Resouro Strategic Metals (ASX:RAU) has announced a major milestone with the release of its maiden resource estimate for the Tiros Titanium and Rare Earths Project in Brazil. The estimate reveals a substantial 1.7 billion tonnes of resource, featuring impressive grades of 3,900 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxide (TREO), 1,100 ppm magnet rare earth oxide (MREO), and 12% titanium dioxide.

Among this enormous resource, there is a particularly high-grade zone of 120 million tonnes, with an exceptional 9,000 ppm TREO, 2,400 ppm MREO, and 23% titanium dioxide. This high-grade domain highlights the potential for significant value within the deposit. The higher-confidence portions of the resource, categorized as measured and indicated, total 1 billion tonnes at 4,050 ppm TREO, containing 1,120 ppm MREO and 12% titanium dioxide.

The resource estimate was meticulously modeled by Atticus Geoscience, drawing from a comprehensive 4,766 meters of drilling, which included diamond, aircore, and auger drilling across 102 drillholes, plus 20 historical drillholes. The majority of the resource remains open laterally, suggesting further exploration potential, and the deposit is noted for its homogeneous nature.

CEO Chris Eager has described the completion of the resource estimate for the central block of the Tiros Project as a “pivotal moment” for Resouro. “Defining such a substantial resource over just 7% of the project area is a significant achievement,” Eager remarked. He noted that step-out drilling to the north and south of the central block has shown consistent thickness and grades extending up to 35 kilometers away. This highlights the resource's extensive potential.

Eager also pointed out that with the current scale of the maiden JORC resource, there is no immediate need to add more resource tonnes. Instead, the focus will shift to infill drilling for mine planning, feasibility, and environmental assessments. Ongoing activities will include topographic surveys of adjacent tenements and additional drilling and metallurgical testwork. The company aims to optimize areas with favorable stripping ratios for bulk mining trials to achieve the fastest possible timelines.

Looking ahead, Resouro plans to conduct further infill drilling and metallurgical testwork. This will be complemented by a Scoping Study and downstream studies to refine the metallurgical flowsheet and align it with potential offtake partners. These steps are crucial for advancing the project and ensuring that the resource's full potential is realized in the coming years.

Resouro is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company listed on the ASX, TSXV, OTC, and FSE. The company focuses on discovering and advancing profitable mineral projects in Brazil. Its key projects include the Tiros project in Minas Gerais and the Novo Mundo Gold Project in Mato Grosso. The Tiros project covers 25 mineral concessions over 450 km² in Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s most developed states, located 350 km from the state capital, Belo Horizonte. Resouro has announced a Mineral Resource Estimate for the Tiros Project, totaling 1.7 B tonnes of Inferred, Indicated, and Measured Resources.