Aclara Extends High Grade Mineralisation Thickness at Carina from 6.1 Meters to 11.1 Meters Through a Positive Drilling Campaign
ACLARA EXTENDS HIGH GRADE MINERALISATION THICKNESS AT CARINA FROM 6.1
METERS TO 11.1 METERS THROUGH A POSITIVE DRILLING CAMPAIGN
TORONTO, ON, May 28, 2024 – Aclara Resources Inc. (“Aclara” or the “Company”) (TSX: ARA) is
pleased to provide the drilling results from its Phase 1 reverse circulation (“RC”) drilling campaign
executed between November 2023 and April 2024 on its regolith-hosted ion adsorption clay project,
known as the “Carina Module”, located in the State of Goiás, Brazil. The Phase 1 RC drilling campaign,
which was comprised of 1,998 meters of drilling within 80 drill holes, has confirmed that the
mineralization extends through the full depth of the regolith to the bedrock and provides a greater
level of certainty regarding the geological interpretation of the deposit and the existence of rare earth
elements throughout the full cross-section of the regolith.
Highlights
● Depth Mineralization Confirmed: Results from the Phase 1 RC drilling campaign confirm that the
mineralisation extends through the full depth of the regolith to the bedrock. The average high-
grade mineralization thickness has increased from 6.1 meters reported in the previous auger
drilling campaign to 11.1 meters.
● Consistent Grades and Rare Earths Distribution: The results reflect that the Total Rare Earth
Oxide (“TREO”)1 and the Desorbible Rare Earth Oxide (“DREO”)2 grades as well as the Rare Earths
Distribution in the product basket, are consistent with those reported in the previous auger drilling
campaign. Table 1 below compares the results of the RC drilling campaign with the auger drilling
campaign and Table 2 provides a selection of high-grade drillhole results.
● Improved Reliability: The results provide a greater understanding of the mineralised horizons
through the full depth of the regolith to the bedrock and will support execution of the Phase 2
drilling campaign, which will seek to convert the known inferred mineral resources to a measured
and indicated resource category.
● Metallurgical Compatibility: The Carina Module clays have been shown to be amenable to rare
earths extraction using the same metallurgical process (the “Circular Mineral Harvesting”
process) developed for the Chile-based Penco Module, which utilizes ammonium sulfate as the
primary leaching solution. A 25-tonne bulk sample of Carina clays was processed in the Aclara
Pilot Plant in Concepción, Chile in Q1 2024, where leaching results were consistent with the drill
core assays.
The full set of results is included in Table 3 at the end of this press release. These results supplement
the results obtained from the auger drilling campaign undertaken between February 2023 and
September 2023, which comprised 1,630 meters within 201drill holes. The results of the auger drilling
campaign also formed the basis of the maiden mineral resource estimate announced in Aclara’s
1 Total Rare Earths (“TREO”): Considers all rare earths elements represented in oxide form ((Lanthanum - La2O3, Cerium - Ce2O3,
Praseodymium - Pr6O11, Neodymium - Nd2O3, Samarium - Sm2O3, Europium - Eu2O3, Gadolinium - Gd2O3, Terbium - Tb4O7,
Dysprosium - Dy2O3, Holmium - Ho2O3, Erbium - Er2O3, Thulium - Tm2O3, Ytterbium - Yb2O3, Lutetium - Lu2O3, Yttrium - Y2O3).).
2 Desorbible Rare Earths (“DREO”): DREO is the recoverable fraction of TREO using the Circular Mineral Harvesting ammonium
sulfate based metallurgical process.
press release dated December 12, 2024, and which supported the preparation of the Carina Module
Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) dated January 12, 2024.
Next Steps
The Phase 1 RC drilling campaign results have provided the Company with a basis to further advance
the following activities:
● issuance of an updated Mineral Resource Estimate planned for July 2024;
● issuance of an updated PEA of the Carina Module during Q3 2024;
● execution of a 15,200-meter Phase 2 RC drill campaign to convert inferred mineral resource to a
measured and indicated mineral resource category, which is expected to commence in June
2024; and
● execution of a metallurgical test campaign during H2 2024 and H1 2025. Sample collections will
be obtained through sonic drilling and sent to SGS Lakefield for mineralogical and recovery
characterization, to serve as an input for the pre-feasibility study, as well as form the basis for a
new semi-industrial scale piloting operation scheduled to occur in 2025.
