Infinity Mining has bagged a five-year extension for its Tambourah South tenement in the Pilbara where previous rock chip sampling has lit up a pegmatite swarm grading up to 2.65 per cent lithium oxide.
The tenement forms part of Infinity’s larger Tambourah project which sits in the evolving Pilbara pegmatite province, home to Pilbara Minerals’ 305 million tonne Pilgangoora lithium project averaging 1.1 per cent lithium oxide.
Big things can come in small packages. Past exploration completed by the explorer over its one-block tenure has mapped out a swarm of 36 stacked lithium-bearing pegmatites with over 2.6km strike length containing visible spodumene and lepidolite.
Over the tenement’s first five-year term, the company has conducted extensive exploration including a helicopter reconnaissance geological mapping program and an open file exploration data review.
During last year’s field season, the company collected 256 rock chip samples over its mapped pegmatites returning the high-grade 2.65 per cent lithium oxide anomaly. Importantly, anomalous geochemistry indicator returned values up to 611 parts per million caesium, 2930ppm beryllium, 734ppm tantalum and 427ppm niobium confirming the company had uncovered coveted fertile lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites.
In total, 25 samples returned more than 1 per cent lithium oxide with 14 returning more than 1.5 per cent and six more than 2 per cent.
Adding to the grab bag of high-grade lithium, anomalous rubidium peaking at 0.72 per cent rubidium oxide was also recorded.
Follow-up lag sampling in the northwest corner of the licence identified two intriguing geochemical anomalous zones alluding to a throng of buried pegmatites below.
Late last year, the company pulled the rods on its maiden RC drilling campaign at its Tambourah South lithium prospect. The company sunk 21 holes for 1812m with visual lepidolite and spodumene spotted in 18 of the holes. In total 41 individual pegmatite intervals were logged varying from 1m to 35m in width. The assays from the program remain outstanding.
Infinity will use the results of its maiden campaign to plan its next move, following up on any significant lithium intercepts the assays throw up. The company is also considering adding a ground-based geophysics program to help uncover any concealed pegmatites and prospective structures.
Tambourah South is not the only string to Infinity’s Pilbara bow. Other exploration tenements it holds include Tambourah North, Strelley Gorge, Hillside, Panorama and Noreena Downs. Besides lithium, they all offer the prospect of gold, nickel, copper and zinc.
Although the heat has come off the lithium price since last year’s highs, demand for the white-hot metal is forecast to remain strong. US analyst Benchmark says 74 new lithium mines with an average size of 45,000 tonnes are needed by 2035, whilst S&P Global says that current high prices are supported by strong fundamentals – including tightness in supply.
As luck would have it - Infinity Mining has just secured another five years for a prospective patch of the Pilbara’s pegmatite province. It may well prove to be another case of the right place at the right time.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
