Rare earth elements (REEs) developer Ionic Rare Earths has conducted a review to establish further exploration potential at its Makuutu project, in Uganda, and plan the work programmes to be conducted over the next 12 months.

This followed on the back of a May 3 update to the Makuutu mineral resource estimate (MRE) to 532-million tonnes at 640 ppm total rare earth oxide (TREO), above a cut-off grade of 200 ppm TREO minus cerium dioxide.

The Makuutu rare earths project is an ionic adsorption clay-hosted REE deposit. The deposit stretches 37 km in length and has demonstrated potential for a long-life, low-cost source of magnet and heavy REEs.

The company said on June 1 that the revised exploration target range for additional potential mineralisation at Makuutu had been estimated at 216-million to 535-million tonnes grading at 400 ppm to 600 ppm TREO.

Ionic said that, although this exploration target was conceptual in nature, it was based on reasonable grounds and assumptions.

However, the company added that insufficient exploration had been done to estimate a mineral resource and that it was uncertain if further exploration would result in the estimation of a mineral resource.

“The long-term exploration potential is immense. This updated exploration target, which factors in the successful Phase 3 rotary air blast (RAB) drilling assay results from July 2021, confirms the massive potential of EL00147, having identified immediate extensions to the resource estimate beyond previous radiometric targeting.

“Additionally, the new tenement at EL00257 would provide additional upside beyond this target,” Ionic Rare Earths MD Tim Harrison explained.

The aim of the continuation of the exploration programme in targeted areas was to establish a minimum of inferred level resources in accordance with the guidelines of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee code.

The exploration licence EL00257 mentioned by Harrison has areas of equivalent uranium or equivalent thorium radiometric anomalism related to lateritic hardcap as seen at Makuutu. To date, only reconnaissance field inspection has been conducted on this licence to confirm the radiometric response is related to hardcap, Ionic said.

The company said the aim of this programme was to initially determine the endowment of REE in the area with the goal of generating additions to an updated MRE in 2023.

To advance this area, the exploration programme included the compilation, lodgement and approval of the exploration programme by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), following the environmental-impact assessment (EIA) for licence EL00257.

Ionic said the EIA lodgement was in progress for both licences with an estimated time for approval from Nema of two to three months.

Field mapping and sampling are scheduled to start on June 30.