The Red Peak Project is located 15 km east of the Mt Clere REE project (Krakatoa Resources Ltd. – ASX: KTA) in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia and is highly prospective for REE mineralisation. Exploration programs at Red Peak are focused on the REE potential of the monazite sands and the iconic clay hosted regolith.
The Red Peak project is considered poorly explored and highly prospective for lithium mineralisation as well as Rare Earth Elements, base metals and uranium. Notably, several pegmatites are already identified on 1:100,000 scale geological maps. However, only limited historical exploration has occurred and focused on either gold or base metals (Pb / Zn).
The map below outlines the location of the Red Peak REE Project.
Extensive pegmatite outcrop exists across the project area with at least eleven pegmatites mapped across the project, exhibiting strike lengths in excess of 3km and widths of between 150m and 200m. These are significant pegmatites that warrant further investigation, given the fertility of the geological setting.
Data interpretation of the identified Rare Earth Element potential on Red Peak has revealed Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) values of up to 720.54 ppm TREO. The results stem from samples collected by the Company which were initially not targeting REE potential of the project.
Field Exploration Program (January 2022): AS2 Data (Previously Collected)
During a field program in January 2022, the Askari Metals team collected several rock samples which were primarily analysed for Lithium (Li) mineralisation. These samples were also evaluated for REE mineralisation and some of the results are highly encouraging, justifying further on-the-ground exploration activities. The sampling also demonstrated elevated results for Tantalum (Ta), Rubidium (Rb) and Niobium (Nb).
The table below shows a summary of the data and the figure below shows the results on a map.
Note 1 – Green highlights are samples above the background
Note 2 – Red highlights are samples above 2 x background
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Survey
The Hyperspectral program used Sentinel-2 satellite longwave infrared (LWIR), visible/near-infrared (VNIR), and shortwave infrared (SWIR) imagery for interpretation across the Red Peak Project. The results were most encouraging, and multiple exploration targets were identified using known REE occurrences to characterise the spectral signature of potential REE indicators within the area.
The spectral response in the VNIR/SWIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum is purely surficial and can only map soils and outcrops. However, some penetration of the regolith is possible using thermal imagery (Aster LWIR).
Helium is a critical REE indicator because it is derived from the decay of uranium, which is often associated with REE occurrences and deposits. Helium is a gas and can, therefore, sometimes travel through the rock strata and, if detected, could reveal hidden uranium-enriched areas at depths that may be used to identify potential REE targets. The Aster-Hyperspectral analysis can detect Helium and be used to identify potential REE targets on the Red Peak Project.
Talc is used to represent clays that may potentially hold REE mineralisation since the area is known for its clay based REE mineralisation, such as that identified at the Mt Clere REE project owned by Krakatoa Resources (ASX. KTA).
The external consultant producing the Hyperspectral analysis derived 16 spectral end members from the dataset and compared the response to over 481 minerals in the USGS library. The fourth end member is talc. This data was trained on 30 samples located around the Tower REE prospects to the southwest of the Red Peak project, and talc was the most dominant end member in the results. The same interpolation was then run over the Red Peak project to reveal areas of anomalous talc signatures in the Aster-Hyperspectral data. Several targets were identified in this manner. Refer to the figure below.
The TREO values greater than 200 ppm TREO are tabulated in the table below.
The figure below depicts the TREO results of the WAMEX and AS2 datasets over the Red Peak Project.
