New Frontier Minerals Uncovers Heavy Rare Earths at Harts Range: What’s Next?
New Frontier Minerals has identified a new heavy rare earth prospect, Old Trafford, at its Harts Range Project, extending mineralisation and advancing plans for maiden drilling.
- Discovery of Old Trafford prospect with 0.73% TREO including dysprosium and terbium
- High-grade assay from Westminster prospect confirms priority drilling target
- Bank Prospect reveals anomalous copper mineralisation up to 2.72% CuO
- Regulatory approvals underway for 2,000-3,000m reverse circulation drilling campaign
- Ongoing fieldwork along 2.4km east-west structural corridor to define further targets
Discovery of Old Trafford Prospect
New Frontier Minerals Limited (ASX – NFM) has announced a significant advance at its Harts Range Project in the Northern Territory with the identification of a new heavy rare earth element (HREE) prospect named Old Trafford. Located approximately 320 metres west of the established Westminster Prospect, Old Trafford has returned encouraging rock chip assay results including 0.73% total rare earth oxides (TREO), with notable concentrations of dysprosium oxide (0.097%) and terbium oxide (0.015%). The assays also revealed substantial niobium (1.92% Nb2O5) and tantalum (0.31% Ta2O5), critical minerals for advanced technologies.
Extending Mineralisation Along Structural Corridor
The discovery at Old Trafford extends the known mineralised east-west trending structural corridor at Harts Range to over 2.4 kilometres, complementing other prospects such as Cusp, Bobs, Paddington, and Westminster. Additional rock chip samples from Westminster have confirmed high-grade mineralisation, including a standout result of 7.34% TREO with 0.55% Dy2O3. These findings reinforce Westminster as a priority target for upcoming drilling campaigns.
Copper Anomalies at Bank Prospect
Beyond rare earths, the Bank Prospect north of Cusp has yielded anomalous copper results, with rock chip samples returning up to 2.72% copper oxide (CuO). The copper mineralisation is associated with malachite in foliated gneissic rocks, suggesting potential for further base metal exploration. Ground geophysical surveys are planned to better define these targets ahead of drilling.
Advancing Towards Drilling
New Frontier is actively progressing regulatory approvals and reviewing quotes from drilling contractors to fast-track a maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program of 2,000 to 3,000 metres, targeted for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. The company’s chairman, Gerrard Hall, expressed optimism about the June 2025 exploration program outcomes, highlighting the discovery of Old Trafford and the extension of heavy rare earth mineralisation as key milestones.
Ongoing Exploration and Future Outlook
The geological team continues detailed field investigations to refine and prioritise drilling targets across the Harts Range Project. Assay results from recent sampling are pending, expected by early August 2025, which will further inform exploration strategy. With a focus on unlocking the full mineral potential of the region, New Frontier aims to deliver value through disciplined exploration of its multi-commodity assets, including rare earths, niobium, tantalum, uranium, and copper.
Bottom Line?
New Frontier Minerals’ latest discovery at Harts Range sets the stage for a pivotal drilling campaign that could redefine the project’s resource potential.
Questions in the middle?
- What will the upcoming drilling campaign reveal about the continuity and depth of mineralisation at Old Trafford and Westminster?
- How might the anomalous copper findings at Bank Prospect influence New Frontier’s exploration priorities?
- What regulatory or logistical challenges could impact the timing and scale of the planned RC drilling program?
