Asra Minerals’ Yttria prospect within its Mt Stirling project near Leonora in WA’s Goldfields has thrown up traces of highly sought-after “heavy” rare earths in addition to lucrative scandium that stretches from only 2m below surface to the bottom of 40m drill holes. Headline drill numbers include 48m at 90 parts per million scandium oxide from 3m and 7m at 669ppm total rare earths and yttrium oxide (TREYO) and 70ppm scandium oxide from 5m.
The 7m intersection includes a 1m hit going an impressive 2182ppm TREYO from 7m.
Rare earth samples from the 2022 drilling campaign at Mt Stirling are now being assessed and as assay results start to emerge, Asra says it will build its knowledge on the Yttria and neighbouring Wishbone clay-hosted rare earths deposits.
The latest RC results from Yttria appear to be showing valuable heavy rare earth elements (HREE) within ionic regolith-hosted zones and importantly, they are short on the unwelcome elements thorium and uranium.
Notably, the results show high levels of hard-to-find “dysprosium” and “terbium” – known as “heavy rare earths” – both of which are critical elements that make up industrial magnets found in electric vehicle engines.
Asra also reports thick scandium oxide zones up to 48m with high grades up to 174ppm scandium oxide.
Learn more: The West Australian 