Great Western's Sumo niobium ‘large, robust and drill ready’  - Mining.com.au

Great Western Exploration (ASX:GTE) is now moving to secure heritage clearance to drill its Sumo Niobium Target after analysis confirmed it as a “large, robust and coherent” target.

Heavy mineral concentrate spectral analysis has confirmed the Sumo Niobium Target is drill ready, with the niobium mineralisation found to share a close association with titanium and most likely contained with the mineral ilmenite.

Great Western says this association is a common surface expression for niobium deposits, often found with weathered niobium mineralisation systems – for example carbonatites systems – with secondary niobium mineralisation below surface.

Sampling of Sumo found niobium multi-element anomalism was coincident with arsenic, silver, bismuth, chromium, molybdenum, antimony, tin, tantalum, titanium, thorium, uranium, tungsten and zirconium.

These are all pathfinder elements commonly associated with carbonatite niobium deposits.

This sampling defined a ‘large’ and coherent niobium anomaly measuring 2km by 1km and returning over 20 parts per million niobium.

Heavy mineral concentrate sampling was completed to better understand the mineralogy related to niobium mineralisation, and to further develop a genetic mineralisation model for future exploration programs.

Thirty-four samples were collected and scanned, with spectral analysis and interpretation completed.

The results reported included grain, mineral and elemental counts, and mineralogy and pixel chemistry.

The heavy mineral concentrate results also supported the initial interpretation that the niobium soil anomaly is not related to iron and manganese scavenging.

Great Western says Sumo’s prospectivity is highlighted by the coincident lag-soil pathfinder geochemistry, located on magnetic and gravity highs, which further supports its potential.

Meanwhile, field reconnaissance has verified Sumo is in situ.

Great Western, which has a market capitalisation of $18.7 million, has now furthered preparations for drilling Sumo, with a heritage clearance now scheduled to be undertaken next month.

The Sumo Niobium Target is part of the company’s wholly owned Yerrida North Project, located on the western portion of the Yerrida Basin, about 800km north-east of Perth and 90km north-west of the town of Wiluna in Western Australia.

It sits 70km south-east of Sandfire Resources’ (ASX:SFR) DeGrussa Copper-Gold Project.

Great Western is also preparing to drill its Oval Copper-Gold Target in Western Australia after yesterday (15 October) announcing a rig has now mobilised to site.

The program comprises four diamond drillholes to depths ranging from 600m to 800m.

Great Western says the geological and geophysical attributes of Oval represent Winu and Haverion-style intrusive-related copper-gold mineralisation and highlight the potential for a “very large copper-gold discovery”.

Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au