Koba Resources (ASX:KOB) has identified lithium-bearing pegmatites at the Beaver Tail and Lynx Prospects following an initial project- wide, reconnaissance prospecting and sampling program at its 100%-owned Whitlock Lithium Project in Manitoba, Canada.
In late 2022 Koba staked a series of claims that cover 190 sq. km immediately along strike from the high- grade Tanco Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum Mine.
Over the past several months the company has completed an initial field programme that comprised broad-spaced traverses of prospecting and sampling along lines spaced nominally 200m apart over the entire project area.
To date, all work has been restricted to outcrop and float sampling. No follow-up stripping or channel sampling has been undertaken yet.
A group of stacked pegmatites have been discovered at the Beaver Tail Prospect, with the main lithium-bearing pegmatite up to 1.2km-long. It has been mapped to be up to 40m wide in places.
Assays up to 0.16% Li2O together with highly anomalous indicator elements, indicate that high-grade spodumene mineralisation may be adjacent to, or below, the outcropping pegmatites. Highly anomalous lithium, caesium, tantalum, boron and rubidium assays have been returned along the entire length of the mapped pegmatites. Vegetation and cover conceal the strike extents of the main pegmatite that may be larger than mapped.
Only two samples were collected during a first-pass traverse over the Lynx Prospect where a single pegmatite has been discovered. Highly anomalous assays have been returned from one rock-chip sample, including 0.22% Li2O and 178ppm Ta2O5. The second sample, collected 200m to the northwest, also returned slightly elevated lithium values. These two samples are the only samples taken within 650m of the initial discovery outcrop. Infill sampling and detailed follow-up work is certainly warranted to further define the extent of the outcrop and lithium mineralisation.
Several other prospects have also been identified where highly anomalous assays, albeit slightly lower tenor lithium and other indicators including caesium, tantalum, rubidium and boron, have been returned. These include the Fox, Fisher and 5 Eagles Prospects. The Fox Prospect is also located 750m west of an historic drill hole that intersected 19.2m of pegmatite that was not sampled for lithium.
The discovery of lithium-bearing pegmatites at our Whitlock Lithium Project is a very promising development. Pegmatites at the Beaver Tail and Lynx prospects have returned strong lithium values and assays of other indicator elements suggest higher-grade lithium mineralisation may be present adjacent to and/or below these initial discoveries,” Managing Director and CEO, Ben Vallerine, said.
“The Beaver Tail pegmatites extend over at least 1.2km of strike and are up to 40m wide. These pegmatites offer significant size potential, so we will be undertaking further work here in the coming weeks to better define the distribution of mineralisation at surface before undertaking drilling.
“The Lynx Prospect is under-explored. Only two samples were taken here and one of these assayed 0.22% Li2O and 178ppm Ta2O5. A lot more work here is warranted. We will immediately conduct a follow-up program in light of these very encouraging results.
These new prospects are both located within 15km of the Tanco Mine – one of only two operating lithium mines in Canada. Significantly, there is very limited outcrop at Tanco – yet drilling delineated very high-grade lithium mineralisation below surface. This demonstrates that high grade lithium can be present where only minimal surface expression exists and provides confidence that there is potential to repeat the Tanco success at the Beaver Tail and Lynx Prospects.”
