Kendrick Resources (LSE:KEN), an AIM-listed rare earth developer focused on the Teufelskuppe carbonatite complex in Namibia, has identified a new zone of high-grade rare earth element mineralisation hosted within breccia at the project site.
Portable XRF sampling of the mineralised breccia returned peak grades of 11.57%, 9.39% and 6.3% total rare earth oxides (TREO), with an average of approximately 3.75% TREO across 14.42 metres of continuous mineralisation, broadly comparable to grades recorded in the adjacent massive carbonatite bodies.
The breccia is estimated to comprise 40% by volume of high-grade light rare earth oxide-dominant carbonatite sourced from those neighbouring bodies, and sits close to surface, which the company says supports cost-effective extraction.
Metallurgical test work has begun to evaluate physical separation techniques that could isolate the high-grade carbonatite fraction from the waste-dominated breccia matrix before downstream processing, with the aim of improving feed grade and reducing processing volumes.
An initial mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the breccia is now being prepared, incorporating existing assay data and results from the ongoing drilling programme.
Chairman Colin Bird said the discovery "potentially provides access from surface to high-grade material that can contribute meaningfully to the mineral resource the Company is steadily building," adding that an existing 14 million tonne above-surface carbonatite estimate is expected to grow further as drilling delineates sub-surface limits and the neighbouring Kieshöhe ore body is assessed.
