Phase 4 Drilling Programme In Full Swing In Uganda
Ionic Rare Earths Limited (ASX: IXR) has provided an update on the progress on the Phase 4 drilling programme for its 51% owned Makuutu Rare Earths Project in Uganda.
Located 120 km east of Kampala in Uganda, Makuutu is one of the world’s largest scale ionic adsorption clay (IAC) hosted Rare Earth Element (REE) deposits.
The Makuutu Mineral Resource Estimate was announced in March 2021 at 315 Million tonnes at 650 ppm Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) with a cut-off grade of 200 parts per million (ppm) TREO minus Cerium Oxide (CeO2).
The company has initiated the Phase 4 drill programme at Makuutu, with the second drill rig now mobilised, and to date completed 55 drill holes (687 metres).
Yhe company says it remains on track for the mobilisation of the third rig to site at the end of July in what will be the largest program initiated at Makuutu.
The committed programme at present stands at 5,700m of drilling.
The aim of the Phase 4 drill program is to convert the Inferred Resources on RL 1693 to Indicated and Measured Resource category, plus also converting RL 1693 Exploration Targets to classified resources. \
These higher classified resources will then be used to underpin the Makuutu Feasibility Study. Phase 4 infill drilling has initially started near Makuutu Central Zone (MCZ) on RL 1693, specifically prioritising infill drilling to areas immediately adjacent to the existing Indicated Resource area, Central Zone East (CEZ) Inferred, CEZ Unclassified Exploration Target, Central Main Zone Inferred, plus areas F, G and H, as illustrated within Figure 1.
The zones represent the highest identified Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) grade Inferred and Exploration Target mineralisation at Makuutu.
The drill programme will focus initially on infill drilling on a 200m grid to support conversion from Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources.
An allocation of drilling on a 100m grid will then be completed with a desire to confirm a portion of Measured Resources for the Feasibility Study.
For further information please visit: https://ionicre.com.au/
