Rare Earth Elements Opportunities in New South Wales, Australia
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Rare earth elements Opportunities in New South Wales, Australia DEC 2016 QUEENSLAND LISMORE Ballina Lightning Ridge Moree Mole Granite Tibooburra Thomson Yamba Dumboy-Gragin Inverell SOUTH AUSTRALIA Orogen Granite Grafton Walgett Bourke Gilgai Granite Narrabri Curnamona Delamerian Orogen New England COFFS HARBOUR Craton Armidale Orogen Dubbo Zirconia Project Gunnedah Coonamble proved & probable Kempsey 35.93 Mt @ 1.93% ZrO2, 0.04% HfO2, TAMWORTH 0.14% Y O , 0.46% Nb O , 0.03% Ta O , Cobar 2 3 2 5 2 5 Nyngan PORT MACQUARIE 0.74% other rare earth oxides measured & inferred Broken 73.2 Mt @ 1.95% ZrO , 0.04% HfO , Hill Taree 2 2 Lachlan DUBBO 0.14% Y2O3, 0.46% Nb2O5, 0.03% Ta2O5, Adelaide To Orogen Muswellbrook 0.75% other rare earth oxides Mudgee Narraburra inferred NEWCASTLE 73.2 Mt @ 1250 ppm ZrO2, 327 ppm REO, Parkes 146 g/t Y O , 126 g/t Nb O , 45 g/t HfO , Murray Basin ORANGE 2 3 2 5 2 61 g/t ThO , 54 g/t Ga O , 118 g/t Li O Ginkgo BATHURST 2 2 3 2 Snapper Cowra SYDNEY Wentworth Narraburra Griffith Granite WOLLONGONG Balranald Goulburn NOWRA REFERENCE WAGGA CANBERRA WAGGA Snapper Operating Heavy Mineral Deniliquin A.C.T. Sands mine Jindera Granite Batemans Bay N Narraburra REE deposit ALBURY Granite Cooma Narooma VICTORIA 200 km Export port Bega Railway Whipstick Granite Major road, sealed Eden Major road, unsealed Gas pipeline Overview b New South Wales (NSW) offers a range of opportunities b The potential for rare earth elements in NSW is largely for discoveries of rare earth elements. untested. b Rocks known to contain elevated concentrations of rare b Rare earth elements comprise a series of 15 natural earth elements in NSW include: metallic elements ranging in atomic number from 57 • Trachytes such as those that host the Dubbo Zirconia Project (lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium). Also generally included for (Toongi) geological purposes are yttrium (which behaves as a rare earth element), scandium and thorium. Compounds of • Nephelinite and carbonatite magmatic rocks rare earth elements have numerous uses, such as in the • Highly fractionated granitoids and pegmatites production of automotive catalytic converters, optical • Pliocene heavy mineral sands deposits that contain monazite lenses, lighting and powerful magnets. (for example the Snapper and Ginkgo mines). www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au Geological setting Periodic table 1 2 H He Prospective rocks for rare earth elements include: Hydrogen Helium 1.007 4.003 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Li Be B C N O F Ne Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon • Potassic rocks, carbonatite and nephelinite rocks 6.94 9.0121831 10.80 12.00 14.00 16.00 19.00 20.18 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon 22.99 24.3 26.9815385 28.08 30.97 32.06 35.44 39.95 • Highly fractionated, metaluminous and peralkaline I-type granites 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton that can be enriched in incompatible elements. Hydrothermal 39.10 40.08 44.96 47.867 50.94 51.9961 54.938044 55.85 58.933194 58.6934 63.546 65.38 69.723 69.723 74.92 78.96 79.90 83.80 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe activity, commonly involving chlorine and fluorine associated with Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon 85.47 87.62 88.91 91.224 92.91 95.96 98.0 101.07 102.9 106.42 107.8682 112.4 114.818 118.710 121.760 127.6 126.9 131.3 55 56 57-71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 the intrusions, can concentrate rare earth elements Cs Ba Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn Caesium Barium Lanthanide* Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury Thalium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon 132.9 137.327 series 178.5 180.94788 183.84 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.084 196.966569 200.6 204.3 207.2 208.98 209 210 222 87 88 89-103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 114 116 • Surficial clays and laterite with elevated concentrations of rare Fr Ra Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Fl Lv Francium Radium Actinide** Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Flerovium Livermorium earth elements. 