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Astute Metals NL (ASX: ASE) has commenced the maiden drilling campaign at its highly prospective 100%-owned Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada, USA.
Since staking the project in 2023, the company has conducted soil sampling and rock chip sampling campaigns that have identified an 8km-long lithium-in-soil anomaly, with associated high-grade rock chip samples.
The 10-hole, 1,500m (~5,000ft) drilling campaign is designed to test the thickness and grade of clay- hosted lithium mineralisation in strategic locations across an approximate 5km trend. The campaign is expected to be completed during June, with assays returned to the Company in full by the end of July.
“We are excited to be drilling again in Nevada as our lithium growth strategy in North America continues to advance,” Chairman, Tony Leibowitz, said.
“The Red Mountain Project displays a number of compelling characteristics that indicate the potential for it to host one of the largest lithium deposits in Nevada. If we successfully intersect lithium clays, this will provide the company with proof of its exploration concept and the confidence to advance a second drilling campaign in the second half of the year.”
Located in central-eastern Nevada, the Red Mountain Project was staked in August 2023 following a desktop project generation exercise and subsequent on-ground reconnaissance conducted in May 2023.
After staking was completed, Astute completed an 819-point soil sampling campaign that revealed strong lithium anomalism in soils, with grades of up to 1,110ppm lithium and a coherent 50ppm+ anomaly that stretched over 8km strike and up to 2.8km width.
The results of the rock chip sampling reveal the presence of strongly mineralised claystone, with 10 claystones grading on average 1,102ppm lithium, ranging from 132-2,190ppm lithium. As a relatively soft rock type, the claystones at Red Mountain are ‘recessive’, or lie beneath a typically thin veneer of alluvium.
If the maiden campaign is successful, the company will permit additional holes to be drilled later in CY24 to constrain the extent and grade of lithium mineralisation at Red Mountain.
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