Uranium, Niobium and Tantalum at the Eland Project
Sydney, May 29, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Gladiator Resources Ltd (
ASX:GLA) (GLARF:OTCMKTS) is pleased to provide an update on results for the Eland uranium, niobium, tantalum (U, Nb, Ta) Project, located in Southwest Tanzania. Syenite hosted uranium-niobium-tantalum.
- Wide zones of uranium, tantalum and niobium mineralisation indicated by surface channel samples cut from fresh rock.
- Results include:
o Samples along line ELAND C3 indicate a 44m wide zone with an average of 174ppm U3O8, 953ppm Nb205 and 133ppm Ta2O5.
o ELAND C4 samples indicate an open-ended 9.5 m wide zone with an average of 125ppm U3O8, 846ppm Nb205 and 104ppm Ta2O5.
- Tantalum and Niobium are on the critical minerals list, potentially elevating the importance of the Eland Project.
- This is the first systematic sampling at Eland following rock sampling in 2022.
Drilling is required to test the depth and lateral extent of the mineralisation.
The mineralisation is exposed on the Eland Hill an outcropping syentite intrusion. Syenite is a low-quartz granite and is an important host rock globally for niobium, tantalum and Rare Earth Elements (REE). The channel sampled intervals include significant lengths and grades of mineralisation with uranium and the critical metals Nb and Ta (Table 1*) and may extend beyond the area tested to date. The host rock is a syenite of variable texture but mostly massive to banded.
Individual rock samples (as opposed to channel samples) collected in the vicinity of the channel samples returned grades of up to 1.6% Nb2O5, 1,740ppm Ta2O5 and 1,963ppm U3O8 (Table 2*). To date elevated REEs have not been detected. Minerals of the pyrochlore group (pyrochlore and microlite) are thought to be the main host of the U-Nb-Ta. Pyrochlore is the world's principal source of niobium and tantalum. Coarse grained pyrochlore crystals are observed (Figure 1*).
Thorium content is low, typically less than 20 ppm which is beneficial.
The next steps will involve investigating the area between and southeast of lines Eland C5 and Eland C3; these had the widest zones of mineralisation and the syenite ends against a cover of soil (as marked on Figure 3*) and may extend beneath this. The sampled interval on line Eland C4 ended in mineralisation, the last sample contained 216ppm U3O8, 1485ppm Nb2O5 and 158ppm Ta2O5.
Channel sample collection
Systematic channel sampling was carried out to provide an indication of the bulk grades of the syenite, as opposed to scattered rock sampling which is typically less representative. The channel samples were collected using a petrol-driven rock-saw to cut 40mm wide samples along lines crossing fresh outcrops. Figure 2* includes a photograph illustrating the cut-channel and sampling process.
Sections of the mineralized zones obscured by soil and small boulders were not sampled. Table 1* provides columns for the full interval length, and the sampled length; non-sampled lengths comprise between 50 and 80% of the full interval length - it is reasonable to infer that the grades of the sampled sections are representative of the full length of the intervals as the syenite is mostly massive and mineralisation appears to be widely disseminated. Figure 3* is a map showing the channels and mineralized intervals. Those samples outside of the reported intervals have not been analysed; they may also be partially mineralized potentially extending the width of some of the U-Nb-Ta zones.
The channel lengths are not necessarily the thickness of mineralisation as the orientation and the geometry of the mineralized area in the vertical sense is unknown. A weak foliation and banding are evident in some outcrops but a preferred orientation that might impact on the understanding of thickness has not been established.
The Eland Project - cautionary statement
The Eland Project is held by Zeus Resources (Tanzania) Ltd which is wholly owned by Gladiator Resources Ltd. The Prospecting License (PL) is PL11703/2021 which expires 12 September 2025. The PL is for Uranium only. A request to add tantalum and niobium to the PL has been submitted to the Tanzania Mining Commission and is awaiting approval.
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/2HQ662M5
About Gladiator Resources Limited
Gladiator Resources Limited (ASX:GLA) (OTCMKTS:GLARF) is an exploration and mining company with a focus on uranium. All the Company's projects are located in areas that have experienced significant exploration attention and investment whilst also recording highly encouraging results. Gladiator endeavours to advance its current portfolio of projects whilst also evaluating other opportunities that are complimentary to the clean energy revolution.
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