Altona, a resource exploration and development company focused on critical raw materials in Africa, announced the discovery of high-grade mineralisation at Monte Muambe, with concentrations up to 232 g/t Ga.
Gallium is a rare metal usually extracted as a by-product from zinc and bauxite ore and is used in a wide-range of electronic and high-technology applications such as radars, light diodes and semiconductors. Gallium is considered a strategic raw material by several jurisdictions including the European Union, with China having a quasi-monopoly on its production. The price of gallium is currently at about US$250 per kg, The recent ban of gallium and germanium exports to the United States has propelled gallium to its highest price since 2011, at US$585 per kg in December 2024.
The price shift in gallium, and recent discoveries of high-grade gallium associated to rare earths in carbonatites, has prompted Altona to review its drilling data for this metal. Gallium is one of the trace elements which were analysed by Intertek Laboratories in the course of the preparation of our rare earths mineral resource estimate. Several high-grade gallium intercepts were noted in diamond drilling holes MM039 and MM040, with grades up to 232 g/t Ga.
The Company is pleased to announce the following significant gallium intercepts:
Hole ID | From | Length and Grade |
MM039 | surface | 100 m @ 77 g/t Ga |
including | 70.85m | 14.89m @ 141 g/t Ga |
MM040 | 37.3m | 3.14 m @ 87 g/t Ga |
MM040 | 57.4m | 25.53m @ 68 g/t Ga |
MM040 | 108.2m | 32.27m @ 73 g/t Ga |
including | 115.9m | 5.53m @ 134 g/t Ga |
Hole MM039 is located at the Northern End of the Fluorite Zone and also contains high-grade rare earths and fluorspar intercepts. It is noteworthy that gallium mineralisation is continuous along the entire length of the hole.
Hole MM040 is located on Target 6, which has identified high-grade rare earths mineralisation but has seen relatively little drilling so far in comparison to Target 1 and Target 4.
This discovery could potentially change the economics of some of the rare earths ore bodies at Monte Muambe, in particular Target 6, by providing an additional valuable by-product. The lateral extension of gallium mineralisation is unknown and will be assessed as part of the next field work campaign.
The Company will now check the potential recoverability of gallium, starting with establishing the exact mineralogy of gallium mineralisation, which is presently unknown. The Company will also immediately start reviewing the Monte Muambe soil sampling database, which includes first-pass XRF gallium assays, to identify any possible gallium anomalies in soil.
Fluorspar scoping study progress
The Company confirms that the fluorspar samples have been delivered to Peacocke & Simpson laboratory in Zimbabwe for gravity separation and flotation tests, and that the testing process has started. The delay in the delivery was the result of logistical difficulties caused by post-election instability in Mozambique, which has now subsided. Results from this testing are expected during the course of April.
Cedric Simonet, CEO of Altona, commented: “Carbonatites systems typically host a wide range of minerals. Monte Muambe is no stranger to this, with the presence of rare earths and fluorspar. The discovery of gallium mineralisation in parts of the carbonatite intrusion that have seen less exploration so far is a positive development for us and underpins the potential for additional discoveries at Monte Muambe.
“While current work on the potential for short-term fluorspar production continues, we will initially carefully assess the possibility of recovering gallium as a by-product of rare earths and/or fluorspar, and the potential extent of gallium mineralisation at surface level.”