223 226 series 261 262 263 262 265 266 269 272 277 289 292 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 REE * La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Rare Earth Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Elements 138.9 140.1 140.9 144.2 145 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 62.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.1 175.0 Bastnaesite is the most important mineral as a source of rare earth 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr ** Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium elements. Other important source or tracer minerals include parisite, 227 232.0 231.0 238.0 237 244 243 247 247 252 252 257 258 259 262 monazite and xenotime. Project highlights Dubbo Zirconia Project (Toongi), about 275 km northwest of Sydney, is a world-class resource containing zirconium (ZrO2), hafnium (HfO2), niobium (Nb2O5), tantalum (Ta2O5), yttrium (Y2O3) and rare earth elements. Toongi is currently in construction, with production anticipated to commence in 2018. The deposit is associated with a hydrothermally altered pipe-like alkaline (trachyte) intrusion of Jurassic age. Narraburra, 375 km west of Sydney, contains zirconium oxide, yttrium oxide, rare earth oxides, niobium oxide, and thorium oxide, hosted by deeply weathered and fresh leucogranite. Exploration targets The Lachlan Orogen, recognised as a world-class mineral province for metalliferous deposits, also hosts important rare earth element Pegmatite, Triple Chance mine. deposits. Exploration opportunities for rare earth elements include highly Rare earth elements uses (2013) by value fractionated metaluminous and peralkaline I-type granitoids and associated skarns (e.g. at Narraburra, Jindera and Whipstick). 65% Catalysts Latite–trachyte intrusions, mainly of Jurassic age, are scattered widely across NSW. These intrusions have potential for Toongi-style deposits. Laterites associated with the intrusions have potential to host elevated concentrations of rare earth elements. 19% Metallurgical alloys The New England Orogen hosts highly fractionated, relatively oxidised and metaluminous I-type granitoids of Permian to Early Triassic age. The Mole Granite, north east of Inverell, is associated with many polymetallic mineral occurrences, some of which contain 9% monazite with elevated rare earth elements and thorium. Other Magnets prospective rocks in the area include the Dumboy-Gragin and Gilgai granitoids. 6% Polishing, glazes In the Proterozoic Curnamona Craton, highly anomalous 1% concentrations of rare earth elements occur in sulfide-bearing Other deposits including the famous Broken Hill base metal deposit. Source: USGS 2015 Granitoids (e.g. Mundi Mundi-type) and fluorine-rich pegmatites can also be anomalous in rare earth elements. The Delamerian Orogen is a greenfields terrain that offers many opportunities for rare earth elements including oxidised mafic Further information carbonatite and nepheline syenite. The Advanced Projects & Exploration Highlights in NSW Map summarises recent exploration activities and ore reserve/ The Murray Basin in the southwest of the state is a globally resource announcements. This map is updated every six months significant heavy mineral sands province, with extensive Pliocene and is available at www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au. beach placer deposits that contain rare earth element-bearing monazite. The economic potential for monazite associated with heavy mineral sands extraction has not been fully established. Contact: [email protected] | +61 2 4931 6689 Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at time of writing (December 2016). Because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date. The information contained in this publication may not be or may no longer be aligned with government policy nor does the publication indicate or imply government policy. No warranty about the accuracy, currency or completeness of any information contained in this document is inferred (including, without limitation, any information in the document provided by third parties). While all reasonable care has been taken in the compilation, to the extent permitted by law, the State of New South Wales exclude all liability for the accuracy or completeness of the information, or for any injury, loss, or damage whatsoever (including without limitation liability for negligence and consequential losses) suffered by any person acting, or purporting to act, in reliance upon anything contained herein. Users should rely upon their own advice, skills, interpretation and experience in applying information contained in this publication.