisation intercepts as a
series of three stacked layers; modelling the layers with DTM surfaces constrained within a
“Resource area” containing the dense drilling; geostatistically analysing layer assays to
determine grade continuity directions and distances; creating block models within the layers;
estimating block grades using an un-folding model to guide search directions sub-parallel to
layering; and reporting TREO Resources.
Geological interpretation: Close inspection of the drill logs and assays enabled the
interpretation of a layered stratigraphic model comprising transported sediments at surface
(soil, alluvium and laterite), a thick underlying regolith layer of in-situ weathered granite (an
upper and a lower saprolite and basal saprock), and a basal fresh rock (BR) interface.
Bedrock would not form any part of the resource.
REE-mineralised layer interpretation & modelling: Mineralisation interpretation was
aimed at defining REE-mineralised zone(s) within the weathered saprolite layer overlying the
fresh granite bedrock – in order to separate mineralisation from low grade waste. It was
expected that contiguous REE-mineralised zones in each drill hole would correlate with
similar ones in adjacent drill holes – forming a layer (REE mineralisation occurred above a
natural cut-off at ~300 ppm TREO). This proved the case and 3 principal mineralised layers
were interpreted in the weathered saprolite material (upper, middle and lower saprolite
mineralisation (SUM, SMM and SLM respectively, orange green and blue in the below 10*
vertically exaggerated E/W cross-section – Figure 8) in all drill holes. A fourth saprolite
mineralised layer (S1M) existed sporadically above the SUM and another (TM) in the
transported material at surface – neither of which were modelled due to insufficient support.
REE-mineralised layers were modelled by interpolating upper and lower bounding surfaces
from the interpreted drill hole layer intercepts. Surfaces were modelled over the whole
drilling area as 25 * 25 m mesh DTMs using a growth technique. The 25 m mesh size was
~25% of the closest drill hole spacing.
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Figure 8: Portion of line 6357800N (holes AC354-AC366) showing principal mineralised layers
in weathered saprolite: SUM (orange), SMM (green), SLM (blue) and bedrock surface (purple).
Subsequently layer models were constrained within a Resource area containing only the
densely drill holes (outside dimensions 13.1 * 8.5 km, actual area 48.7 km2). Average
thicknesses of the modelled layers within that area were 3.8 m for SUM layer, 4.7 m for
SMM layer, and 6.1 m for SLM layer (average total thickness was 14.6 m). SLM thickness is
contoured within the Resource area in the plan view below (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Thickness of lower saprolite layer mineralisation SLM in metres.
The maximum vertical range of the 3 layers was 63 m. Overburden thickness between the
upper layer SUM and surface averaged 12.7 m with a range between 0 and 24.6 m.
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Relatively thin (up to ~5 m) interburden existed between layers in places, in other areas the
layers abutted. The base of layer SLM lay on the fresh bedrock interface in places and in
others it was well above. Layer lateral extent was curtailed to the area of dense drilling by a
boundary drawn ~300 m outside the boundary drill holes in the NW and by the tenement
boundaries in the SE.
Average vertical composite TREO grades increased downwards with the uppermost layer
SUM averaging 235 ppm, the central layer SMM 465 ppm and the lowest layer SML 522
ppm. Maximum grades were similar in each layer and averaged ~4,500 ppm. Thicknessweighted average TREO grade is contoured for all layers in the plan view below (Figure 10)
and approximately half of the area would contain grades >400 ppm (yellow to red).
Figure 10: Thickness-weighted average TREO grade in ppm.
Statistical analysis: Simple drill hole sample statistics and histogram plots were studied by
layer for the REO assay totals to provide insight into value distributions and limits to use in
subsequent geostatistical analysis. All elements were log normally distributed. Differences
between statistics from the 2021 and the 2022 drilling were studied briefly – with very little
difference in the SMM layer but with values in the SLM layer lower in the 2022 drilling.
