VHM has made a significant discovery within the footprint of its Goschen rare earths and mineral sands project in Victoria.
The new discovery of high-grade strandline heavy minerals – deposits within the Nowie Prospect area is located 22km north of the company’s proposed Goschen treatment plant.
The new discoveries have added to what VHM describes as a new Victorian critical minerals province of more than 50 km in length.
Drilling results and geological studies
Managing director Graham Howard said VHM’s latest drilling results have confirmed that areas of Nowie contain up to two times higher valuable heavy minerals (VHM) than the highest-grade areas of the Goschen Ore Reserve.
Geological studies have also identified that there are multiple high-grade strandline systems at Nowie overlaying a sequence of moderate total heavy mineral (THM) grade sheet style mineralisation up to 20 m thick.
Interpretation of the drilling and geophysics data indicates the deposit is at least 3km in width (east to west) and up to 11km in strike length and is open in both north-west and south-west strike direction.
The Nowie mineral assemblage and particle analysis indicates mineralisation is in line with the highest-grade areas of the Goschen Ore Reserve and also the previously announced successful metallurgical results returned from testing of high-grade mineralisation from Area 4 Orion Strandline.
New critical minerals province
Mr Howard said the Nowie results have helped confirm VHM has uncovered a significant new critical minerals province stretching over a strike length of greater than 55km in North West Victoria. This province ranges from the Cannie deposit in the south, to the advanced Goschen Project and north beyond to the Nowie Prospect.
“These are excellent results from our initial drilling program at Nowie and they firmly support our plan to continue developing this critical minerals province in Victoria’s North West,” he said.
“The Goschen Project has already illustrated it is a highly economic project and the higher grades at Nowie are a welcome addition to the company’s rare earths and mineral sands project portfolio.”
“We anticipate further resource definition work at Nowie will extend the scale of this prospect during the second half of 2023 and we look forward to releasing future results. Having a third potential project option to consider opens several possibilities for the company that we will now introduce to discussions with interested offtake partners and potential strategic investors.”
The company is continuing to evaluate the results from the now completed 50 hole program at Nowie.
Future work programs will test the extent of the mineralisation that appears to be consistent from the results of this first program.
The company’s study of geophysics data has identified a second major strandline system to the west, which will be the subject of further follow up.
Initial Goschen pilot hydromet plant success
The Nowie discovery builds on VHM’s Goschen project pilot hydromet plant results which confirmed results predicted by leading rare earth researcher and test facility operator, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
The pilot plant at the ANSTO test facility confirmed that its material is highly amenable to conventional Sulphate Bake processing to produce a mixed rare earths carbonates (MREC) product.
VHM reported earlier this year that world leading recoveries were demonstrated to be achievable using the processing pathway including: 97% for critical light rare earths Neodymium (Nd) and Praseodymium (Pr); and 92% for Dysprosium (Dy) and 94% for Terbium (Tb), critical heavy rare earths.
