Red Metal reports strong leach results from fresh granite at Sybella rare earth project

Red Metal Limited conducted two-metre column leach trials on fresh granite ore from the Kary Zone of its Sybla rare earth project near Mount Isa, Queensland. The tests, using ore crushed to 10 mm, produced neodymium and praseodymium recoveries of 65% and 68% while consuming just 19 kg of sulphuric acid per tonne at ambient temperature, a reduction compared with the 23-27 kg needed for the overlying saprock and transitional ores.

The granite accounts for 598 Mt of the project's 936-Mt inferred resource, which also contains significant dysprosium and terbium. With successful leach data now available for all three ore types, Red Metal is advancing its prefeasibility study, while a larger six-metre column test is underway to simulate commercial heap-leach conditions. Ongoing drilling aims to both upgrade near-surface grades and extend the deposit deeper, where rare-earth mineralisation has been intersected to 240 m. The company also continues its broader exploration for copper-iron-oxide deposits in the Mt Isa province.