NORTHERN MINERALS LIMITED Northern Minerals announced a substantial increase in the rare earth Mineral Resource estimate for its Wolverine development project (Wolverine) in northern Western Australia. Wolverine is a shear hosted deposit and is the most significant within the Browns Range mineralised system. The Wolverine Mineral Resource estimate will form the basis of the forthcoming proposed definitive feasibility study.
CSA Global has prepared an updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Wolverine deposit and has reported it in accordance with the JORC Code, which is now estimated at 6.44 million tonnes at 0.96% TREO comprising 61,492 tonnes TREO using a cut-off grade of 0.15% TREO and is a 47% increase in tonnes of TREO from the previous estimate. The Wolverine Mineral Resource increased compared to the 2015 estimate for the following reasons: Additional drilling - small increase on flanks; Detailed analysis of results based on grade-control and exploration drilling; Gaining confidence in the classification of Inferred Mineral Resources after analysis of continuity based on an exploration grid of 50 x 50 m; Detailed structural analysis; Updating wireframes to include the structural controls; Updating the grade interpolation methodology to better reflect the grade variability /distribution by adopting the following methods: The application of Multiple Indicator Kriging (MIK); The use of flattening; Using a narrow search ellipsoid to better reflect the grade variability. Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources increased by 18% for tonnage, 12% for TREO grade and 31% for TREO tonnage (Table 5).
Inferred Mineral Resources increased by 55% for tonnage, 10% for TREO grade and 69% for TREO tonnage (Table 5). Incorporating the upgrade of the Wolverine project, the total Mineral Resource identified within the Browns Range system is now estimated at 10.81Mt @ 0.76% total rare earth oxides (TREO) comprising 81,450 tonnes contained TREO using a cut-off grade of 0.15% TREO. A Prospect Location Plan is presented in Figure 2. A key feature of the Wolverine resource is the dominance of high value dysprosium and terbium with average grades of 0.83kg/t and 0.12kg/t respectively contained within xenotime mineralisation.
Dysprosium and terbium are essential ingredients in the production of neodymium iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets used in clean energy, military and high technology solutions because their unique properties enable the magnets to better resist demagnetisation.
