IPG to make resource upgrading drilling at Crater Lake 2022 Crater Lake EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Imperial Mining work will be geared towards work required to move the Crater Lake scandium-rare earth project towards Definitive Feasibility Study activities. For this to be accomplished, a 2,500m in-fill diamond drill program will be required for the current resource at the TG Zone Northern Lobe. The objective of this work is to convert all previously-defined inferred resources (13.2 Mt at 264 g/t Sc2O3, see Imperial Mining Press Release, September 23, 2021), to indicated and measured mineral resource category. As well, the company intends to drill test extensions of scandium mineralized intersections returned in 2019 (310 g/t Sc2O3 over 113.9m, see Imperial Mining Press Release - JUN 18. 2019) at the Southern Lobe of the TG Zone mineralized horizon. This Zone shows excellent potential to increase the known tonnage and grade of the scandium and rare-earths mineralization relative to the Northern Lobe, which are interpreted to constitute a continuous, 800-m long mineralized system.
In addition, detailed assessment of historical high-grade rare earth-niobium-tantalum occurrences, north and northwest of the Crater Lake Complex, known as the Crater Lake Extension property area, was undertaken during the winter and previous summer programs. In this area, 2010 grab sampling results of up to 9.28% niobium oxide (Nb2O5), 13.4% zirconium (Zr), 2.4% total rare earths oxides plus yttrium (TREO+Y) and 3,020 ppm tantalum (Ta) were returned requiring further investigation. The area coincides with extensive TREO+Y-Nb-Ta till geochemical and radiometric anomalies over the areas of the occurrences. Plans are for drilling a short, vertical diamond drillhole into the core of the occurrence area to test the vertical extent of the sub-horizontal mineralized system.
The drilling is expected to commence soon. Results from the drill core sampling program will be reported throughout the current summer and fall period.
Imperial also plans to ship the remaining 32-tonne bulk sample prepared over the STG Zone from the project site to its storage facility located in Sept-Iles, QC. This material will be used in a pilot plant study to further test and optimize Imperial's metallurgical process method (see Imperial Mining Press Release - JUN 9, 2021).
https://imperialmgp.com/news-releases/news/2022/imperial-mining-increases-scandium-and-rare-earth-recoveries-on-its-crater-lake-development-project-quebec/