Norwest Minerals Finds Rare Earth Anomaly at Arunta West

Norwest Minerals' soil sample analysis at the Arunta West project yielded a strong rare earth element (REE) anomaly. The anomaly is associated with copper-gold and base metals and shows the overlap of cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), and yttrium (Y) over a 3 km range.

In addition, it has similarities to Northern Minerals' (NTU) high-grade Dazzler and Iceman REE deposits at the Browns Range outside Halls Creek, Western Australia. To illustrate, recent follow-up RC drilling at Dazzler delineated an inferred mineral resource of 0.21Mt with a total rare earth oxide (TREO) of 2.33.

The company says the presence of high copper-gold and base metals at the edge of the "REE low" shows the potential for an Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and/or base metal system.

Charles Schaus, CEO of Norwest Minerals, said, "Norwest's focus is on exploring and identifying IOCG systems in the Arunta West area, so we are very excited about identifying a possible IOCG system and REE anomaly. Interestingly, the grades of cerium and lanthanum at the REE anomaly are almost twice as high as those first used to identify the high-grade Dazzler and Iceman at the Browns Range REE operation."

Norwest said interest in the mineral resource potential of the Arunta Belt is increasing as Rio Tinto's exploration arm takes a very large ground position in the area. The Rio-controlled property now shares approximately 50 kilometers of mine boundary with the Company's Arunta West property.

Then there is the adjacent Independence Group (IGO), which has a belt of approximately 15,600 square kilometers stretching over 300 kilometers from the Western Australian border to the Northern Territory. IGO exploration has identified multiple gold, gold-copper-lead-zinc, and nickel-cobalt zones in the Arunta belt.

Norwest is continuing to study the extensive geochemical data to identify additional anomalies that require further exploration. REE samples will be sent for the full suite of REEs to understand the distribution of TREO, heavy rare earth elements (HREE), and light REEs.

Schaus said, "Our goal now is to mobilize our staff back on-site and begin follow-up exploration while the company continues to analyze the company's geochemical database covering 840 square kilometers of predominantly virgin ground."

Norwest Minerals is a rising Western Australian gold and copper exploration company focused on its Bulgera gold, Bali copper, and Arunta West copper-gold projects in Western Australia. Other projects include the Marymia East metals project and the Marriott nickel project, also in Western Australia.

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