Rare mineral exploration in the Eurobodalla proving successful

Mitre Mining, the company behind the Batemans Bay project, released an update titled 'Significant Rare Earth Element (REE) Results Identified at Batemans Project' on March 29.

The statement said the company's exploration had discovered "widespread anomalous rare earth elements" within their designated 134 kilometres squared area.

"Results to date have shown the Batemans Project has significant rare earth occurrences and strong silver showings," Mitre Mining CEO Clinton Carey said.

The report said the exploration found "evidence of major sheeted vein systems, extensive alteration zones and large-scale structural controls associated with rare earth elements".

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The exploratory team carried out 2700 portable X-Ray Fluorescent (XRF) tests - a non-destructive way of determining the elemental composition below the surface. From the results, Mitre identified a target area more than four kilometres long and up to 800 metres wide. Mitre has not undertaken any drilling in the exploratory phase.

"Ongoing exploration work is being conducted to further determine the potential large scale rare earth, gold and silver mineralisation at the Batemans Project," the statement said.

This further exploration includes beginning trench sampling - also called costeaning.

"To obtain bulk samples and further characterisation work, trenching (costeaning) will commence across the higher-grade zones," the statement said.

Trench sampling is the digging of a trench no more than a few metres wide to reach the hard rock beneath the surface. These trenches can be centimetres to metres deep, according to NSW Mining.

A NSW Mining fact sheet said trench sampling was strictly regulated in NSW to "ensure all costeaning is fully rehabilitated".

"Rehabilitation is a condition of every exploration licence and undertaken as soon as practical following surface disturbance," the factsheet said.

The further exploration also includes commencing radiometric and aeromagnetic survey work to provide insight into the internal structure of the key mineral areas. These survey methods measure gamma radiation and magnetic-field intensity respectively, and are both non-intrusive.

To comply with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, Mitre disclosed the nature and scale of planned further work in the statement. This included drilling of the target area.

"Further work will include an extensive ongoing pXRF program (geochemistry) with additional complete suite laboratory analysis (ICP-MS); radiometric and aeromagnetic surveys; detailed geological mapping / logging; rock chip sampling and drilling of key target area," the statement said.