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Rare earth elements
Opportunities in New South Wales, Australia
DEC 2016
QUEENSLAND
LISMORE
Lightning Ridge
Tibooburra
SOUTH
Thomson
Orogen
Curnamona
Craton
AU S T R A L I A
To Adelaide
Moree
Dumboy-Gragin
Granite
Walgett
Bourke
Yamba
Inverell
Grafton
Gilgai Granite
Narrabri
Delamerian Orogen
New England
Orogen
Armidale
Gunnedah
Coonamble
Broken
Hill
Kempsey
TAMWORTH
Cobar
Nyngan
Lachlan
Orogen
PORT MACQUARIE
Taree
DUBBO
Muswellbrook
Mudgee
Parkes
Murray Basin
Ginkgo
Snapper
NEWCASTLE
ORANGE
BATHURST
Balranald
NOWRA
Deniliquin
N
200 km
CANBERRA
Snapper
A.C.T.
Jindera Granite
VICTORIA
ALBURY
Batemans Bay
Cooma
Whipstick
Granite
proved & probable
35.93 Mt @ 1.93% ZrO2, 0.04% HfO2,
0.14% Y2O3, 0.46% Nb2O5, 0.03% Ta2O5,
0.74% other rare earth oxides
measured & inferred
73.2 Mt @ 1.95% ZrO2, 0.04% HfO2,
0.14% Y2O3, 0.46% Nb2O5, 0.03% Ta2O5,
0.75% other rare earth oxides
inferred
73.2 Mt @ 1250 ppm ZrO2, 327 ppm REO,
146 g/t Y2O3, 126 g/t Nb2O5, 45 g/t HfO2,
61 g/t ThO2, 54 g/t Ga2O3, 118 g/t Li2O
WOLLONGONG
Goulburn
WAGGA
WAGGA
Dubbo Zirconia Project
SYDNEY
Narraburra
Granite
Griffith
COFFS HARBOUR
Narraburra
Cowra
Wentworth
Ballina
Mole Granite
Narooma
Bega
Eden
Narraburra
REFERENCE
Operating Heavy Mineral
Sands mine
REE deposit
Granite
Export port
Railway
Major road, sealed
Major road, unsealed
Gas pipeline
Overview
bb New South Wales (NSW) offers a range of opportunities
for discoveries of rare earth elements.
bb The potential for rare earth elements in NSW is largely
untested.
bb Rocks known to contain elevated concentrations of rare
earth elements in NSW include:
bb Rare earth elements comprise a series of 15 natural
metallic elements ranging in atomic number from 57
(lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium). Also generally included for
geological purposes are yttrium (which behaves as a rare
earth element), scandium and thorium. Compounds of
rare earth elements have numerous uses, such as in the
production of automotive catalytic converters, optical
lenses, lighting and powerful magnets.
• Trachytes such as those that host the Dubbo Zirconia Project
(Toongi)
• Nephelinite and carbonatite magmatic rocks
• Highly fractionated granitoids and pegmatites
• Pliocene heavy mineral sands deposits that contain monazite
(for example the Snapper and Ginkgo mines).
www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au
Geological setting
Prospective rocks for rare earth elements include:
• Potassic rocks, carbonatite and nephelinite rocks
• Highly fractionated, metaluminous and peralkaline I-type granites
that can be enriched in incompatible elements. Hydrothermal
activity, commonly involving chlorine and fluorine associated with
the intrusions, can concentrate rare earth elements
Periodic table
1
H
4.003
3
Li
Lithium
19
K
Potassium
39.10
37
Rb
Rubidium
85.47
55
Ca
20
Calcium
Boron
Aluminium
Sr
Strontium
87.62
Ba
223
REE
Rare Earth
Elements
Ra
Radium
226
39
Y
Yttrium
57-71
Lanthanide
series
89-103
**
Actinide
series
* La
57
89
Actinium
58
Cerium
92.91
73
Ta
Thorium
232.0
Cr
Chromium
51.9961
263
Pa
74
106
Seaborgium
Nd
60
Neodymium
144.2
Protactinium
231.0
98.0
W
Sg
91
54.938044
Technetium
262
Pr
Manganese
Molybdenum
Db
59
Mn
43
183.84
Dubnium
25
42
Mo Tc
Tungsten
105
140.9
90
24
95.96
Praseodymium
140.1
Th
Niobium
180.94788
104
Ce
41
Nb
Tantalum
178.5
261
138.9
227
72
Hafnium
Rf
V
50.94
40
Hf
23
Vanadium
47.867
Rutherfordium
Lanthanum
** Ac
Titanium
91.224
*
88
Ti
Zr
Zirconium
88.91
56
137.327
Francium
Sc
44.96
38
Barium
87
26.9815385
22
U
Uranium
238.0
92
75
Re
Rhenium
Fe
Iron
Ruthenium
101.07
76
Os
Bohrium
Hs
102.9
Mt
145
Np
93
Neptunium
237
Samarium
150.4
Pu
94
Plutonium
244
106.42
78
63
Europium
152.0
Ds
110
Darmstadtium
269
Gd
Silver
64
157.3
Tb
243
Curium
247
Cn
65
81
Tl
Thalium
62.5
Berkelium
Cf
98
Californium
252
33
As
Arsenic
121.760
82
Pb
83
Bi
Bismuth
Fl
Ho
Holmium
164.9
Es
99
Einsteinium
252
Er
Erbium
52
Te
Tellurium
127.6
84
Po
Br
83.80
53
Iodine
Xe
54
Xenon
126.9
131.3
85
Astatine
Rn
86
Radon
210
222
116
292
69
70
Tm Yb
168.9
100
101
Ytterbium
173.1
102
Lu
175.0
No
Lr
257
259
262
Mendelevium
258
Nobelium
71
Lutetium
Fm Md
Fermium
Kr
36
Krypton
79.90
At
18
39.95
Bromine
I
Ar
Argon
35
Livermorium
Thulium
167.3
Se
Lv
289
68
20.18
35.44
34
