Askari rock samples jag 2.91 per cent Namibian lithium oxide

Analytical results from Askari Metals’ Uis lithium project in Namibia have turned up lithium oxide grades going as high as 2.91 per cent in its southern licence and 1.92 per cent at its adjoining northern licence.

Additionally, the company has today reported tantalum oxide grades of up to 339 parts per million and 757ppm from its northern and southern licences, respectively, with the latter also yielding a best tin oxide hit of 0.52 per cent.

The latest results come from an extensive program of rock chip sampling, comprising 722 samples from the northern licence and 297 from the southern area. Management says the results reinforce its confidence in its four key target areas in the northern tenure where a 4200m trench sampling program is already underway and highlight seven new prospective areas in addition to its previously-defined Kestral target in the southern ground.

Askari Metals chief Africa exploration and project manager Cliff Fitzhenry said: “Q1 of 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting period for the company as our mapping and channel sample results are received and concurrent stream sediment and soil sampling programs are implemented. These targets will be followed up and fast tracked in Q1 of 2024 with a view to maiden diamond drill testing.”

The top 12 lithium oxide results from the company’s latest samples range from 0.3 per cent up to the 2.91 per cent high, with eight of the best values coming from the northern ground. Outside the two highest results, the remaining seven samples from the northern ground average 0.5 per cent lithium oxide and the remaining three from the southern area average 0.53 per cent.

Mentionable tin anomalism seems, at this stage, to be confined to the southern licence area, with the seven best tin oxide values topping out at 0.52 per cent and averaging 0.23 per cent.

The top 10 tantalum oxide values, of which eight are from the southern ground, range from 206ppm to 757ppm and average 353ppm.

Management says the anomalous results all fall within a corridor of interest defined by its interpretation of a combination of regional aeromagnetic data and geochemically significant potassium-rubidium ratios. The work reveals that parts of the corridor feature more highly-fractionated, lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT)-type pegmatites, suggesting greater fertility and prospectivity for lithium and related mineralisation.

It also revealed an elongated zone about 15km long and 5km wide, most of which passes through both licence areas. But it is subdivided into three relatively parallel zones, with a north-easterly strike.

The three zones are characterised as dominantly lithium-tin-tantalite, with the two north-western areas separated by a mostly tantalite zone. Additionally, the central zone appears to widen significantly at its north-eastern extremity in the northern licence, coincident with most of the best lithium, tin and tantalum results and the previously-defined four priority targets.

Askari’s most recent work has put it in a good position to pick up work early in the new year to complete its trenching program and kick off its stream and soil geochemistry, which will help it refine its priority targets for maiden drilling.

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