Clean energy metals explorer Earth AI, in partnership with Legacy Minerals (ASX: LGM), has unveiled a major palladium discovery in Australia, marking a milestone in greenfield exploration powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Located near Wombat in New South Wales’ Southwestern Slopes, the discovery was made at the Fontenoy project, situated in the mineral-rich Lachlan Fold Belt. Beyond the initial drilling site, Earth AI identified mineralisation across a 2 km² area, potentially making this one of the largest platinum group element (PGE) prospects globally.
This marks the first verified greenfield discovery made using AI and the first detection of magmatic nickel, copper, and PGEs on Australia’s east coast—a region previously believed to lack such deposits.
The companies emphasised the global significance of the find, particularly given the dominance of palladium production in regions such as Russia and South Africa, which face challenges ranging from sanctions to unsafe mining conditions. Palladium plays a critical role in catalytic converters for reducing vehicle emissions, while platinum and nickel are essential for hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries, key technologies in the global energy transition.
Earth AI, established in 2017, combines AI-driven mineral exploration software with proprietary drilling technology to accelerate and reduce the cost of discovering and delineating mineral deposits. The company’s innovative approach previously led to the first greenfield molybdenum discovery in 2023.
The Fontenoy project was initially flagged by Earth AI in 2022 as a promising site for magmatic nickel. This led to a joint venture with Legacy Minerals, which granted Earth AI a 3% royalty on mining revenue in exchange for identifying and drilling a discovery hole. Last month, Earth AI further strengthened its involvement by securing an 80% equity stake in the project.
CEO Roman Teslyuk highlighted the significance of the discovery, calling it a major opportunity to supply critical metals essential for the energy transition. “Fontenoy represents a project of enormous importance, providing the critical materials required for a sustainable future,” he stated.
Image source: Drone footage from an Earth AI exploratory drilling site. Image from Earth AI
Source Link:
– https://www.mining.com/earth-ai-legacy-minerals-make-first-greenfield-palladium-discovery-using-artificial-intelligence/
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