Further historical exploration data from Tundulu reinforces REE mineralisation potential within Nathace Hill
Data from drilling conducted in 2014 comprised 55 holes for 7,000m of drilling
Follow-up comprehensive litho-geochemical sampling program to be conducted
Special Report: “Exceptional” high grade historical drill hits confirm the Tundulu rare earths project in Malawi as a significant asset, says DY6 Metals.
Malawi has been brewing as an attractive African mining jurisdiction since the Government installed its Mines and Minerals Act in March last year which incorporated incentives for foreign investment into the sector.
The country’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, has bold plans to increase the mineral sector’s long-term contribution to GDP from today’s ~1% up to 20%.
Tundulu project location map and historical drill hole locations over Nathace Hill. Pic supplied: (DY6)
Rings at Nathace Hill
DY6 Metals’ (ASX:DY6) hard rock Tundulu rare earths project is comprised of several hills in a ring around a central vent called Nathace Hill, where the majority of historic surface sampling and drilling has been undertaken and known for heavy rare earths (HREE) mineralisation.
Exploration undertaken by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1988 drilling down to a depth of 50m included a hit of 41m @ 3.7% TREO from 8m.
Highlights from a subsequent 7,000m program in 2014 included 101m @ 1.02% TREO and 3.6% phosphate, from surface.
The majority of the 55 drill holes targeted various elevations of the eastern slope of Nathace Hill defining several mineralised zones.
Broad, shallow and high-grade intersections were identified in several other holes, including:
109m @ 1.06% TREO, 3.7% phosphate from 53m;
100m @ 1.09% TREO, 12.6% phosphate from 30m;
97m @ 1.35% TREO, 14.4% P2O5 from surface (TU050);and
30m @ 4.03% TREO, 0.35% phosphate from surface
This is exceptional, DY6 says.
The rare earth carbonatite shows the highest grades of REE whilst the other areas host mineral apatite and showed phosphate grades ranging from ~5-30% P2O5.
Lithological strip logs of the drillholes also show a good correlation between rich P2O5 apatite and abundant HREE.
Exploration backs up historical data
The additional data again reinforces results from two recon field visits by DY6 to Nathace and Tundulu Hill in December last year, and again in February to confirm the nature and extent of the REE mineralised outcrops.
A total of 16 samples were assayed, with five returning grades of over 1% TREO, validating the previous targeted sampling.
Mineral rich carbonatite was also found to occur at Tundulu Hill east of Nathace and Makhanga Hill west of Nathace and is previously unexplored and prospective for REEs.
Significant TREO hits from the Nathace Hill prospect at Tundulu. Pic supplied: (DY6)
DY6 continues to compile an extensive exploration database at Tundulu and Nathace Hill, along with detailed geological mapping and surface sampling which identifies a large REE and apatite-hosted mineralised system.
“These additional historical results further illustrate the potential for a significant carbonatite rare earth deposit with scope to expand the extent of mineralisation over the southern and western side of Nathace Hill and across Tundulu Hill, areas that remain largely unexplored,” DY6 CEO Lloyd Kaiser says.
“We look forward to commencing the preliminary geological model from all the historic drill data.
“This will improve our knowledge of the mineralised nature of Tundulu and assist in mapping the next phase of exploration activity.”
Upon being granted the Tundulu licence, DY6 is planning a comprehensive litho-geochemical sampling program to extend known mineralisation.
The aim, says the company, will be to explore the western and southern regions of Nathace Hill where very limited sampling and drill-testing has been completed.
An XRF analyser will be used for semi-quantitative analysis of rare earth elements in outcrop samples and the program will extend beyond the anomalous radiometric zones of Nathace hill to the east where strong signatures lie near Tundulu Hill.
This article was developed in collaboration with DY6 Metals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
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