New Age Metals Inc. (TSXV: NAM; OTCQB: NMTLF; FSE: P7J.F) has launched its rhodium (Rh) assay programme on 2021 metallurgical drill core samples from NAM’s 100% owned River Valley Palladium Project near Sudbury, Ontario.
Based on encouraging recent Rh assay results from historical core, NAM has commenced a much larger rhodium assaying programme of all the samples used to make-up the composite samples for the ongoing metallurgical testwork.
The purpose of this rhodium assay program is to further investigate whether Rh could be a payable metal for any future potential mining and mineral processing operation at River Valley.
Rhodium MinMet Assay Programme
In February and March 2022, 543 mineralised samples from four of the mineralised zones at River Valley were delivered to Geoscience Laboratory in Sudbury for Rh assay
The samples selected for Rh assay are those that have been used to make-up the grade variability composites for testwork at SGS Canada Inc, from which metal recoveries will be determined. The Rh assay samples are currently in processing and preparation at the Geoscience Laboratory.
In addition to Rh, the assays will include results for iridium (Ir) and ruthenium (Ru), which are also very valuable PGMs. The assay results are anticipated to be available in northern summer 2022.
Concurrently, additional Rh assaying of historical drill core is also planned to continue in 2022, mainly from the Dana South and Lismer Ridge Zones.
Based on improved PGM and especially Rh metal prices, NAM decided in 2020 to initiate a Rh evaluation program focused on re-assaying historical River Valley drill holes for Rh. The primary purpose of that programme is to determine the contents of Rh in each of the major mineralized zones for direct inclusion in future Mineral Resource estimations of the River Valley Deposit.
The historical drill holes to be sampled are carefully selected from representative drill cross-sections of priority mineralized zones, starting at the Pine and Lismer North Zones in Phases 1 and 2 in 2020 and 2021, and then progressing to the Dana South and Lismer Ridge Zones in Phases 3 and 4 in 2022 and 2023.
Samples from mineralised core intervals above the lower cut-off grade and adjacent material at Pine and Lismer North were submitted to the Geoscience Laboratory, for PGM assay with enhanced detection limits.
Phase 1 (2020): Rhodium at Pine Zone
Rhodium at Pine Zone was determined from 303 out of 2,443 drill core samples. The sampled drill holes were completed between 2015 and 2020. Assays ranged in grade from the lower detection limit up to 0.177 g/t Rh. Fifty of the samples returned assays >0.05 g/t Rh. Rhodium was interpreted from statistical analysis to occur with sulphides and not chromite, which differs from other Rh-bearing deposits elsewhere and could potentially simplify future metallurgical recovery processes.
Phase 2 (2021): Rhodium at Lismer North Zone
Rhodium at Lismer North was determined from 187 samples. The highest assay result was 0.595 g/t Rh and a total of 25 samples returned assays >0.05 g/t Rh. As for the Pine Zone, Rh at Lismer North does not correlate with chromium, and therefore is unlikely to be held in chromium-bearing phases like chromite.
In 2022, Phases 3 and 4 of the Rh evaluation programme will take samples from historical drill holes completed at the Dana South and Lismer Ridge Zones for Rh assay at Geoscience Laboratory in 2022 and 2023.
About Rhodium
Rh is the rarest and most valuable of the PGMs. The main use for Rh is in catalytic converters designed to clean vehicle emissions. This metal is particularly effective in cleaning nitric oxide emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles.
The majority of Rh is produced as a by-product of platinum mining in South Africa. South Africa is the world’s largest producer of Rh (~80%), followed by Russia (~10%), Zimbabwe (~5%), Canada (~2%), and the USA (~2%).
The global average mineral resource/reserve grade is 0.281 g/t Rh, with the lowest reported mineral resource/reserve grade of 0.010 g/t Rh and the highest reported mineral resource/reserve grade of 0.381 g/t Rh (source: S&P Global, 2020).
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