In northern Tasmania, the ABx Group recently acquired two substantial exploration licenses, EL27/2022 and EL28/2022. Awarded for an initial five-year term, these licenses encompass a vast 188 square miles, emphasizing the southern extensions of the Portrush rare earth element (REE) discovery area, situated near Launceston.
Located approximately 32 miles east of ABx’s core Deep Leads / Rubble Mound REE venture, these new licenses solidify ABx’s dedication to amplifying its REE exploration imprint in Tasmania. The company’s exploration framework on these licenses will employ insights acquired from its Deep Leads / Rubble Mound undertaking. Moreover, another exploration license application, EL25/2022, which covers a 10-mile extension to Wind Break, is currently under review.
CEO Mark Cooksey expressed enthusiasm about this acquisition, recalling their record rare earths grade of 4,812 ppm in hole PR033 at Portrush. “Securing these exploration zones augments our REE exploration span in Tasmania to almost 600 km2,” he commented, signifying the potential of these newly acquired territories.
ABx’s impending strategies involve deploying exploratory endeavors on both licenses, aiming to spot lucrative areas using previous knowledge and reassaying samples from the Portrush license. Predominantly, the firm plans to test areas for ionic adsorption clay rare earth deposits using RC drilling. The method will involve an innovative approach that includes the push tube core drilling technique. Assay results will dictate any potential extension of these drilling initiatives. It’s worth noting that the license application, which spans from Deep Leads / Rubble Mound to the Wind Break region, potentially enlarging the REE exploration zone to 39 square miles, is still underway.
