Narryer Metals Limited (ASX:NYM) has achieved positive results from its maiden drilling programme at its Narryer Project, located in the Gascoyne- Murchison region of Western Australia.
A wide spaced reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme comprising 25 holes for a total of 3,762m was concluded in December 2022.
The programme was successful in identifying that the Mt Nairn tenure is anomalous in Rare Earth Elements (REE), with drilling results of TREO assays up to 2,789 ppm and MREO up to 480 ppm. REE mineralization was observed in saprolite clay and granitic gneiss bedrock, with best results seen from drilling at the Taccabba Well area.
This drilling and other work completed during the field season of 20221, supports the Narryer Metals exploration model that granite gneisses within the Mt Nairn tenure are enriched in REE. The company believes this bedrock provides a suitable source rock for ionic adsorption clay (IAC) REE style mineralization. Narryer Metals sees similarity to the bedrock encountered in drilling undertaken at Mt Clere, where Krakatoa Resources has identified a JORC Resource hosted in saprolite clay.
The company is now planning further drilling to test areas of interpreted thicker clay profiles within the Mt Nairn granted exploration licences.
The other focus of this drilling programme was for base metal mineralization. Elevated Ni in chromite-rich ultramafic rocks was observed up to 0.5%, while several drillholes contained elevated Cu > 0.1 % in observed sulphides. Also of interest was an intersected felsic intrusive and associated alteration, with Mo up to 0.4 % and anomalous Cu up to 0.13 %, with the EM anomaly still not adequately tested.
“Whilst the primary objective of the maiden RC programme at Mt Nairn was to test high priority airborne electromagnetic conductors identified within the Milly Milly trend and for PGEs at Taccabba Well, it is not surprising that REE mineralization has been identified, given what was seen in our fieldwork completed in 2022,” Managing Director, Dr Gavin England, said.
“The Narryer Terrane is developing into a REE province with new clay-hosted REE discoveries made by Krakatoa Resources at Mt Clere and Desert Metals at the Innouendy Project.
“The initial focus now at the Narryer Project is to finish the targeting for the next round of drilling, which will be Air Core, looking at clay zones proximal to these REE-rich gneisses. This includes paleochannels where the weathering is deepest, identified from the AEM survey completed in May last year.
“NYM sees positive signs in its Ni-Cu-PGE exploration from this drill programme and what it has seen on the ground. The Company has gained a better understanding of the geology, which is now helping in preparing a new suite of Ni Sulphide targets for near future drilling.”
For further information please visit: https://www.narryer.com.au/
