Eclipse Metals to Develop Cryolite Mine with Rare Earth Potential

Australian mineral exploration company, Eclipse Metals Ltd, is advancing the Ivittuut cryolite mine and undeveloped mineral resources, including a large REEs (rare earth elements) bearing carbonate deposit in Greenland.

Over a 120-year period from 1865 to 1985, the Ivittuut mine produced 3.8 million tons of high-grade cryolite from the world's largest known natural cryolite mineable resource for the development of the aluminum industry.

During and after the September 2021 quarter, Eclipse continues to make progress in understanding the quartz, cryolite, and cryolite mineralization at Ivittuut and the potential of the Gronnedal-Ika carbonate complex to host rare earth elements.

Eclipse has received the first samples of historical drill core from Ivittuut and Gronnedal-Ika and has submitted these samples to its laboratory in Perth for comprehensive chemical analysis. Historical drill core from Ivittuut and Gronnedal-lka is stored approximately 320 km north of the capital, Nuuk, in Kangerlussuaq in the Greenland government.

Eclipse has performed initial testing of the collection samples and plans to cut and assay all cores in due course using quality assurance and control protocols. Preliminary evaluation of the cores has provided additional insight into the quartz, cryolite, and rhodolite mineralization in the pit and has given researchers a preliminary understanding of the Gronnedal-Ika carbonate complex.

The company expects to put additional samples to the test in November and has already mapped the recently received drill core samples in a 3D resource model of the property. The quartz zone is a flat, roughly circular intrusive body 220 meters in diameter and approximately 90 meters thick.

Eclipse is particularly interested in carbonate intrusions, and historical exploration has identified anomalous levels of rare earth elements in pyrochlore dikes intruding carbonates.

Following an initial examination of historical drill core by the Eclipse Metals Greenland office manager and a consulting geologist, samples were sent to Perth for testing. The cores were in good condition and clearly catalogued, allowing the crew to easily identify the initial target drill holes.

Six diamond holes totaling 750 meters were drilled within the Gronnedal-lka carbonate intrusion more than 50 years ago, with the majority of the core remaining uncut and untested. The company has identified untapped potential for rare earths, high grade quartz, cryolite, rhodochrosite, sphalerite, and carbonate material at the Ivittuut project.

Other samples from this area, including the REE mineralization of the carbonate complex already noted by academia, have not been systematically explored.

Eclipse Metals Limited is an Australian mineral exploration company focused on exploring for mineralization in a wide range of commodities. With impressive assets in Australia, the company has 19 tenements over approximately 9,200 square kilometers with prospects for manganese, uranium, gold, vanadium, and precious metals, in addition to acquiring ownership of the Ivittuut project in Greenland, the world's largest historic cryolite mine with significant rare earth potential.

• < Prev
• Next >