Gold Mountain stream results prompt big Brazil drill program

Gold Mountain says its third batch of 12 infill stream sediment samples from its Down Under project in Brazil reports high grades of total rare earth oxides (TREO) running up to 1665 parts per million – pointing to hard-rock monazite rare earths potential.

The company says that not only is monazite-hosted rare earths-niobium-uranium-scandium mineralisation potential indicated by the results from its Irajuba tenements, but in general, the latest sample results also extend and consolidate other nearby TREO anomalism.

The infill program sought to improve sample coverage and better define high-grade drainage catchments, while also checking out zones of monazite and ionic-absorption clay (IAC) rare earths potential indicated by previous sample results. The work has led to an expansion of the company’s priority drilling coverage at Area Two in the north-easternmost part of the Irajuba ground to fully cover any additional potential indicated by the current results.

Gold Mountain has applied for nine new tenements to enclose potential north-westerly extensions of anomalous catchments defined in the northern Irajuba tenement block. The extensions follow an identified fold zone that appears to control high-grade stream geochemical responses north-west towards the boundary it shares with tenements of the Ronaldinho block.

The company says extensive landowner work and contact with local government offices has been maintained to assist with applications for environmental and other permits – and their timely issue – by relevant State and Federal authorities. Additionally, landowner agreements are made as required to provide drilling access.

For the Down Under Central and Irajuba tenement groups, a respective 198 drillholes and 182 holes have been proposed. Access to 25 holes and 62 holes, respectively, have been signed so far.

Management has booked a second auger rig for the proposed drilling and permits have been lodged for the Irajuba area, while specific drill sites are being marked out to cover well-preserved areas of lateritic weathering.

Other work is planned to include radiometric traverses along the most anomalous catchments and along all drill traverse lines to sniff out any potential for high-grade, hard-rock deposits. A program of panned-concentrate stream sediment sampling is also planned.

The stream geochemical sampling has been thorough and has defined extensive catchments with dominant drainage aligned with regional structural trends and a distribution of anomalies that appear to make plenty of geological sense in any overview.

Augur drilling could reasonably be expected to ground-truth the anomalous zones in its planned scout role and that would come with the benefit of being economical, light-weight and hence, low-impact and nimble – making it ideal for negotiating small landholdings.

And it’s always great when the often-maligned regional geochemistry – which invariably means lots of hard yards in the field – scores validation from the next phase of work with the “rotary ground-truther” when the drill bit hits the ground.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au