American Rare Earths is thrilled to provide a comprehensive update on the significant advancements at the Halleck Creek Project, located in Wyoming, USA. This update includes upcoming drilling activities, research and development initiatives, environmental permitting, and ongoing processing and metallurgical testwork.
2024 Proposed Drill Hole Locations. Image Credit: American Rare Earths
Key Highlights:
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Drilling Program: A 2,470-meter drilling campaign is scheduled to commence in July 2024 in the Cowboy State Mine area. The objective is to enhance resource estimates and advance mine planning for pre-feasibility analysis.
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R&D Partnership Funding: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has approved new research and development funding of $US 4.6 million. The funds will support the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's ongoing work on the Halleck Creek flowsheet design.
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Environmental Permitting: Permitting activities at the Cowboy State Mine have begun, starting with baseline environmental data collection and analysis.
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Flowsheet Optimization: Advanced separation and concentration testwork is progressing, with detailed leach testing planned with experts at SGS Canada.
Project Details:
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Drilling Plans: ARR is mobilizing drilling teams to execute the campaign in July 2024, which includes approximately 23 holes (12 RC holes and 11 HQ core holes) totaling 2,470 meters. This effort aims to upgrade resource estimates and provide critical data for prefeasibility studies.
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Environmental Baseline Studies: ARR has engaged WWC Engineering from Sheridan, Wyoming, to conduct comprehensive baseline environmental studies, including vegetation and animal monitoring surveys. These studies are crucial for responsible mine development and will continue in consultation with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality – Land Quality Division.
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Mineral Processing and Metallurgical Testwork: Ongoing work at Mineral Technologies and SGS Canada focuses on refining mineral processing flowsheets. Significant progress has been made with gravity separation techniques, and additional testwork is planned with high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR), wet-high intensity magnetic separation, and electrostatic separation tests.
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Leaching and Rare Earth Oxide Processing: SGS Canada is developing a comprehensive testwork plan to focus on leaching, impurity removal, and preliminary rare earth oxide processing. This work will commence in Q3/Q4 2024 using core samples from the Halleck Creek site.
Donald Swartz, CEO of American Rare Earths, commented:
“I am pleased to announce our continued project execution to de-risk the project. At the time of our institutional placement in February, we outlined the use of proceeds to accelerate development to include additional drilling, metallurgical testwork, project studies, and permitting. As we enter the 2025 fiscal year, we do so ahead of schedule. Through the Company’s involvement in the DARPA initiative, our flowsheet has improved, and I’m excited about the future. The planned drilling will allow ARR to upgrade our resource estimates and provide data for advancing studies in FY2025. The mineral processing and leaching testwork is designed to refine our current flowsheets. The preliminary baseline environmental studies are the first steps towards responsible mine development at the Cowboy State Mine.”
American Rare Earths owns the Halleck Creek, WY, and La Paz, AZ rare earth deposits, which have the potential to become the largest and most sustainable rare earth projects in North America. The Company is developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective extraction and processing methods to meet the rapidly increasing demand for resources essential to the clean energy transition and US national security. The Company continues to evaluate other exploration opportunities and is collaborating with US Government-supported R&D to develop efficient processing and separation techniques of (REEs) elements to help ensure a renewable future.