en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mount Ridley Mines (ASX:MRD) has confirmed the scandium potential of its Grass Patch project near Esperance, Western Australia, through re-assaying of historical air-core drill pulp samples, and has identified a new high-grade scandium zone outside the known resource area.
The first phase of the re-assaying program covered 3,271 pulp samples and returned broad, near-surface intercepts, such as: 18 meters at 114.38 ppm scandium oxide (Sc2O3) from 7 meters downhole (MRAC1057); 9 meters at 152.89 ppm Sc2O3 from 9 meters downhole (MRAC1060); and 10 meters at 127.8 ppm Sc2O3 from 9 meters downhole (MRAC1063).
These intercepts are located approximately 13 kilometers southwest of the current Inferred Resource for Block 1 (155.2 million tonnes at 91.8 ppm Sc2O3), indicating that the mineralized system extends beyond the current definition. Mineralization intensity appears to increase with distance from the known resource, with the highest grades found at the southwesternmost extent of the drilling, and the system remains open along strike. Notably, these grades are significantly higher than the average grade of 91.8 ppm Sc2O3 for Block 1 and 86.9 ppm Sc2O3 for Block 2.
Mount Ridley Mines Managing Director Allister Caird stated that the first-phase re-assaying results confirm the Grass Patch complex extends beyond its current definition. The grades at the southwestern end are higher than the average grade of the existing resource and are located at the far end of a 13-kilometer-long corridor that has yet to be touched by the drill bit. The company will now move quickly to incorporate these results into the resource model and evaluate the most appropriate way to test the strike extension.
Scandium is primarily used to strengthen and reduce the weight of aluminum alloys, with significant applications in aerospace, new energy systems, and semiconductor manufacturing. Due to the absence of substantial production outside China and Russia, China's decision in April 2025 to restrict exports has greatly stimulated global demand for critical minerals from non-Chinese sources. Demand is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 14.5% by 2031.
This re-assaying program aims to extract additional value from the company's historical drilling database of over 70,000 meters, a significant portion of which was not assayed for scandium at the time of drilling. The first phase examined 3,271 historical samples. A second-phase program is currently being planned, designed to prioritize testing of this 13-kilometer corridor, utilizing the remaining approximately 14,000 pulp samples to support future resource definition and growth.
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