Auroch Minerals to Assess Nepean Pegmatites for Lithium Potential
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Auroch Minerals (ASX: AOU) has commenced sampling as part of the assessment of the lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation potential at the company’s 80 per cent-owned Nepean project in Western Australia.
Auroch Minerals had previously identified pegmatite intrusions throughout the project area, including at the historic Nepean nickel mine itself, where multiple pegmatites intruded the mine sequence but were not historically assessed for any economic potential.
The company also identified an abundance of pegmatites via a recently-completed first diamond drill-hole into the Nepean Deeps target, which was designed to test for down-plunge extensions to the high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation below the historic Nepean mine.
The drill-hole intersected 46 metres of komatiitic ultramafics over three lower intervals, which are considered prospective for nickel sulphide mineralisation.
The hole also intersected approximately 700 metres of pegmatite intrusions, including one 350m thick pegmatite in the hanging-wall below the historic nickel mine workings.
Auroch has now initiated sampling of the pegmatites from the diamond core to be submitted for assaying for lithium-caesium- tantalum (LCT) mineralisation.
“As we announced in February this year, there is significant potential across our tenure at the Nepean project for lithium-caesium-tantalum mineralisation within the many pegmatites identified, particularly in the northern areas where our tenements lie adjacent to known historic mines of lithium and tantalum at the Londonderry Pegmatite deposits,” Auroch Minerals managing director Aidan Platel said in the company’s ASX announcement.
“Our recently-completed maiden diamond drill-hole into the very promising Nepean Deeps nickel sulphide target has provided us with significant intervals of fresh pegmatite intrusions in drill core, and we have initiated sampling of these zones in order to test for potential LCT mineralisation.
“In parallel, the down-hole geophysical surveys of drill-hole NPDD008 are well underway and we are excited to see what targets they will potentially define to be tested by the ongoing Nepean Deeps diamond drill program.”
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