Westar Resources (ASX: WSR) has commenced drilling at its Olga Rocks Project in Western Australia, to test the reinterpretation for potential pegmatite-hosted lithium and also target a prospective horizon for high grade gold mineralisation that is largely underexplored.
We are excited to test the reinterpretation for the discovery of lithium-bearing pegmatites in such close proximity to Zenith Mineral’s recently announced Rio lithium Mineral Resource, and at the same time drill for potential high grade gold over a similar prospective horizon in which Zenith recently announced their maiden Mineral Resource for the Dulcie Far North gold project, just 1.5km along strike from our Project,” Westar Executive Director, Lindsay Franker, said.
The Olga Rocks Project is located just 2km from Zenith Resources recently announced ‘Rio’ Inferred Mineral Resource (11.9Mt @ 0.72% Li2O) and 40km from Westfarmers-SQM JV’s operating Earl Grey lithium Mine (Mt Holland Project: 189Mt @ 1.5% Li2O) which has a 50 year mine life.
Project area geology consists of a thin greenstone sequence flanked by large granitoids adjacent to the east and nearby to the west. Three main zones of pegmatite bodies previously defined by Westar are possibly sourced from these granitoids.
Westars’ maiden RC drill programme in April 2023 successfully intersected numerous pegmatites in the central zone, although only returned low-order lithium anomalism. However, the only drill hole to intersect the western pegmatite returned 2m @ 0.2% Li2O (OLRC005) from a significant 44m-thick fractionated pegmatite, accompanied by a fertile elemental signature of Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum (LCT)- style pegmatites. Much of the 44m width is oxidised/weathered which can result in lithium depletion: this occurred at Mt Holland. Accordingly, it is possible that the central pegmatite zone was sourced from the eastern granitoid and the western pegmatite from a more fertile western granitoid – which may be the same source as Zeniths’ Rio deposit.
Lithium – focused drilling will therefore target along strike from OLRC005 where the pegmatite is interpreted to extend approximately 1,300m along strike beneath cover. An air core programme will be initially completed to define the pegmatite extents, followed by deeper RC drilling to intersect the pegmatite in fresh rock, where there is no lithium depletion.
Olga Rocks is located in the Southern Cross gold – rich greenstone belt, which has several significant gold camps within 30km of the Project including Marvel Loch (+3Moz Au) and Yilgarn Star (+2Moz Au), Zenith Mineralsrecently announced its ‘Dulcie Far North’ 150Koz Au Mineral Resource which is located 1.5km along strike to the southeast, and the 26Koz Au Spring Hill Mineral Resource is situated 5.5km along strike to the north.
Within the project area, numerous historic gold workings are scattered along a 2km prospective iron-rich basalt horizon, with only limited areas drill tested by previous explorers.
Westar’s maiden drill programme in April 2023 returned excellent gold results including 3m @ 7.5g/t Au from 57m (OLRC013). When interpreted with historic drill data over the southern area of the project, the higher grades appear irregular and discontinuous, reducing the priority for further work. However, the 2km of strike to the north has not been adequately tested, and there is the potential for coherent high grade gold mineralisation to occur.
In additional to the lithium targets, this RC drill programme will test geologically favourable targets along the 2km of strike, to assess potential for continuous high grade gold mineralisation within the iron rich basalt horizon.