Ne
10
Neon
17
Cl
Chlorine
32.06
209
Flerovium
67
Sulfur
Polonium
208.98
114
F
19.00
78.96
51
Sb
9
Fluorine
16
S
Selenium
74.92
Antimony
207.2
Copernicium
Dy
50
Sn
Lead
204.3
Dysprosium
97
Ge
O
16.00
30.97
32
8
Oxygen
15
P
Phosphorus
28.08
118.710
112
66
Silicon
Tin
114.818
N
14.00
69.723
Indium
7
Nitrogen
14
Si
Germanium
49
In
277
158.9
247
80
200.6
Terbium
96
Hg
Ga
69.723
Mercury
111
Roentgenium
Am Cm Bk
Americium
79
196.966569
31
Gallium
48
112.4
Gold
Rg
Cd
Cadmium
107.8682
Au
Zn
65.38
47
272
Gadolinium
95
Ag
30
Zinc
63.546
Palladium
Pt
Cu
29
Copper
46
195.084
266
62
Pd
Platinum
109
Meitnerium
Pm Sm Eu
Promethium
77
192.2
265
61
Rhodium
Ir
Ni
58.6934
45
Iridium
108
Hassium
262
Rh
28
Nickel
58.933194
44
Ru
190.2
107
Co
27
Cobalt
55.85
Osmium
186.2
Bh
26
C
12.00
13
Al
21
6
Carbon
10.80
Scandium
40.08
5
B
12
24.3
132.9
Bastnaesite is the most important mineral as a source of rare earth
elements. Other important source or tracer minerals include parisite,
monazite and xenotime.
Mg
Magnesium
22.99
Fr
Be
9.0121831
11
Sodium
Cs
4
Beryllium
6.94
Na
2
Helium
1.007
Caesium
• Surficial clays and laterite with elevated concentrations of rare
earth elements.
He
Hydrogen
103
Lawrencium
Project highlights
Dubbo Zirconia Project (Toongi), about 275 km northwest of
Sydney, is a world-class resource containing zirconium (ZrO2), hafnium
(HfO2), niobium (Nb2O5), tantalum (Ta2O5), yttrium (Y2O3) and rare
earth elements. Toongi is currently in construction, with production
anticipated to commence in 2018. The deposit is associated with a
hydrothermally altered pipe-like alkaline (trachyte) intrusion of
Jurassic age.
Narraburra, 375 km west of Sydney, contains zirconium oxide,
yttrium oxide, rare earth oxides, niobium oxide, and thorium oxide,
hosted by deeply weathered and fresh leucogranite.
Exploration targets
The Lachlan Orogen, recognised as a world-class mineral province
for metalliferous deposits, also hosts important rare earth element
deposits.
Exploration opportunities for rare earth elements include highly
fractionated metaluminous and peralkaline I-type granitoids and
associated skarns (e.g. at Narraburra, Jindera and Whipstick).
Pegmatite, Triple Chance mine.
Rare earth elements uses (2013) by value
65%
Catalysts
Latite–trachyte intrusions, mainly of Jurassic age, are scattered widely
across NSW. These intrusions have potential for Toongi-style deposits.
Laterites associated with the intrusions have potential to host
elevated concentrations of rare earth elements.
19%
Metallurgical alloys
The New England Orogen hosts highly fractionated, relatively
oxidised and metaluminous I-type granitoids of Permian to Early
Triassic age. The Mole Granite, north east of Inverell, is associated with
many polymetallic mineral occurrences, some of which contain
monazite with elevated rare earth elements and thorium. Other
prospective rocks in the area include the Dumboy-Gragin and Gilgai
granitoids.
In the Proterozoic Curnamona Craton, highly anomalous
concentrations of rare earth elements occur in sulfide-bearing
deposits including the famous Broken Hill base metal deposit.
Granitoids (e.g. Mundi Mundi-type) and fluorine-rich pegmatites can
also be anomalous in rare earth elements.
The Delamerian Orogen is a greenfields terrain that offers many
opportunities for rare earth elements including oxidised mafic
carbonatite and nepheline syenite.
The Murray Basin in the southwest of the state is a globally
significant heavy mineral sands province, with extensive Pliocene
beach placer deposits that contain rare earth element-bearing
monazite. The economic potential for monazite associated with heavy
mineral sands extraction has not been fully established.
9%
Magnets
6%
Polishing, glazes
1%
Other
Source: USGS 2015
Further information
The Advanced Projects & Exploration Highlights in NSW Map
summarises recent exploration activities and ore reserve/
resource announcements. This map is updated every six months
and is available at www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.gov.au.
Contact: [email protected] | +61 2 4931 6689
Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at time of writing (December 2016). Because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date. The
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