Rare Earth Elements
Four Rare earth elements discoveries have been made to date in Tasmania. These include:
- Deep Leads located in northern Tasmania
- Rubble Mound located 6 km southeast of Deep Leads
- Wind Break, located 16 km northeast of Deep Leads
- Portrush, located 52 km east of Deep Leads
Discoveries are outlined in the map below.
Figure 1: ABx leases in the 52km wide REE province. Deep Leads REE trends towards Rubble Mound (yellow dashes)
Early testwork indications are that the rare earth elements are easily leached and could be concentrated at low cost, with no deleterious elements.
ABx’s Exploration Strategy is as follows:
- To explore for REE that are in strongest demand. Prices of these rare earth elements are growing strongly and are classified as super-magnets that are critical strategic components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, smart phones and military electronics
- To focus on a deposit type that can be quickly developed with a low capital cost and has a low operating cost. So, ABx explores for the Ionic Adsorption Clay (IAC) style of mineralisation which is analogous with the IAC deposits that have produced REE in southern China using simple leaching.
- To explore in areas where an IAC leaching project will not interfere with alternative land use
To always comply with ABx’s paramount policy to leave land better than we find it and only operate where welcome.
