Mineral explorer Infinity Mining has confirmed mineralisation of up to 6489 parts per million rubidium in rock chip assays from pegmatites at its South Tambourah project in the east Pilbara region of Western Australia. The commodity is principally used to make speciality glasses such as fibre optic cables and its discovery sets up another commercial avenue for the lithium-focused operation.
Some of the other notable results from the rock chip program include 5301.7, 4775.5 and 4654.3 ppm rubidium.
The company says about a fifth of its results ran over 2500 ppm or 0.25 per percent. Rubidium is a bit of a mystery to everyday punters, however grades running north of the 1 per cent mark are generally considered economical.
Whilst Infinity’s results are yet to confirm grades that reach the magical 1 per cent mark, the company believes the discovery has the potential to set up another profitable pathway for a project that was once only seen as a lithium play.
Management firmly believes the sample’s rubidium content, in addition to its inclusion of anomalous beryllium, caesium and tantalum is suggestive of highly fractionated, rare-element pegmatites at South Tambourah.
Infinity is not going to die wondering and is now set to get boots on the ground to continue mapping, rock chip and lag sampling exercises in an attempt to lift the veil on a group of potentially concealed pegmatites at the operation.
Plans are also in place to re-assay selective rock chip samples for rare earth elements mineralisation.
Infinity Mining's CEO, Joe Groot:“The Tambourah South Tenement continues to bare out with consistently high-grade results for not only Lithium, but now Rubidium. The team are totally committed to leaving no stone unturned when it comes to identifying the commercial potential for this Lithium and Rubidium mineralised system.”
Previous rock chip assay results from work at the site delivered a raft of lithium hits with speckles of caesium, tantalum and niobium.
The pick of the bunch was a sample running 2.635 per cent lithium oxide, 0.0662 per cent rubidium and 611.3 ppm caesium.
The minerals have led Infinity to earmark the ground prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum, or “LCT” pegmatites – assets that are often found to host higher doses of the minerals.
A plan for a drill campaign to test the surface bearing pegmatites at depth is likely to become a reality in the after the program was waved through by WA’s Department of Mines and Industry and a heritage survey was completed.
Infinity Mining is a new occupant on the ASX after only listing on the local bourse about a year ago with a catalogue of lithium, silver, copper, nickel and gold-bearing assets.
In a past life, the company was a wholly owned subsidiary of Macarthur Minerals before the company decided to spin out its non-iron ore assets into Infinity Mining.
Infinity now looks to have moved out from its older brother’s shadow and appears set to make a name for itself with recent work at the South Tambourah potentially transforming the project into a multi-commodity play.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