Aclara COO, Barry Murphy, commented:
“We are very pleased with the results obtained from Aclara’s recent RC drilling campaign as they
have confirmed our expectation that the Carina Module deposit will increase in size to become a
truly world-class heavy rare earth asset. Based on the positive Phase 1 RC drill results, the Company
will be updating the Carina Module's mineral resource estimate and Preliminary Economic
Assessment and proceeding with the next phase of RC drilling aimed at converting the known
mineral resource from an inferred to a measured and indicated level of categorisation. The results
obtained from Phase 2 RC drilling campaign are expected to provide support for the Carina Module
prefeasibility study, as well as to provide samples for a more comprehensive metallurgical test
work programme, which we believe will demonstrate the extraordinary value of this deposit.”
Table 1. Comparison of Phase 1 RC drilling campaign results to the previously disclosed auger drilling campaign results.
Unit RC Drilling Campaign Auger Drilling Campaign
High-Grade Mineralization Thickness
Drilling meters 1,998 1,693
Drill holes # 80 236
Average Drill Depth meters /drill hole 25.0 7.2
High Grade Mineralization Thickness meters 11.1 6.1
TREO Grades (within the High-Grade Mineralization Range)
Total Rare Earth Oxides ppm 1,803 1,510
Total NdPr Oxides ("NdPr_T") ppm 354 283
Total DyTb Oxides ("DyTb_T") ppm 57 46
DREO Grades (within the High-Grade Mineralization Range)
Desorbible Rare Earth Oxides ppm 484 470
Desorbible NdPr Oxides ("NdPr_D") ppm 130 131
Desorbible DyTb Oxides ("DyTb_D") ppm 22 21
Rare Earths Distribution (within the High-Grade Mineralization Range)
NdPr Weight within the Basket % 26.9% 27.8%
DyTb Weight within the Basket % 4.5% 4.5%
Table 2. Summary of Carina Module´s top 10 RC drill hole results from the Phase 1 RC drilling campaign ordered by DREO grade,
including only the regolith or saprolitization interval (the location of these drill hole collars are shown in Figure 2 below).
Drillhole Length From To TREO DREO NdPr_T NdPr_D Dy_T Dy_D Tb_T Tb_D
m m m ppm ppm ppm ppm % of
DREO ppm ppm % of
DREO ppm ppm % of
DREO
RCCAR23024 5 0 5 1,891 1,015 401 351 35% 49.7 28.1 2.8% 7.6 5.6 0.6%
RCCAR23055 26 0 26 2,276 905 488 192 21% 96.5 45.3 5.0% 16.2 7.2 0.8%
RCCAR23016 18 8 26 2,239 897 490 354 39% 38.1 17.9 2.0% 6.8 3.4 0.4%
RCCAR23001 9 1 10 1,712 874 360 214 24% 75.3 50.1 5.7% 12.5 9.8 1.1%
RCCAR23033 8 0 8 2,791 856 650 279 33% 76.7 27.6 3.2% 13.1 5.0 0.6%
RCCAR23005 10 1 11 4,231 739 839 213 29% 101.7 21.2 2.9% 17.9 3.6 0.5%
RCCAR23054 12 0 12 2,657 787 597 151 19% 86.8 33.6 4.3% 14.9 5.5 0.7%
RCCAR23012 12 2 14 2,485 676 544 224 33% 33.3 16.4 2.4% 6.2 3.0 0.4%
RCCAR23008 16 0 16 3,095 638 626 224 35% 73.6 25.1 3.9% 13.4 4.8 0.8%
RCCAR23044 11 0 11 2,840 634 583 170 27% 82.5 25.0 4.0% 13.5 4.3 0.7%
Reverse Circulation Drilling Campaign Summary
A total of 1,998 meters of drilling within 80 RC drill holes was carried out from November 2023 to
April 2024 as part of an exploration drilling campaign covering approximately 700 hectares within the
area of the Carina Module (see Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 below). The primary objectives of the drilling
initiative were to:
• obtain additional information to fully assess the Carina Module's potential (both laterally and
at depth);
• obtain guidance for future RC drilling campaigns, as needed to contribute to the definition of
the Carina Module's indicated and measured resource estimates; and
• establish a base for a future metallurgical test sample collection.
Figure 1. Images of the RC drilling campaign showing the operation and sampling methodology carried out at the Carina
Module.
Geological Overview
The Rare Earth Element secondary minerals are released from the pink porphyritic monzogranite
composed of quartz, oligoclase, microcline, and annite as essential minerals, which has suffered
greisen alteration superimposed by weathering.
Figure 2 depicts the extensions of the upper pedolith, lower pedolith, and saprolite units, which define
the mineralization overprint of the regolith-hosted ion-adsorption clay deposit. Figure 2 also
demonstrates the collar locations of the previous auger drilling campaign and the Phase 1 RC drilling
campaign.
