E-Tech Resources has identified its largest rare earth element (REE) soil anomaly to date at the Eureka project in Namibia’s Erongo Mining District, expanding the company’s pipeline of high-priority exploration targets.
The Eureka deposit lies in the Southern Central Zone of the Neoproterozoic Damara Belt within Exclusive Prospecting License (“EPL”) number EPL 6762, which covers farms Eureka 99 and Sukses 90. E-Tech has also entered a definitive agreement to acquire an 85% interest in the permit EPL 8748 which lies adjacent to and surrounds the Company’s EPL 6762.
The new kilometer-scale anomaly lies about 3.5 kilometers east of Zone 1 and shows high concentrations of lanthanum (La) and cerium (Ce), considered pathfinders for neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) — critical metals used in electric vehicles and wind turbines.
“The identification of this extensive REE anomaly highlights the outstanding exploration potential at Eureka,” said Christopher Drysdale, interim CEO of E-Tech Resources. “Systematic soil sampling has defined a kilometer-scale zone enriched in La and Ce, further supported by carbonatite float and visible monazite at surface. Importantly, this anomaly, which represents the largest soil anomaly defined on the project to date, adds to our growing pipeline of high-priority targets.”
The anomaly measures roughly 1,000 metres by 350 metres, far larger than the initial Zone 1 discovery, which was linked to a soil anomaly of just 116 metres by 60 metres. Soil sampling returned La values up to 1,702 ppm and Ce values up to 2,772 ppm. Fieldwork also confirmed the presence of carbonatite subcrop and monazite at surface.
E-Tech said ongoing work includes detailed mapping and grab sampling, with high-resolution ground magnetic surveys scheduled to refine drill targets. Drilling is expected to follow.
Soil sampling was conducted on a 40 by 40-metre grid using a SciAps X-555 portable XRF analyzer, which the company says has previously shown reliable results at Eureka when compared with laboratory assays. QA/QC measures included daily calibration, insertion of blanks and standards, and field preparation designed to minimise contamination.
Eureka’s systematic sampling program is being expanded to cover the entire dome area to identify further REE mineralisation zones.
