Aruma Resources Limited announced plans to aggressively pursue the rare earth elements (REE) potential at the Saltwater Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Company plans to undertake a targeted fieldwork program at Saltwater designed to position Aruma with a first mover advantage in what is an emerging REE province. The Saltwater Project consists of four granted Exploration Licences (EL52/3818, EL52/3846, and EL52/3857) over a total area of 450km2 and is situated approximately 100kms south-west of the regional mining centre of Newman.

The Project was originally pegged by Aruma in 2020 for its gold prospectivity, based on the reactive stratigraphy adjacent to the Nanjilgardy Fault within the Project area that controls approximately six million ounces of known gold mineralisation along its entire strike. The Company's exploration at Saltwater to date has been gold-focused, and has consisted of two phases of reverse circulation (RC) drilling within a targeted area of the Project. An assessment of historic exploration within the Project area has revealed REE, base metals, gold and uranium results from previous explorers in the Saltwater region.

U308 Limited (U308) reported extremely high assays results up to 11% rare earths at the Sirius and Lavanto prospects within the area in 2010, in grab samples. Other REE occurrences have been recorded at Saltwater in drill holes and surface samples. The status of the Saltwater area as an emerging REE province has been consolidated by Dreadnought Resources and its recent pegging of a significant landholding at its Bresnahan Project, immediately adjacent to Aruma's Saltwater Project area.

Dreadnaught has delivered highly encouraging initial REE exploration results, with significant light and heavy REE results returned from reconnaissance surface samples along major basement structures. The fieldwork conducted by U3O8 in 2010, which returned the very high grade REE results, was located close to basement structures that traverse specific stratigraphy of the Wyloo group sediments near the major unconformity with the Bresnahan group. Previous exploration by U308 also delivered grades of up to 3.1% Cu, 1.4% Pb 1.5% V (vanadium) and 2 g/t Au in samples from costeans at the Nobbys prospect, and Aruma also plans to pursue the multi-commodity potential of the Project area in its planned fieldworks programs. Aruma plans to aggressively pursue the REE potential within the Saltwater Project.

It has identified an interpreted REE lithology extending over a total linear target of in excess of 80km of prospective shales. This is supported by mapped outcrop identified in a recent reconnaissance site visit. The Company plans to undertake a more detailed site visit in coming weeks, where it will conduct a surface sampling program.

Samples will be sent for laboratory analysis, and (subject to results) it will then complete a geophysical survey and mapping program with a view to defining targets for a maiden REE-focused drill program. The Company will also adopt a multi-commodity approach in its planned upcoming fieldwork to assess the base and precious metals prospectivity of the wider project area.