Lithium Australia Claims Maiden Discovery at Youanmi
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) kicked off its week at Diggers & Dealers 2019 by reporting the results of a maiden RC drilling program within the company’s Youanmi project area in Western Australia.
Lithium Australia has an option to acquire full rights and title to three exploration licences at Youanmi that contain lithium, caesium and tantalum (LCT) pegmatites, as well as vanadium mineralisation in a nearby layered mafic complex.
The company said the RC drilling program was designed to test down-dip extensions of outcropping lithium-bearing pegmatites where rock-chip samples yielding up to 4.2 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) had been identified and lepidolite mineralisation observed in RC drill cuttings.
To date, 54 RC holes have been completed, from which the first batch of assay results has reported high-grade lepidolite mineralisation hosted in pegmatites.
LIT said the extent of known lithium-bearing pegmatites has been extended by this maiden drilling program and that it was encouraged that mineralisation is reported over good widths of high-grades, is shallow and remains open down dip and along strike.
Assay results returned lithium intersections, including:
19YMRC037
8 metres at 1.39 per cent Li2O from 8m;
19YMRC036
7m at 1.42 per cent Li2O from 20m;
19YMRC030
6m at 1.64 per cent Li2O from 11m – includes 1m at 3.07 per cent Li2O;
19YMRC027
6m at 1.54 per cent Li2O from 1m;
19YMRC039
5m at 1.57 per cent Li2O from 13m;
19YMRC038
5m at 1.2 per cent Li2O from 31m.
“These great results from our first-pass drilling program vindicate our exploration model,” Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
“Good widths of high-grade lithium mineralisation in pegmatites are reported at Youanmi, including 8 metres at 1.39 per cent Li2O and 7 metres at 1.42 per cent Li2O from 20 metres, with results from 19 holes pending.
“Importantly, the mineralisation is shallow and remains open down dip and along strike.
“The lithium is hosted in lepidolite, a lithium mica ideally suited to processing by our proprietary SiLeach® technology.
“Initial results suggest Youanmi could provide critical local feedstock for our lithium-cathode and battery business units.”
Email: info@lithium-au.com
Website: www.lithium-au.com
