Junior explorer Asra Minerals has added critical minerals cobalt and scandium to its rollcall of rare earths at its flagship Mt Stirling project in Western Australia. The latest round of drilling was targeting zones of rare earths mineralisation within the shallow blanket of weathered rocks and hit thick zones of scandium oxide mineralisation with anomalous cobalt.
The company plunged a further 10 holes into the evolving Yttria prospect where a corridor of rare earths has been etched out over 1.3 square kilometres. Drilling has latched on to 32m running at 83 parts per million scandium oxide from 2m including 6m grading 126 ppm scandium oxide from 7m.
Other notable hits include 27m at 66 ppm scandium oxide from 2m and 26m coming in at 68 ppm scandium oxide from just 1m down hole depth.
Zones of cobalt mineralisation exist within the thick scandium horizons with peak grades up to 763 ppm cobalt.
Asra continues to enjoy success with the drill bit in proving up its rare earths play returning a slew of total rare earth yttrium oxides, or “TREYO” results grading over 200 ppm to complement the distinct scandium belt.
Some of the significant intercepts from Yttria include 1m at 1001 ppm TREYO plus 46 ppm scandium oxide from 1m. The 1m hit sat inside a larger 8m parcel grading at 513 ppm TREYO plus 61 ppm scandium oxide from 8m.
Results from another hole include 1m going 636 ppm TREYO with 52 ppm scandium oxide from a depth of just 5m.
Asra Minerals’ Executive Chairman, Paul Summers said: “The Company’s rare earths and critical minerals endowment is continuing to develop in a most positive way. These results confirm Yttria’s substantial size and we are excited to commence a future extension program to hopefully continue adding to the Yttria mineralised domain.”
“The critical minerals at Yttria are in restricted supply due to geopolitical factors and present a potential market opportunity. The international markets have recognised that Lithium-ion battery technology is at the forefront of this electrification. The opportunity for our REEs and critical minerals to play an integral role in such evolution is a developing focus for the Company.”
Scandium is commonly grouped with yttrium and the 15 elements of the lanthanides historically regarded as the rare earth elements, though it is technically a light transition metal. Whilst it is not uncommon in the earth’s crust, it generally does not occur in economically viable concentrations that can support commercial mining operations. China and Russia top the list for the largest producers of the metal.
A major use of scandium is in the production of alloys for the aerospace industry. It is also used in solid oxide fuel cells, in specialised lighting applications, ceramics, lasers, electronics and in alloys with aluminium for sporting goods production.
In 2018, the US government added scandium to its list of 35 critical minerals. This list was an initial step toward ensuring reliable and secure supplies of minerals critical to the US economy and military.
Cobalt’s high melting point and ability to maintain strength at raised temperatures makes it useful in cutting tools, superalloys, surface coatings and high-speed steels. It is these properties that make it a valuable addition to rechargeable batteries and why it is becoming an increasingly essential component in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries used in the electric vehicle industry. Research by the Cobalt Institute shows 57 per cent of all cobalt produced is now used in batteries for EVs, tablets and smart phones.
Mining of the critical metal hasn’t always had an illustrious past. The Congo has been a long-time top producer of cobalt supplying up to 60 per cent of the world’s production with much of that production sourced from artisanal mining methods employing child-labour and causing vast environmental damage. The European Union and major car manufacturers are pushing for global production of cobalt to be sourced and produced sustainably and responsibly.
Australia, the world’s third biggest producer of cobalt, finds itself in the hotseat as companies look for ethical cobalt sources outside of the Congo.
The discovery of significant continuous scandium oxide and cobalt mineralisation at the Mt Stirling project adds another critical mineral string to Asra’s bow as it continues to prove up a sizeable rare earths play.
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By Matt Birney
