ACDC Metals (ASX: ADC) has commenced close-spaced infill drilling at the Goschen Central heavy mineral sands and rare earth elements project in western Victoria.
The in-paddock program will comprise 70 holes and follows positive visual estimates from first-pass roadside drilling at Goschen Central and the nearby Watchem project.
A potential high-grade zone was also indicated from first-pass work and geological interpretations.
Infill drilling aims to provide greater geological confidence for resource estimation and facilitate the collection of samples for expanded metallurgical testwork by Queensland-based Mineral Technologies.
Material collected will be processed at Mineral Technologies’ pilot plant to produce a monazite concentrate which will then be used for rare earth elements’ process development utilising ACDC’s proprietary medallion monazite process.
Proceeded to plan
ACDC chief executive officer Tom Davidson said first-pass drilling has proceeded to plan.
“The success of our first-pass drilling at Goschen Central enabled us to prioritise a return to site for a targeted infill program based on historical and recent drilling results,” he said.
“We aim to define a JORC-compliant resource estimate which will accelerate our progress in the heavy mineral sands and rare earth elements sectors.”
Visual correlation
Mr Davidson said a high degree of visual correlation from recent drilling with historical assays has helped in designing the infill program at Goschen Central.
Historical work consisted of widely-spaced drilling by CRA Exploration (now Rio Tinto, ASX: RIO) in the 1980s and 1990s.
ACDC has executed compensation agreements with landowners for the in-paddock program.
Watchem drilling
At the Watchem project, Wallis Drilling completed 78 aircore holes for 3,531 metres in March to confirm and infill prior historic drilling.
The work was conducted on roadside verges at nominal 800m spacings.
When high grades were visually logged, a tighter spacing was implemented at 100m.
Samples weighing approximately nine tonnes were prepared and delivered to Diamantina Laboratories in Perth, with assays expected within the next six weeks.
