Lithium Australia has now extended the strike of lithium-bearing pegmatites at its Youanmi project near Sandstone in WA’s Murchison region to over 2,500 metres after its recent drill campaign returned more lithium hits.
The latest results include a top intersection of 1 metre grading 4.1% lithium oxide from 23m down-hole within a broader zone of 6m @ 1.6% lithium oxide from 22m.
Other notable results from the new batch of results include 5m @ 1.5% lithium oxide from 62m down-hole, 4m @ 1.6% lithium oxide from 21m and 3m @ 1.7% lithium oxide from 32m.
This adds to the initial assays which returned a peak result of 1m @ 3.1% lithium oxide within a broader intercept of 6m @ 1.6% lithium oxide from 11m down-hole, 8m @ 1.4% lithium oxide from 8m down-hole, 7m @ 1.4% lithium oxide from 20m and 6m @ 1.5% lithium oxide from 1m.
Management said the drilling has demonstrated that the pegmatites dip at shallow angles towards the east.
Mineralisation remains open down-dip and along strike and further drill testing will be required to determine the extent of the mineralised system.
The drilling program was designed to test down-dip extensions of outcropping lithium-bearing pegmatites where rock-chip sampling had returned up to 4.2% lithium oxide.
Managing Director Adrian Griffin said: "These results from our maiden drill programme – which confirm significant lithium mineralisation Youanmi – are most encouraging.”
“The lithium is hosted in lepidolite, a lithium mica ideally suited to processing via our proprietary SiLeach technology.”
“Initial results suggest Youanmi could provide critical local feedstock for Lithium Australia's lithium-cathode and battery business units.”
The company’s SiLeach processing technology has been successfully used to produce a specialised lithium phosphate product directly from lepidolite micas, without the need for expensive, energy-hungry roasting.
Last year, the company signed an option to acquire the project from private exploration company Diversity Resources, which is also prospective for vanadium, over three contiguous exploration licences covering about 450 square kilometres.
Lithium Australia can fully acquire the Youanmi project by issuing Diversity $3.1m in scrip and granting Diversity the greater of either a gross production royalty of 2%, or $1 per tonne of material mined and processed from the tenements.
By Matt Birney
