Metals Australia Ltd (ASX: MLS) has unveiled lithium potential in its now completed, 44 hole, approximately 3,500m reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme testing LCT pegmatites at the company’s Manindi Project, 20 km southwest of the Youanmi Gold Mine in the Murchison District of Western Australia.
Infill drilling on 40m sections of the recently discovered, 500m strike length, Foundation Pegmatite has intersected depth extensions of the previously reported thick intersections of lithium bearing pegmatite identified in a 2022 drilling programme.
The new intersections include a 12m pegmatite intersection in MNRC069 from 70m to 82m with intervals of purple Li-Rb bearing minerals. This drillhole tested down dip from the 11m pegmatite intersection in MNRC045 from 16 to 27m, where assay results are expected shortly.
Previous rockchip sampling of this zone produced particularly high-grade, consistent, >1% Li2O and >0.4% Rb, from the central, thickest, part of the Foundation Pegmatite, including up to 2.30% Li2O and 0.70% Rb with an average of 1.29% Li2O and 0.51% Rb over the entire 500m strike length.
Initial assay results from the first seven holes include thick, high-grade, lithium (Li2O) and rubidium (Rb) intersections from the Foundation LCT Pegmatite discovery and returned maximum intervals of: 16m @ 1.12% Li2O, 0.32% Rb from 19m (down hole) in MNRC0420, including 13.0m @ 1.25% Li2O, 0.34% Rb from 21m, and 12m @ 0.86% Li2O, 0.30% Rb from 62m (down hole) in MNRC0430, including 4.0m @ 1.37% Li2O, 0.33% Rb from 68m.
These significant lithium -rubidium results were produced from the start of the higher-grade eastern portion of the Foundation Pegmatite. The recent infill drilling indicates both the continuity of the Foundation Pegmatite along strike to the east and to at least 60m vertical depth.
Further drilling is planned to test both the depth potential of the Foundation pegmatite and the continuity along strike to the east. The RC drilling program also tested the three Mulgara LCT pegmatites, including deeper drilling under previous high-grade lithium and tantalum RC drilling intersections:
- 8m @ 1.06% Li2O from 18m incl. 3m @ 1.65% Li2O with up to 1.96% Li2O in MNRC0302; and
- 8m @ 1.00% Li2O, 158ppm Ta205 from 32m, and 7m @ 1.29% Li2O, 242ppm Ta205 from 42 m incl. 5m @ 1.53% Li2O in MNRC0332.
The RC drilling programme produced thick intersections of lithium pegmatite at Mulgara that have extended the mineralisation at depth to over 100m from surface.
The company continues to produce thick intersections of lithium bearing pegmatite from both the Foundation and Mulgara pegmatites at the Manindi Project,” Chairman, Mike Scivolo, said.
“Previous results have confirmed the high grades of lithium and rubidium at this project, and we look forward to seeing the analyses from under the highest-grade part of the Foundation Pegmatite as well as from the thick intersections of lithium bearing pegmatite at Mulgara.
“It looks like the company is onto a significant LCT pegmatite discovery at Manindi and we can now start to build a substantial lithium resource at the Project.”
