• RC drill results from seven holes have returned high-grade rare earth and titanium dioxide
• EQN believes the results reinforce Mata da Corda as a premier multicommodity project
• Diamond drilling is now underway to advance exploration and refine the targeting of high-priority tenements

Special Report: Exploratory drilling has returned consistent high grades up to 31% magnetic rare earth oxide from seven holes at Mata da Corda, confirming the enormous potential of the asset.

Equinox Resources (ASX:EQN) embarked on a drilling blitz across its Brazilian project portfolio in early September at Campo Grande and Mata da Corda with a focus on uncovering high-grade rare earth mineralisation.

Dotted around the South American nation are numerous rare earth element (REE) assets as Brazil looks to overtake China to become the world’s dominant source of REE production and processing.

EQN staked Mata da Corda at the end of last year as an important extension of its Campo Grande project after applying for ~972km2 of tenements in the rare earth clay prospective province of Patos de Minas.

Previous surface clay samples have returned up to 10,109ppm total rare earth oxide (TREO) and 25% titanium dioxide, verifying the district-scale targets with over half the samples exceeding 2000ppm TREO across the 972km2 project area.

REE maiden drilling at Mata da Corda delivers

Initial exploratory RC drill results from seven holes, with an average depth of 22m, have returned high-grade rare earth and titanium dioxide results at Mata da Corda.

Total rare earth oxide (TREO) with magnetic rare earth oxide (MREO) concentrations include:

• 4m at 4323ppm TREO (28% MREO) from 16m;
• 5m at 3672ppm TREO (26% MREO) from 8m; and
• 3m at 3637ppm TREO (27% MREO) from 33m.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) intercepts include:

• 3m at 15.5% TiO2 from 13m;
• 3m at 15.3% TiO2 from 1m; and
• 3m at 15.2% TiO2 from 21m.

Essential part of EQN’s growth strategy

“We are excited by the consistently high grades of both rare earth elements and titanium mineralisation identified across multiple zones at our Mata da Corda project,” EQN managing director Zac Komur said.

“Significant intercepts, such as 4323ppm TREO and 15.5% TiO2, highlight the exceptional multi-commodity potential of this asset.

“These results confirm the scale and quality of the project, reinforcing Mata da Corda’s importance in our growth strategy.”

What lies ahead?

Diamond drilling is underway, supported by EQN’s own auger drill rigs, which are currently averaging 12m per day per auger rig.

Further drilling assay results from high-grade surface sample areas are expected soon.

These campaigns, covering an unexplored project area which is critical for gathering the necessary data to advance exploration and refine the targeting of high-priority tenements.

This article was developed in collaboration with Equinox Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.