Impact Minerals has discovered a significant rare earth soil anomaly at the Akrun project in its newly identified Hyperion prospect 150km east of Perth, Western Australia.
Recent soil geochemistry surveys at the site found high-tenor rare earth element (REE) results in the emerging mineral province.
The surveys registered up to 5880 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth element oxides and Yttrium, which the company said is some of the highest reported in WA.
“The discovery of the Hyperion prospect is a significant breakthrough in exploring the Arkun project, which has so far focused on nickel, platinum, and copper,” Impact managing director Mike Jones said.
“Impact’s exploration strategy recognises that the Corrigin tectonic zone has potential for various commodities, including rare earth elements, and the Hyperion prospect could host a large REE deposit in the clays developed in weathered granite.
“However, the key to an economic discovery is to evaluate how easily the REEs can be extracted through simple acid leaching.
For this purpose, initial drill testing and bulk sampling for metallurgical test work will be conducted in the upcoming field season.
“The extraction characteristics will help guide resource definition drilling later in the year.”
These new anomalies add to the previously reported 10km long REE anomaly at the company’s Horseshoe prospect located 25 km east of Hyperion, which Impact said emphasises the significant exploration potential for REE at the Arkun project.
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