Figure 2. Carina Module map with executed RC and auger drill holes, and the extension of the upper pedolith, lower pedolith and
saprolite areas. RC and auger boreholes are displayed by red squares and blue dots, respectively. The ten highest DREO grade RC
holes are labeled in the figure and exhibited in Table 2. Cross-sections A-A´ and B-B´ are illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3 depicts the regolith horizons across two cross-sections, A-A’ and B-B’. Here, the saprolite is
better defined and thicker, and demonstrates greater continuity than the results observed during the
previous auger drilling campaign. The auger holes are annotated in black font, whereas the RC drill
holes are annotated in blue font.
Figure 3. Cross-sections ‘A-A‘ and ‘B-B‘ as shown in Figure 2.
Sampling and Assay Protocols
The 80 RC drill holes were sampled at intervals of one (1) meter for a total of 1,998 samples. For
Total Rare Earth Elements (“TREE”) analysis, 1420 samples were sent to ALS laboratory in Lima, Peru
and the remaining 578 samples were sent to SGS Geosol laboratory in Vespasiano, Brazil. For the
Desorbable Rare Earth Elements (“DREE”) analysis, 821 samples were sent to the AGS laboratory in
La Serena, Chile and 1,177 samples were sent to SGS Geosol laboratory in Vespasiano, Brazil.
For the TREE analyses, the same sampling and analytical protocols were followed as described in the
Company’s technical report titled “Preliminary Economic Assessment - Carina Rare Earth Element
Project - Nova Roma, Goiás, Brazil” and dated January 12, 2024, prepared in accordance with National
Instrument 43-101 – Standard of Disclosure of Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) by GE21 Consultoria
Mineral. The QA/QC program has been implemented in the SGS Geosol lab, where the results of Dy,
Tb, Nd and Pr analyses are controlled to meet high standard of accuracy.
Qualified Persons
The technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Luiz Jorge
Frutuoso Junior (Aclara Exploration Manager) who has over 20 years of relevant experience. Mr.
Frutuoso is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), a Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and is a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101.
The present study was validated by Aclara’s Chief Geologist, Juan Pablo Navarro, who is a Member
of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG, #9021) and is a Qualified Person as defined under
NI 43-101. Aclara’s Database and QA/QC Geologist, Carlos Paixao, provided an analysis of the QA/QC
protocols applied to the Carina Module and has confirmed that they meet the required level of control
and accuracy.
About Aclara
Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA) is a development -stage company that is focused on heavy rare
earth mineral resources hosted in Ion -Adsorption Clay deposits . The Company's rare earth mineral
resource development projects include the Penco Module in the BioBio Region of Chile and the Carina
Module in the State of Goiás, Brazil.
Aclara's rare earth extraction process offers several environmentally attractive features. Circular
Mineral Harvesting does not involve blasting, crushing, or milling. Additionally, it does not generate
tailings, eliminating the need for a tailings storage facility. The extraction process developed by
Aclara minimizes water consumption through high levels of water recirculation made possible by the
inclusion of a water treatment facility within its patented process design. The ionic clay feedstock is
amenable to leaching with a common fertilizer main reagent, ammonium sulphate. Further, harmful
levels of radionuclides, typical of hard rock rare earth deposits, are not concentrated within Aclara's
processing flowsheet. In addition to the development of the Penco Module and the Carina Module ,
the Company will continue to identify and evaluate opportunities to increase future production of
heavy rare earth s through greenfield exploration programs and the development of additional
projects within the Company's concessions in Brazil, Chile, and Peru.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities
legislation, which reflects the Company’s current expectations regarding future events, including
statements with regard to: mineral continuity, grade, and upside at the Car ina Module, the Company’s
exploration plan and activities in Brazil and the expectations of the Company’s management as to the
timing, cost, scope and results of such exploration works and drilling activities and the Phase 2 RC drill
campaign and updated mineral resource estimates and an updated preliminary economic assessment
of the Carina Module. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Such risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks related to operating in a foreign jurisdiction, including
political and economic problems in Brazil; risks related to changes to mining laws and regulations and
the termination or non-renewal of mining rights by governmental authorities; risks related to failure to
comply with the law or obtain necessary permits and licenses or renew them; compliance with
environmental regulations can be costly; actual production, capital and operating costs may be different
than those anticipated; the Company may be not able to successfully complete the development,
construction and start-up of mines and new development projects; risks related to mining operations;
and dependence on the Penco Module and/or the Carina Module. Aclara cautions that the foregoing list
of factors is not exhaustive. For a detailed discussion of the foregoing factors, among others, please
refer to the risk factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual information form dated
as of March 22, 2024 filed on the Company’s SEDAR+ profile. Actual results and timing could differ
materially from those projected herein. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the
forward-looking information contained in this press release is provided as of the date of this press
release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under
applicable securities laws.
For further information, please contact:
Bonzi Yokomizo Baptista
Brazil General Manager