Strategic Elements adds Gascoyne region exposure to rare earth element portfolio

Strategic Elements (ASX: SOR) has a very unique strategy and holds the mantle as the only ASX listed rare earths pooled development fund, with the company now increasing its portfolio with exposure to the Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

Via a wholly owned subsidiary, Strategic Elements has been granted a permit for the Gifford Creek Project, with exploration in the permit to target rare earth mineralisation in carbonatite dykes intruded into a broad zone of altered rocks.

Increasing the prospectivity of the area, the company said that the rocks are considered significantly anomalous in rare earths.

Highlighting how quickly Strategic Elements is building its rare earth focused portfolio since listing on the ASX in August 2011 after a success oversubscribed IPO, the company recently commenced an aggressive program of field work on New Zealand’s underexplored West Coast, part of a wider program aimed at discovering new sources of strategic and precious metals.


Gifford Creek potential; documented rare earths and niobium

The move by Strategic Elements to gain exposure to Gifford Creek is significant considering the known geology of the area, which increases the potential of the project dramatically.

Exploration since 1974 documents rare earths and niobium mineralisation, with preferential enrichment in heavy rare earths, in the area of the Gifford Creek Complex.

The complex consists of dykes and sills with elevated to high concentrations of rare earths, that occur over an area of about 25 kilometres by 25 kilometres of north-west Western Australia

The company's permit application area which covers 15 kilometres by 7.5 kilometres includes the western part of the rare earths-enriched carbonatitic dyke swarm that occurs close and parallel to the Lyons Creek lineament.

The permit also hosts the Radford Rise deformed carbonatitic lenses intruded along the contact of granitoid rocks with sediments of the Bangemall Supergroup.

Strategic Elements added that the lenses extend over an area of 120 metres by 100 metres and are enriched in rare earths and fluorapatite.


Global rare earth exposure

Strategic Elements is currently actively conducting fieldwork on the West Coast of New Zealand, as well as on the Mandamus rare metals project on the country’s East Coast.

Fieldwork on the West Coast is focused on a geologically rich belt adjacent to the regional Alpine Fault on the South Island, and is expected to be completed by the end of January 2012.

Strategic has begun a geochemical survey over a range of prospects related to a belt of 10 separate granites adjacent to the fault, seeking gold, silver, rare earths, rare metals, tin and tungsten.

The West Coast is believed to contain considerable mineral potential, however vegetation in the area makes it difficult to see, and a lack of airborne geophysical data has impacted on exploration in the area.

The company also has exposure to a tungsten/tin project in Ireland, along with operations in Australia.

Originally published at: http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/24493/strategic-elements-adds-gascoyne-region-exposure-to-rare-earth-element-portfolio-24493.html