Victory Metals has reported some of the highest dysprosium grades ever documented from a clay-hosted rare earths system, within its North Stanmore project in Western Australia.
Recent infill aircore drilling delivered assays of up to 218 parts per million (ppm) dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) – about 54 times greater than the upper continental crust average of 4.02ppm.
Previous drilling results included dysprosium grades over 550ppm and terbium up to 70ppm, representing enrichments of a scale that are largely unprecedented in clay-hosted systems.
Victory said the results reflect both the unique geochemistry of the underlying source intrusion and the weathering processes that mobilised the rare earth elements into clays.
Significantly, mineralisation at North Stanmore continues to demonstrate world-class grades of dysprosium and terbium without the burden of radioactive elements often associated with other rare earth deposits.
“The scale and grade of dysprosium and terbium we continue to uncover at North Stanmore is nothing short of extraordinary,” Victory Metals chief executive officer and executive director Brendan Clark said.
“To be reporting up to 217ppm dysprosium and 32ppm terbium – two of the most critical and valuable rare earths – in a clay deposit that are more than 54 times and 42 times the average upper continental crust levels, confirms the unique nature of this discovery.
“These results position North Stanmore as one of the world’s most enriched heavy rare earth clay deposits, and critically, they come without the burden of radioactive elements. This sets Victory apart not only in Australia but on the global stage.”
With dysprosium currently valued at around $US650/kg and terbium at $US2300/kg, both command prices up to 20 times higher than neodymium and praseodymium.
“The world is desperate for secure, sustainable, Western-aligned supply and Victory is proving that North Stanmore can deliver with producing 94 per cent purity mixed rare earth oxide,” Clark said.
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