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Highlights
- Power Minerals confirms presence of niobium, tantalum, and rare earths at Tantalo project.
- Due diligence samples reveal high niobium and tantalum concentrations with rare earth oxides.
- Additional field sampling planned to assess further artisanal mining prospects.
Power Minerals (ASX:PNN) recently announced significant findings from its Tantalo project in Brazil, with high-grade samples revealing the presence of valuable minerals such as niobium, tantalum, and rare earth elements (REEs). This exploration milestone follows detailed on-site sampling and analysis, which points to the potential of the Brazilian acreage not only for tantalum but also for niobium and rare earths. The discovery was made in an area previously explored by artisanal mining, adding to its potential commercial viability.
The exploration results highlighted several promising samples, including one with 47% niobium, 21% tantalum, and 0.32% rare earth oxides (REOs). Other samples showed varied concentrations, such as 32% niobium with 24% tantalum and 0.67% REOs, while another batch contained 25% tantalum, 11% niobium, and 1.4% REOs. Power Minerals used industry-standard X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to quantify these results, ensuring accuracy in measuring the oxide levels of niobium, tantalum, and rare earths.
While conducting the XRF analysis, Power Minerals also detected traces of gold, platinum, and other REEs. However, these additional elements were measured qualitatively, as the initial XRF process did not provide absolute quantitative values. The company noted that further analysis is needed to confirm the significance of these additional findings. As the project advances, the potential presence of these additional valuable minerals could add substantial value to the operation.
Located in the northwestern section of the project’s permitted boundaries, the exploration area has shown promising indications for future drilling. Power Minerals aims to expedite the process, with geotechnical teams set to conduct further field sampling in areas previously worked by artisanal miners. The company’s goal is to fully assess the niobium-tantalum concentrate potential and explore partnerships for future offtake agreements.
Power Minerals is currently strategizing the next steps, focusing on accelerating drilling activities at the identified target zones. The company’s preliminary results suggest that the Tantalo project holds strong potential, which could attract further interest from partners and stakeholders in the mining industry. Power Minerals last traded at AUD 0.099.
