Pioneer Resources claims lithium-caesium discovery at Pioneer Dome

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has completed the first pass of drilling at three targets at the company’s 100 per cent-held Pioneer Dome lithium project in Western Australia.

The company has received the first batch of assays from the program, which entailed 64 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes completed for 5,200m at the PEG001, PEG002 and PEG008A pegmatite and geochemistry targets.

Pioneer claimed the drilling had confirmed unequivocally the project hosts rare-metal LCT pegmatites.

Assays have been received for holes PDRC001-PDRC015, drilled into the southern end of the PEG008A pegmatite.

Drill holes PDRC010 to PDRC028 were collared on 160m spaced drill traverses with holes spaced at 40m on each traverse.

Infill holes, PDRC055-PDRC063, were drilled on an 80m by 40m spacing around the visually encouraging PDRC015 and PDRC021.

Assays are pending for holes numbered PDRC016-PDRC065.

Hole PDRC015 returned an intersection of: 7 metres at 1.52 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) from 52m.

Pioneer said samples from PDRC015 have been submitted for petrology and XRD analyses to identify all lithium bearing minerals in what it considers to be a highly-differentiated rare-metal pegmatite body.

PDRC105 also returned 6m of high-grade caesium grading 27.7 per cent caesium oxide (Cs2O) from 47m.

Caesium is used in the manufacture of formate brines for high-pressure/high-temperature oil and gas drilling and exploration.

“We’re very encouraged with the information gained from the first drilling and particularly hole PDRC015, which marks a new lithium and caesium discovery,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The company looks forward to providing further updates to the market as more assay results and other minerology information comes to hand.”

Website: www.pioresources.com.au