Cobra Resources, a UK-based mineral exploration and development company, has commenced sonic core drilling at its Boland Project in South Australia. This move marks a significant milestone in the project’s advancement, as sonic drilling provides the best sample return possible, enabling the evaluation of the in-situ recovery (ISR) productivity of the orebody and the enrichment of dysprosium and terbium, two critical heavy rare earths in high demand globally.

 Sonic Drilling at Boland Project

•  The sonic drilling operation has begun, with the Star Drilling rig mobilising to site to commence a minimum 10-hole (~500m) programme.
•  Drilling is expected to take 8-10 days, with a further well being installed to support the planned future infield permeability study.
•  The drilling programme will target the extraction of 40-80kg of sample material to facilitate optimisation metallurgical studies and confirm the continuity of geology across the expanding footprint defined in aircore drilling.

 Boland Project Overview

The Boland Project is a strategically advantageous ionic rare earth discovery where high grades of valuable heavy and magnet rare earths occur concentrated in a permeable horizon confined by impermeable clays. Bench scale ISR testing has confirmed that mineralisation is amenable to ISR mining, a low-cost, low-impact method that enables the non-invasive and low-cost production of critical REEs from the deposit.

 ISR Mining Method

ISR mining is a process that involves the injection of mildly acidic ammonium sulphate lixiviants into the orebody to extract the REEs, using the confining nature of the geology to direct and lower the acidity of the orebody. This low-cost process enables mines to operate profitably at lower grades and lower rates of recovery, with minimal ground disturbance and no need for traditional infrastructure to process ore.

 Competence and Expertise

Information and data presented in this announcement have been compiled by Mr Robert Blythman, a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG), who has sufficient experience to qualify as a Competent Person defined by the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code). Additionally, information in this announcement has been assessed by Mr Rupert Verco, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, who has over 17 years’ industry experience relevant to the style of mineralisation, deposit type, and activity undertaken.

 Appendix 1: Background Information – the Boland Project and ISR

For further information on the Boland Project and ISR mining, please refer to the appendix section. This section provides an overview of the project, the ISR mining method, and its potential benefits and risks.

 About Cobra Resources

Cobra Resources is a UK-based mineral exploration and development company focused on de-risking the investment value of its rare earth discovery by proving ISR as the preferred mining method and testing the scale of the mineralisation footprint through drilling. The company’s Wudinna Project in South Australia’s Gawler Craton is home to a rare earth deposit with the potential to redefine the cost of rare earth production, and the company is also exploring orogenic gold mineralisation in the same region.

 CEO Rupert Verco’s Comments

“Sonic drilling provides the best sample return possible, enabling us to evaluate the ISR productivity of the orebody and the enrichment of dysprosium and terbium, two critical heavy rare earths in high demand globally. We anticipate higher grades than defined within aircore results owing to the sonic rig’s ability to recover a complete sample.