By: Mining review Africa

Altona Rare Earths has successfully completed an expanded drilling campaign at its Monte Muambe rare earths project in Mozambique. The program totaled 3,419 meters across 74 holes, exceeding the original 2,000-meter plan by 70%. This expansion was driven by encouraging initial results and the discovery of new targets, with most holes encountering visible fluorspar mineralization.

The expanded drilling is expected to contribute to a larger fluorspar mineral resource estimate (MRE). The company has completed on-site data collection, including the logging of 3,160 geochemical samples, and has dispatched three representative metallurgical samples to laboratories for testing. A Real Time Kinematic (RTK) topographic survey was also conducted to support the creation of high-resolution digital terrain models necessary for MRE calculations.

A required site visit by the competent person for the JORC-compliant MRE was completed in late November to verify drilling and sampling procedures. Assay results are anticipated early next year, after which the fluorspar-gallium MRE will be prepared and published.