Aruma Resources Limited (ASX: AAJ) (Aruma or the Company) is pleased to announce multiple zones of significant high-grade ionic clay Rare Earth Elements (REE's) from its recently completed first-pass REE-focused drilling program at the Salmon Gums Project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Drilling successfully identified three zones of high-grade clay-hosted REEs.
In addition Aruma's exploration has returned the highest grade REE sample reported to date in the emerging greater Esperance-Salmon Gums ionic clay REE region; 8,700ppm Total Rare Earth 6Oxides (TREO) in a surface sample.
Drilling consisted of a 39-hole air-core drilling program, which successfully tested for REE-enriched clays at the Circle Valley North target, as extensions to Meeka Metals' (ASX: MEK) nearby Circle Valley REE resource of 98MT @ 890ppm TREO (MEK: ASX announcement 14 June 2023), and OD6 Metals' (ASX: OD6) REE discovery in the same area (OD6: ASX announcement 24 March 2023)
Two of the three anomalous high-grade REE zones identified in Aruma's drilling are coincident with OD6's REE discovery, highlighting the ionic clay REE potential within the region
Commentary on Drilling Results
The results from Aruma's maiden REE-focused drilling program at the Salmon Gums Project have returned three zones of high-grade ionic clay REE's, and also returned the highest grade ionic clay REEs recorded in the region to date, in surface sample (AR33002). Initial surface sampling revealed an impressive 8,700ppm TREO, with neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) oxides constituting 22.5% of this total, providing a further indicator of the quality of these results. The drilling program delivered multiple clay-hosted REE zones, of various depths and thicknesses. Highlight results included; 11 metres at 904ppm TREO and 18 metres at 638ppm TREO, among others.
The results extend the northern reach of the recent REE discoveries by OD6 and MEK, further enhancing the clay-hosted REE prospectivity of the greater Esperance-Salmon Gums region, and also underscoring the Salmon Gums Project's potential to host a significant ionic clay deposit. Drilling results from the Thistle prospect also intersected 3m of anomalous gold mineralisation from surface in hole SG24AC001. This result continues to highlight the gold prospectivity of structural controls on points of rheological contrast and their capacity for gold saturation. See figure 2 below
Aruma managing director Glenn Grayson said: 'The high-grade results returned from our first-pass REE-focused drilling at the Salmon Gums Project is exciting for Aruma. It appears that the higher grade mineralisation extends further onto our Project area, which enhances the potential for it to host extensive REE mineralisation. The exceptional grades and thicknesses reported in this maiden drilling program, along with the highest grade ionic clay REE reported in the region to date - in surface sample AR33002 - highlights the largely untested REE potential of Salmon Gums and our team's skill in identifying and advancing high-value mineral prospects.'
Background to Salmon Gums
The Salmon Gums Gold Project comprises three Exploration Licences, E63/2037, E63/2122 and E63/2354, over a total area of 360km2 . The Project is located approximately 200 kilometres south of the major regional centre of Kalgoorlie, and approximately 60 kilometres south of the mining town of Norseman. It is situated 30 kilometres south and along strike, in the same stratigraphy, as Pantoro Limited's high-grade Scotia Gold Project (Figure 4). The Project area is also prospective for ionic clay REE
Contact:
Glenn Grayson
Managing Director
Aruma Resources Limited
Telephone: +61 8 9321 0177
E: info@arumaresources.com
James Moses
Investor Relations
Mandate Corporate
Mobile: +61 420 991 574
E: james@mandatecorporate.com.au
About Aruma Resources
Aruma Resources Limited (ASX: AAJ) is an ASX-listed minerals exploration company focused on the exploration and development of a portfolio of prospective gold and lithium projects, strategically located in major, active mineralised belts in Western Australia. Its core assets include the Mt Deans Lithium Project in the lithium corridor of south-eastern WA, the Salmon Gums Gold Project in the Eastern Goldfields and the multi-commodity Saltwater Project in the Pilbara region.
Competent person statement
The information in this release that relates to Exploration Results, Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves is based on information compiled by Glenn Grayson who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscience (AIG). Mr Grayson is Managing Director and a full-time employee of the Company. Mr Grayson has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve'. Mr Grayson consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. All exploration results reported have previously been released to ASX and are available to be viewed on the Company website www.arumaresurces.com. The Company confirms it is not aware of any new information that materially affects the information included in the original announcement. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original announcements.
Forwood Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward looking statements. Such forwardlooking statements are based on a number of estimates and assumptions made by the Company and its consultants in light of experience, current conditions and expectations of future developments which the Company believes are appropriate in the current circumstances. These estimates and assumptions while considered reasonable by the Company are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, achievements and performance of the Company to be materially different from the future results and achievements expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements preceded by words such as 'planned', 'expected', 'projected', 'estimated', 'may', 'scheduled', 'intends', 'anticipates', 'believes', 'potential', 'could', 'nominal', 'conceptual' and similar expressions. There can be no assurance that Aruma plans to develop exploration projects that will proceed with the current expectations. There can be no assurance that Aruma will be able to conform the presence of Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves, that any mineralisation will prove to be economic and will be successfully developed on any of Aruma's mineral properties. Investors are cautioned that forward looking information is no guarantee of future performance and accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements
ARUMA RESOURCES LIMITED 