Geostatistical analysis: Variography was performed individually and by layer for CeO2, the
LREOs and the HREOs. Overall, for both TLREO and THREO in layers SMM and SLM the
ranges (distance of longest continuity) were at least ~400 to 550 m – considered fairly long
and thus a good result by the Consultant. Ranges of the single oxide CeO2 were similar in
the SMM layer – probably indicating that all of the REOs may have similar ranges. These
ranges could be taken as isotropic. Longest ranges for TLREO and THREO were ~750-830
m in the SMM layer – considered very long and similarly a good result. Clear anisotropy was
evident in layer SMM with the longer ranges oriented ~E/W. In this the TLREO and THREO
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anisotropy direction differed slightly by ~30° with TLREO being slightly north of east (075°)
and THREO slightly south of east (105°). Variography was considered good in layer SMM –
as was expected given its clear sub-horizontal layering with minimal thickness variability.
However, variography was surprisingly poor in lower layer SLM, partly caused by many
holes stopping short of basement.
The shortest ~400-550 m continuity distance in both principal REO-mineralised layers would
cover at least 3 consecutive holes at the current 200 m E/W drill hole spacing and 2 holes at
the current 400 m N/S spacing. In other words, the spacing between the great proportion of
existing drill holes was well within the shortest range distance and thus they were supportive
of each other. And the nearly double ~800 m range in the ~E/W direction in layer SMM
further reinforced long continuity and the adequacy of current E/W drill hole spacing.
Un-folding block modelling: An un-folding block model was created within the layers, and
all drill hole samples were domained by layer (domains 2,3 and 4 for layers SUM, SMM and
SLM respectively). Un-folding block models aim to trend horizontal data search directions
(in variography and block grade estimation) parallel to layering. As the mineralised layers
were sub-horizontal the block model was built without any axis rotations (0°). X and Y block
origin and extents were adapted to the dense drilling project 48.7 km2 Resource area and
the Z extent to the 63 m vertical range of the layers. X and Y block size was set at 50 * 100
m – roughly 25% of the drill hole spacing. Z block size would be variable as blocks followed
the layers but aimed to be 0.5 m.
Grade block modelling: Grades for each element were estimated individually using an
Inverse Distance squared (ID2) algorithm with vertical distances weighted by a factor of 2
and lateral XY searches trended along the layers by using the un-folding block model
control.
Normal block model: A normal orthogonal-shaped block model was built from the unfolding block model and loaded with the individually estimated grades. X and Y blocks sizes
were regularised at 50 m and the Z block sized was fixed at 1 m. Totals for the various
common divisions of REOs (total (TREO), light (TLREO), heavy (THREO) and magnet
(MREO)) were created from the individually estimated block grades. Colour-coded TREO
blocks are displayed in the (10* vertically exaggerated) E/W cross-section below (Figure 11),
which illustrates the grade continuity following layering.
Dry density: HRE’s raw dry density determinations (326) were processed by compositing
them by mineralised layer in each drill hole and then averaged. This produced average
values of 1.49 t/m3 for the SUM and SMM layers and 1.52 t/m3 for the SLM layer. These
densities were lower than the 1.63 t/m3 used in the 2022 Resource estimate but very close
to typical densities being currently used in similar REE deposits elsewhere.
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Figure 11: Cross section illustrating TREO grade continuity following layering.
Cross section extent corresponds to Figure 8.
Mining & extraction assumptions: Fundamental assumptions behind the Resources,
Resource estimation and JORC classifications, are centred on the Consultant’s expectations
of IAC REE Resource mining economics. Positive REE economics are based firstly on
‘cheap’ shallow open-cut mining – allowed by shallow mineralisation (top of predominant
mineralisation lies ~15 m below surface); weathered composition (partly-clayey and
structurally weak material) allowing ‘relatively inexpensive’ free-dig mining; and layered
deposition allowing mechanised broad-scale excavation with equipment such as scrapers or
continuous miners. Positive REE economics secondarily rest on the nature of IAC
mineralisation allowing relatively in-expensive and efficient extraction by leaching in pads
(proven elsewhere in similar deposits). Dilution would be expected to be minimised by the
mining and extraction methods.
Resource JORC classification: The Consultant considered that all of these 2023
Cowalinya Mineral Resources should be classified as Inferred according to JORC (2012
Edition) principles. The Consultant agreed with Tyrrell’s Inferred classification for the 2022
Resources. He found that the large surrounding areas newly drilled contained very similar
data, geology, REE grade concentrations and distributions. The new data was effectively
identical in setting to the old data and simply represented extensions of the same deposit.
After studying the distribution of average sample distances (D) used in computing individual
block grades the Consultant considered that only those blocks with D < 450 m (shaded
orange and red in Figure 12 below the below plan view of b
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