Altona Rare Earths plc has received “very encouraging” assays from fluorspar ore samples collected last October from the fluorite zone at the Monte Muambe rare earths project in northwest Mozambique.
PRODUCTION
Returns of an average of 88.03% fluorite (CaF2) exceeded expectations given that the typical range for metallurgical grade fluorspar is 60 to 85%, the company noted.
The fluorite zone lies along the western margin of the Monte Muambe “rare earths bearing carbonatite”.
Assays also indicated the presence of, on average, 6.16% Fe2O3 (iron oxide), 0.97% SiO2 (silicon dioxide / silica), 0.49% Al2O3 (aluminium oxide), 1.08% P2O5, (phosphorous pentoxide) 1.62% SrO (strontium oxide / strontia), and less than 0.36% CaCO3 (calcium carbonate).
“These results support the company’s optimism in the potential to produce a metallurgical grade or possibly even an acid grade fluorspar product from this ore,” said the company.
Metallurgical studies on the samples will assess options for processing while Altona also continues discussions on offtake agreements with “various trading houses”.
Chief executive Cedric Simonet added: “With the fluorspar production scoping study in progress, and the mining licence in place, we are getting closer to our objective of producing 15,000 to 20,000 tons of fluorspar per year from Monte Muambe’s fluorite zone in the short term.”