Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Stage	Permitting
Commodities	Scandium
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Nyngan Project is poised to be the world’s first primary scandium mine. All required governmental approvals to proceed have been received. Customer offtake agreements are final step to FID and financing, prior to construction. In November 2023 Scandium International Mining commenced physical development of the Nyngan Project following the results of the 2023 Nyngan drilling program. The actions include: • Survey conducted of the site to establish and peg the boundaries for proposed work in accordance with State Significant Development 5157. • Soil management works including the establishment of water exclusion embankments and the stripping of topsoil, with subsequent stockpiling. • Construction and placement of temporary office quarters at the site for future site development activities. Scandium International Mining's plan of operation for 2024 is to continue to advance commercial discussions with potential offtake partners.

Deposit type

• Laterite
• Saprolite

Summary:

The Nyngan scandium resource is located within a limonitic and saprolitic tertiary age laterite profile, covered by 12 to approximately 25m of Cainozoic alluvium. A fairly typical laterite profile is developed at the prospect:
-Hematitic clay.
-Limonitic clay.
-Saprolitic clay.
-Weathered bedrock.
-Fresh bedrock.

Mineralisation
A geological interpretation plan has been previously prepared, based on bedrock intersections in both recent and previous drilling. Because of the weathered nature of the drill cuttings, the geological plan must be considered interpretive. The igneous rock types which have been encountered are:
Pyroxenite.
-Olivine Pyroxenite.
-Hornblende Pyroxenite.
-Hornblendite.
-Magnetite Pyroxenite.
-Dunite.
-Monzonite.

There is a suggestion of a layered trend of the complex in a NW-SE direction (this is supported by the magnetic pattern). These trends reflect a broadly concentric zonation of lithologies (mafic lithologies in the centre becoming intermediate in moving out from the “core”) in the complex. There also appears to be a zone of stronger alteration in the (south) centre of the zone where abundant magnetite and mica (phlogopite) occur.

The area is located within the western-most north-south structural zone of the Lachlan Fold Belt, which is known as the Girilambone Structural Zone. It is composed of Cambrian-Ordovician metasediments and minor basic volcanics and is known as the Girilambone Group, and it is intruded by numerous mafic and ultramafic bodies of similar age and by middle Silurian granite and volcanics.

Scandium levels appear to be highest in the pyroxenite and olivine pyroxenite phases of the complexes, so these rock types are considered to be the main bedrock sources for the scandium mineralisation in the laterites. The highest scandium grades occur in the limonitic laterite units, overlying or close to the pyroxenite source rocks.

Mining Methods

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

- subscription is required.

Processing

- subscription is required.

Production

Operational metrics

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Apr 15, 2016
.......................	.......................		Nov 18, 2024