Kendrick Resources (LSE:KEN) said certified laboratory assays from three drill holes at its Teufelskuppe project in Namibia have confirmed high-grade light rare earth oxide (LREO) mineralisation over significant widths, reinforcing the field-based pXRF readings the company has used to guide its accelerated drilling programme.
The AIM-listed explorer said a statistical comparison of 100 samples showed a correlation coefficient of 0.82 between pXRF field readings and certified assays from SGS, a result it called strong statistical evidence that the two methods track closely.
That correlation matters because Kendrick has been using pXRF to make real-time drilling decisions ahead of slower laboratory turnaround, and the match gives it confidence to keep leaning on the cheaper, faster method.
Drill hole TKDD002 returned 3.14% LREO over 38.2 metres, TKDD003 returned 3.4% LREO over 59.78 metres, and TKDD004 intersected a near-surface sill grading 3.12% LREO over 3.97 metres that widens to around 40 metres at depth.
Kendrick is targeting a resource of at least 40 million tonnes at a grade above 3.0% LREO.
"We have now been able to directly compare pXRF values with certified laboratory analyses, and the correlation is highly satisfactory", said Colin Bird, Kendrick's chairman.
The company is progressing verification of its in-house resource estimate toward JORC 2012 compliance, alongside ongoing petrological studies in the United States and metallurgical test work in Europe.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Kendrick has now validated its field pXRF readings against certified laboratory assays, with a correlation coefficient of 0.82 across 100 samples—strong statistical evidence that the cheaper, faster field method tracks closely enough to guide real-time drilling decisions. Three drill holes confirm high-grade light rare earth oxide mineralisation over significant widths (3.12–3.4% LREO over 38–60 metres), reinforcing the company's target of at least 40 million tonnes at above 3.0% LREO and supporting its path toward a maiden JORC resource by end-Q3 2026.
The validation of pXRF as a reliable proxy for certified assays removes a material execution risk: Kendrick can now accelerate drilling and resource definition without waiting for laboratory turnaround, materially compressing the timeline to resource statement and feasibility work. The intercepts themselves—consistent with prior pXRF results and the company's 3.0%+ LREO target—do not materially change the resource case, but the methodological confidence strengthens the credibility of the in-house estimate underpinning the US$400m NPV published in May 2026.
Insights assembled by AI. Editor-reviewed and grounded in tickstock’s coverage and proprietary knowledge graph.
Content is for informational purposes only, not financial advice.
