Eclipse Metals progresses Greenland development plan with historic samples returning high-grade rare earths
The historic drill-core analyses are a step forward to enhance understanding of Ivittuut’s quartz, cryolite and siderite mineralisation and potential for the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite complex to host rare earth minerals.
Eclipse Metals Ltd (ASX:EPM) continues to progress its development plan in southwest Greenland and is encouraged by ongoing examination of historical diamond drill cores from the Ivittuut cryolite mine environ and Gronnedal-lka carbonatite intrusive.
Historical drill core from Ivittuut and Gronnedal-lka had been stored in a Greenland Government facility in Kangerlussuaq and was sent to Eclipse for sampling. This core has been submitted to Perth-based laboratories for chemical and petrological evaluation.
A Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite deposit historical grab sample returned total rare earth element (REE) grades of up to 34,400 ppm, an important finding that supports the correlation between REE mineralisation identified within olivine dolerite dykes and magnetic zones at Gronnedal-lka.
Significant exploration targets have also been defined for the quartz mineralisation zone beneath the historic Ivittuut pit, from which large quantities of cryolite were mined.
Initial assessment of core samples provides a greater understanding of quartz, cryolite and siderite mineralisation within the pit environ.
The assessment also provides a preliminary understanding of the Gronnedal-Ika carbonatite complex less than 10 kilometres from Ivittuut and only 5 kilometres from the port of Gronnedal.
A further surface sampling program has been conducted and additional samples are expected to be despatched in November 2021.
Availability of an extensive core library from this project area will likely save considerable future costs in delineating this rare earth mineral prospect.
3D model of pit environment
Using drill core samples, EPM has plotted a 3D resource model of the pit environment to better visualise the quartz zone formed beneath the historic mining pit.
The zone forms a flat, roughly circular intrusive body some 220 metres in diameter with a thickness of about 90 metres. The modelled domain represents in-situ mineralisation that could be accessed 5 metres to 10 metres below the central cryolite-fluorite zone. Below the pit, the quartz domain bulges to east and west.
An Australian laboratory will conduct further comprehensive testing. Of particular interest to EPM is the carbonatite intrusive where historic exploration has identified anomalous rare earth element content in dolerite dykes intruding the carbonatite.
High demand from mineral exploration means than it is unclear when results will be available, but EPM will announce them in due course.
Possible partnerships
Given the advancement of the Greenland development plan, EPM continues to review its asset portfolio to assess ways to best extract value from its projects. A potential repositioning of assets will possibly be undertaken to ensure appropriate exploration and development focus can be maintained for the Ivittuut Project.
The company is in early-stage discussions with third parties concerning potential joint venture partnerships and other opportunities that will further advance its Australian projects and add value for shareholders.
About the company
Eclipse Metals is an exploration company focused on multi-commodity mineralisation in south-western Greenland and Australia’s Northern Territory and Queensland.
The company has a large portfolio of assets prospective for cryolite, fluorite, siderite, quartz, rare earth elements, gold, platinum group metals, manganese, palladium, vanadium and uranium mineralisation.
EPM wholly owns the Ivittuut Project in Greenland, the world’s largest and only known source of naturally occurring cyrolite. The mined cryolite deposit originally contained 3.8 million tonnes of ore at a grade of 58% and operated for 120 years, closing in 1987.
In addition to cryolite, the mine workings contain fluorite, siderite, quartz, rare earth minerals and base metals.
