Critical Minerals

Germanium and gallium: Gallium and germanium are known to occur as a by-product in zinc deposits, with potential to occur associated with zinc in the McArthur Basin.  Gallium has been discovered associated with Kingsland Minerals Ltd's Leilyn graphite deposit with the best intersection of 266 m @ 15.0 g/t Ga from surface.

Transition Minerals Ltd also defined an Inferred Mineral Resource of 200 Mt at 30ppm Ga (for 6,300 t contained gallium) associated the Barkly REE-V deposit. Test work is underway to understand the recoverability of gallium in the deposit. Kingsland Minerals Ltd have also announced the presence of elevated gallium as a potential by-product at the Leliyn graphite discovery near Pine Creek. Gallium may also occur associated with zinc deposits in the McArthur Basin.

Gallium resources in the NT

Barkly - Transition Minerals Ltd 200 Mt @ 0.12% V2O5, 30 ppm Ga

Antimony: Antimony occurs as a potential by-product in a number of gold deposits in the Northern Territory, and potential of recovering antimony from tailings, particularly in Pine Creek Orogen, which is currently untested.

Bismuth: The Tennant Creek mineral field contains significant gold-bismuth-copper mineralisation with bismuth occurring within a number of projects under feasibility including Castile Resources Ltds Rover 1 copper-gold deposit, southwest of Tennant Creek. Recent high grade bismuth (and gold) discoveries include Emmerson Resources Ltd’s historic Golden Forty deposit.

Tantalum: The Territory has a history of tantalum (and tin) mining throughout the outcropping pegmatite fields of the Pine Creek Orogen and northern Aileron Province. Significant exploration potential exist in these regions and undercover, while production is possible in association with lithium from pegmatite fields in the Bynoe region.

Niobium: Lithium-bearing pegmatites in the Northern Territory locally also have high values of niobium, with the potential for economically significant deposits to occur. High grade niobium (with rare earths) has also been discovered in mineralised carbonatites in the Aileron Province in adjacent regions of Western Australia, with potential extending into western regions of the NT.

Tin: The Territory has a history of tin mining in the Pine Creek Orogen and northern Aileron Province. The Mount Wells project in the Pine Creek Orogen includes an Inferred Mineral Resource of 3,000 t of contained tin, with exploration potential

Silicon: Territory Sands Pty Ltd are currently exploring for high-purity silica sand in the Sturt Plateau region.

High Purity Alumina: Enova Mining Ltd are investigating the production of high purity alumina from saprolite and clays as a by-product of processing at the Charley Creek rare earths project.

Niobium: Lithium-bearing pegmatites in the Northern Territory locally also have high values of niobium, with the potential for economically significant deposits to occur.

Platinum Group Elements: The Coronation Hill deposit (now inaccessible) contains 5.7t palladium and 1.7t platinum. Other PGE-gold occurrences occur in the Pine Creek area.  PGEs have also been intersected in drilling of mafic intrusions in the Aileron Province in central Australia.

There is no current known resources or exploration for Beryllium, Chromium, Hafnium, Indium or Rhenium in the Northern Territory, but the Territory remains largely unexplored for these commodities.