Highlights
Core trays carrying about 2,500 metres of the archived drill core from Ivigtût and Gronnedal are in preparation for export from Greenland for comprehensive analytical assessment by a European Laboratory.
This strategic access will enable Eclipse Metals to minimise the costly process of extensive diamond drilling to increase the current mineral resource estimate (MRE) within Gronnedal and allow it to better plan future drilling programs focusing on the 3 km by 800 m section of REE-bearing ferrocarbonatite and the polymetallic Ivigtût pit. Historical holes at Gronnedal were originally drilled to explore magnetite deposits on contact zones of later intrusive dolerite dykes but also intersected carbonatite carrying light and heavy REE.
Modelling of historical exploration data from the Ivigtût cryolite deposit indicates the presence of a 220 m- wide and 90 m-thick cylindrical body of high silica grade, low-impurity quartz below the pit floor as defined by historical drilling (Figure 6). Laboratory analysis of quartz samples determined it can be further purified with a simple acid wash process to substantially increase the grade to 99.9% SiO2. By removing impurities, this has the potential to make this quartz suitable for the high-tech semiconductor industry, further enhancing the value of this industrial mineral project (Figure 7).
Gronnedal REE Carbonatite
Recent work on Eclipse Metals’ Gronnedal rare earth prospect has demonstrated extensive potential for a large mineralised system. Recent findings, including the Gronnedal mineral resource estimate, suggest that rare earth mineralisation extends over a 5 km by 2 km area, with an initial exploration target focusing on a 3 km by 800 m section of ferrocarbonatite. This mineralisation with the presence of significant deposits of rare earth elements, including notably high ratios of neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr), positions Eclipse’s Ivigtût Project as a potentially vital contributor to the global supply chain of these critical elements within the European territory.
Selected rock-chip samples of core from three of the diamond-cored holes drilled in the Gronnedal carbonatite complex in the 1940s returned very significant analysis for rare earth elements with up to 22,695ppm total rare earth oxides (sample IVT 21 – 3) (Figures 3 and 4), (ASX announcements 15 and 22 November 2021).
Eclipse is now planning to utilise a recently developed, non-destructive procedure to analyse drill core with a cost-effective hyperspectral scan method in Europe. This not only represents substantial future cost- saving but accelerates the timeline for a potential extension of the Gronnedal MRE announced in February 2024, which reported 1.18 million tonnes to a depth of only 9.5 m. The five historical drill holes to be tested range in depth from 58 to 201 m; much deeper than drilling results utilised in the recent MRE.
Recent findings at Gronnedal indicate a large ferrocarbonatite footprint which is significantly mineralised with rare earth elements, including notably high ratios of neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) magnetic REE. The grade range for the 3 km by 800 m footprint comprises a notable proportion of magnet REE (neodymium and praseodymium,dysprosium, and terbium), which has the potential to be competitive with other REE projects globally. This positions Eclipse’s Ivigtût project as a potentially vital contributor to the global supply chain of these critical elements.
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