Searchlight confirms airborne anomalies with ground survey, Saskatchewan
Searchlight Resources Inc. [SCLT-TSXV; SRCH-OTC; 2CC2-FSE] reports completing the initial prospecting program on the Kulyk Lake Rare Earth Element (REE) project, located approximately 165 km north of La Ronge, Saskatchewan, and 65 km south of the Key Lake Uranium Mine.
Highlights include 2021 anomalous airborne radiometric results verified with field scintillometer readings of up to 13,800 counts per second. Searchlight expanded known area of the Kulyk Lake Pegmatite System
Searchlight Resources recently completed the initial prospecting program on the Kulyk Lake REE- Uranium project, designed to follow up airborne thorium anomalies identified by the 2021 airborne radiometric survey. Searchlight uses thorium as a pathfinder element to detect the rare earth mineral monazite, which is documented in the Kulyk Lake area.
The prospecting program, which included grab sampling and field scintillometer readings, confirmed the results of the 2021 airborne survey, and revealed an extension to the known pegmatite vein swarm identified by previous work. These pegmatites occur within the Rare Earth Elements Prospecting Zone.
The field program was completed by Axiom Exploration Group Ltd. and covered approximately 25% of the 6-km-long thorium anomalous zone detected by the 2021 airborne survey. A total of 18 grab samples were collected, along with 80 scintillometer readings. The scintillometer readings included 30 readings over 1,000 counts per second (cps), with values up to 13,800 cps associated with newly mapped pegmatites on the north side of Kulyk Lake.
“We are encouraged by the strong radioactivity detected over a large area on the north side of Kulyk Lake and will follow up with more detailed surveys in this newly identified prospective area,” stated Stephen Wallace, CEO.
Grab samples will be submitted to the Saskatchewan Research Council laboratory in Saskatoon for complete analysis. Additionally, Axiom geologists visited the Fanta REE showing, and collected samples of monazite for detailed chemical analysis, petrographic studies and preliminary metallurgical testing.
The Kulyk Lake project covers 349 km2 of 100%-held staked claims. Searchlight Resources originally staked the claims based on the Fanta showing, a historically known occurrence of massive monazite on the south shore of Kulyk Lake.
Academic investigations by Watkinson and Mainwaring, 1975 and McKeough et al have documented the composition of the Fanta zone monazite-bearing pegmatite, and postulated a genetic model for its formation. The former article documented the monazite as having a constant composition, with REE content of lanthanum oxide 15.1%, cerium oxide 36.1 %, praseodymium oxide 4.9%, neodymium oxide 10.1%, thorium oxide 4.3% and phosphorous oxide 27.8%.
Mineral exploration was previously carried out between 2009 and 2011, primarily on the south shore of Kulyk Lake. This area, including the Eldorado uranium zone and the Fanta REE zone and immediate surroundings, were systematically mapped and trenched by Terralogic Consultants. The Fanta trench samples were described as follows: “Three heavy, radioactive, brick red and black samples were collected from these trenches. All three samples (AGKJR 001 to 003) returned exceptional total rare earth oxide assays of 55.9%, 30.6% and 18.9%, respectively. This is a factor of 10 greater than any rare earth element results we have ever seen in the district and is approaching the theoretical maximum rare earth element content of the mineral monazite. Sample AGKJR003 is a 0.7-metre chip sample. Individual rare earth element contents for grab sample AGKJR001 are as follows: Cerium oxide – 28.1%, Neodymium oxide – 9.57%, Europium oxide – 0.086%, and Terbium oxide – 0.051%”.
In September 2021, Searchlight Resources completed an airborne radiometric survey which outlined significant new thorium and uranium targets.
To advance rare earth production, the Saskatchewan Government, through the Saskatchewan Research Council, has funded a $30 million monazite processing facility in Saskatoon to extract rare earths from monazite concentrates. Kulyk Lake is one of only two high-grade monazite deposits known to occur within the province.