Machinga
HREE & Nb
Project Overview
The Machinga Geology
Machinga is contained within a large alkaline complex of the Chilwa Alkaline Province that intrudes Proterozoic basement gneisses, granulites and amphibolites. This complex comprises nepheline-syenites of the Mongolwe, Chaone and Chinduzi Ring complexes, the Malosa syenite pluton and minor alkaline granites.
The project area is dominated by the Malosa syenite pluton, but also contains discrete and smaller-scale intrusions and pegmatites.
The Machinga radiometric anomaly is continuous along a strike of approximately 7 km, indicating that potential to discover further eudialyte-hosted REE mineralisation may be significant. The eudialyte is associated with the granitic-syenitic pegmatites, which are the target along the margins of the plutons, as well as in the central zone of Machinga.
Machinga Highlights
- A significant HREE project
- 40km east of Lindian’s (ASX: LIN) “Kangankunde”
- Successful completion of maiden 35-hole RC and 8 DDH drilling program for 4,543m at Machinga HREE and Nb project
- Initial exploration focused on historical 2010 drill program for 4000m (Machinga North)
- Future exploration include extending NE into new licence EL0705 and South along the anomalous zone
- 2023 Maiden Reverse Circulation and Diamond Core drill Assay significant results:
- 15.1m @ 1.01% TREO, 0.36% Nb2 O5 from 23.9m (3.71% Dy/ Tb/TREO) incl. 4m @ 1.75% TREO, 0.63% Nb2 O5 from 33m (3.8% Dy/Tb/TREO) drilled downdip (MDD007)
- 13m @ 0.65% TREO, 0.25% Nb2 O5 from surface; incl. 1m @ 1.06% TREO, 0.37% Nb2 O5 from 7m, and 1m @ 1.28% TREO, 0.42% Nb2 O5 from 9m (MR019)
- 7m @ 1.42% TREO with 0.49% Nb2 O5 from 65m (MR011) – 16m @ 0.54% TREO with 0.21% Nb2 O5 from 78m, incl. 3m @ 1.63% TREO, 0.7% Nb2 O5 from 87m (MR005)
- 11m @ 0.74% TREO, 0.29% Nb2O5 from surface (3.8% DyTb/TREO) incl. 2m @ 1.36% TREO, 0.49% Nb2O5 from 6m (4% Dy/Tb/TREO) (MR024)
Mineralisation
- Strongly mineralised hydrothermal breccia system striking NW-SE and dipping shallowly ~35° to the NE has been confirmed by the recent drilling
- Drill cross sections demonstrate excellent continuity with radiometric contour predicting the mineralised higher-grade zone
- High grade HREE-Nb confirmed from RC and DD drill results at Machinga Central Zone.
- The mineralisation at the Machinga alkaline complex contains a higher proportion of valuable dysprosium-terbium (DyTb) with results indicating an average 3.6% DyTb:TREO in samples greater than 0.25% TREO.
Geology
Machinga North is just one of six known targets within the concession
Southern Malawi is clearly prospective for REEs, and radiometric anomalism is the know pathfinder
