ASX-listed Emu NL is expanding its search for rare earths with exploration applications for projects in WA at Condingup and another near Merredin to add to its recent Georgetown project pick up in Queensland.
A single Geoscience WA sample from one of the two tenements at Condingup, near Esperance, returned elevated levels of total rare earth oxides of 1047 parts-per-million whilst two GSWA samples from Merredin showed rare earth element levels of 1381 ppm and total rare earth oxides of 1000 ppm.
Rare earths have garnered some serious attention in the markets recently due to the emerging green energy revolution. The rare earths-based neodymium-praseodymium oxide is a key component in neodymium magnets commonly used in smartphones, wind turbines and electric vehicles.
Emu says the Condingup project sits within the prospective Booanya granite suite in the south-east of WA around 60km from the port of Esperance.
The company is targeting clay-hosted rare earths at Condingup with the two-tenement package only 35km south-east of ASX-listed OD6’s Splinter Rock project. Historical drilling results show the clay intersections at Splinter Rock are up to 37m in thickness with the mineralisation taking in a significant 30km by 40km strike extent. OD6 says the historical drilling at the site suggests total rare earth oxide grades about two to three times higher than known Chinese rare earths clay deposits.
Clay-hosted rare earths are generally considered to be a cheaper bulk mining proposition with a relatively simple extraction process compared to other hard rock rare earth deposits.
Emu says the Esperance region has also been highlighted to become a central hub for major renewable energy and green hydrogen production.
The Merredin exploration application takes in about 88 square kilometres in the Wheatbelt region of WA about 30km north of its namesake town.
Emu says the two GSWA samples were taken across granite-hosted structures within a north-facing structural fault giving the company a strong indication of the rare earth prospectivity of the package.
The two exploration applications at Merredin and Condingup add to Emu’s recent move to secure the right to earn up to 80 per cent in a trio of exploration permits covering 850 square kilometres in Queensland’s Georgetown mining district under a Heads of Agreement with TSXV-listed Rugby Resources.
The company says the Georgetown tenements have previously been highlighted by a University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute report from 2021 that outlined several zones within the project area as hosting strong mineral system indicators for rare earths.
Gold has been the traditional focus for the region although the area is also prospective for base and battery metals including lithium, silver, lead, zinc, copper, tin and uranium.
Whilst Emu’s interest in rare earths is just warming up, the company continues to explore its gold, nickel, copper and platinum group metals projects in WA with drilling programs and surveys expected in weeks.
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By Matt Birney
