Krakatoa Resources (ASX: KTA) has confirmed a new lithium outcrop discovery named Loader with assay results from the Phase 2 rock sampling programme at the King Tamba project, centred 80km northwest of Mount Magnet in Western Australia. The results contain additional highly elevated LCT anomalism, with results up to 2.92% Li2O.
Having secured funding via a $3.78m placement earlier this month and with the recent discovery of the Wilsons Prospect consisting of high-grade rock chips grading up to 4.3% Li2O the company has prioritised the exploration program and expanded the target areas for exploration. The company has been actively mapping and geochemical sampling at King Tamba, investigating various exploration targets.
Whilst preparing for the upcoming drill programme, another occurrence of greisen-altered pegmatite was unearthed approximately 125m metres southeast of Wilsons. This previously unknown pegmatite (Loader) was concealed by thin soil cover. A boulder of the mineralised material was sampled, returning 1.70% Li2O plus elevated rubidium and caesium.
Further field work has since delineated a train of greisen altered pegmatite float (MGM prospect) extending NE and SW from this sample and trending approximately parallel to the strike of the Wilsons Pegmatite. The MGM prospect is located 150m north of Wilsons and corresponds to a single line of soil sampling which returned a multi-element LCT anomaly over multiple samples.
Field checking of this soil anomaly revealed greisen-altered pegmatite float strung out in a linear fashion suggesting there may be another previously unmapped pegmatite below shallow cover.
The MGM has been sampled extensively as part of the Phase 3 rock samples which were recently collected and are currently being analysed. The discovery of parallel mineralised pegmatites within the soil anomaly zone fits well with the company’s exploration model and is a significant development.
The high-grade mineralised lithium rock samples from Loader, Wilsons and surrounding areas are described as coarse-grained highly micaceous greisen-altered pegmatites. At this stage it is not clear which minerals are hosting the lithium mineralisation. A wide range of micas are commonly observed at King Tamba, Zinnwaldite is found in the open-pit in association with high grade tantalum mineralisation.
Muscovite (including high-Rb variants) and Phlogopite were widespread in the 2022 RC drilling. Lepidolite was previously noted during field mapping. Several of the pegmatite samples had a light-green tinge which may be due to the presence of Cookeite (a lithium bearing chlorite mineral) and small amounts of a purple crystalline mineral possibly the spodumene variety Kunzite. The company has commenced work to determine the exact mineralogy and lithium deportment within these samples.
Additional rock chips taken from around the remnant open pit showed high grade Tantalum (Ta) and significant Niobium (Nb). Historically the pegmatites mined in this area were analysed and mined specifically for Ta. According to the annual technical report dated 30 October 2012 by Meridian 120 Mining Pty Ltd1; the average grade of the hard rock open pit was around 320ppm Ta2O5.
More encouraging results continues to highlight the prospectivity of the new Wilsons and Loaders high grade lithium rock chip discoveries with a potential third discovery at MGM. Having mineralised pegmatite systems repeated within “a stone’s throw” of each other is a favourable key aspect when considering a suitable tonnage development opportunity,” CEO, Mark Major said.
