Latin Resources (ASX:LRS) has identified outcropping pegmatites containing spodumene over four sq. km area with field work and mapping of the Bananal Valley area of the Salinas Lithium confirming the Project’s high prospectivity for lithium.
Located in the highly prospective Jequitinhonha Valley district of Minas Gerais Provence of eastern Brazil, Minas Gerais hosts the Eastern Brazilian lithium pegmatite province, home to Lithium Corporation and lithium producer Companhia Brasileira de Lítio (CBL).
In March 2021, the company announced its intention to commence field work on the Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil; however, activities were delayed due to a major COVID-19 outbreak in the region resulting in widespread lockdowns and travel restrictions.
There has been a significant improvement in the local COVID situation and corresponding easing of restrictions, allowing Latin’s fully vaccinated field team to safely commence on-ground activities. The field team has recently completed its initial site visit originally planned for earlier in the year, with a number of highly encouraging results, suggesting strong potential for hard-rock lithium at the Salinas Project
It has been a difficult working environment with Brazil having one of the highest rates of Covid cases in the world,” Executive Director, Chris Gale, said.
“However, we are now back on the ground and the company has developed a detailed work programme on our very exciting Brazilian lithium projects. The recent field work has shown us there is significant upside on our lithium projects with assay results only a few weeks away.
“The development of the Sigma lithium mine with construction well under way gives Latin enormous confidence to emulate this same achievement over the next few years.
“The significant time and investment that Latin has invested in our lithium projects, along with the Covid situation in Brazil becoming more manageable, now allows the Company’s lithium strategy to reboot to develop our valuable lithium projects in a fantastic mining province”.
An exploration programme carried out by Latin Resources in 2019 showed numerous pegmatites hosted in schist, which showed homogenous spodumene mineralisation. The pegmatites cross-cut the rivers with exposure in a general NNW trend and continued into the neighbouring tenement to the south. Further work on the pegmatites have now been followed up to determine their relationship to the Salinas main pegmatite which is 1.5km NE.
Desktop studies completed during the hiatus in field work included the compilation and review of historic data and results from previous explorers in the area. The historical work includes extensive abandoned mines and outcrop, where Latin has undertaken work previously when it first identified the opportunity to secure these high-quality tenements in 2019.
The recent review process has resulted in the identification and ranking of a number of targets in three key areas key focus areas, where Latin intends to undertake systematic mapping and sampling over the coming weeks, with the aim of finalising drill targets.
The initial focus of exploration work was the Bananal Valley area located in the northeast of the properties.
Detailed mapping, stream sediment and outcrop sampling was completed across an area of approximately four sq.km.
Several spodumene bearing pegmatites were mapped at surface, over strike lengths of more than 200m. A total of 44 outcrop samples and 38 stream sediment samples were collected in the field.
All samples have been dispatched to the laboratory for analysis, with results anticipated in September 2021.
Latin’s field teams are currently back on-ground and have commenced the next phase of mapping and sampling to the west of the initial focus area. Historic data from this next area indicates a favourable geological setting including mapped pegmatite occurrences and proximity to fertile granites.
The planned field work will focus on verifying and sampling the historic pegmatite occurrences in the field, along with completing regional stream sediment sampling aimed at identifying new occurrences.
The aim of this work will be to identify potential drill sites for the next stage of exploration. Latin Resources will deploy significant resources to fast-track the definition and drilling of the lithium pegmatites over the next 6 months.