Lithium Energy Hits Lithium in Northern Solaroz Concession

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Lithium Energy (ASX: LEL) has been busy drilling at the company’s Solaroz lithium brine project in Argentina.

The project is located next to Allkem’s Lithium Facility in the Salar de Olaroz basin, smack bang in the middle of South America’s world renowned ‘Lithium Triangle’.

Lithium Energy latest efforts involve drillhole 7 (SOZDD007), a step-out drillhole from the current initial maiden JORC Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 3.3 million tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) at Solaroz.

This hole was drilled to test conductive brines LEL had identified via geophysics in what it described as a “relatively large, previously undrilled Northern Block area”.

Assay results have confirmed an initial 24m intersection of lithium-rich brines with 386mg/l lithium (from a depth of 209 to 233 metres) in sandstone in the upper aquifer.

Further brine samples (at 233 to 257 metres and 281 to 305 metres) show increasing densities, with assays for these samples pending.

Lithium Energy stressed the importance of the confirmation of lithium mineralisation at the Payo 1 concession saying it confirms lithium mineralisation in the Northern concession block which has not been drilled to date and was not included in the current MRE at Solaroz.

‘We are extremely pleased to have encountered lithium mineralisation at drillhole 7 In the Payo 1 concession at Solaroz, as this highlights the potential for further expansion of lithium mineralisation at the Solaroz Lithium Project – which already holds a significant and strategic lithium resource,’ Lithium Energy executive chairman William Johnson said in the comapn’s ASX announcement.

“The Payo 1 concession is located north of the main Solaroz concession area and has previously not been drilled.

“Payo 1 was therefore not included in our maiden Mineral Resource Estimate.

“The large size of Payo 1 (1,973 hectares) indicates that the potential now exists for a significant amount of new lithium mineralisation to be delineated here.

“Furthermore, drilling at Payo 1 has now encountered a massive halite layer, which is highly significant.

“Previous drilling by the company at Solaroz indicates that the halite layer typically acts as a ‘cap’ above the company’s primary target Deep Sand Unit, where the highest grades and volumes of lithium are found.

“Encountering this massive halite layer at Payo 1 is a positive indicator for encountering a Deep Sand Unit and further lithium mineralisation at depth in this new very large area.”

 

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Burley Minerals Recommences Diamond Drilling at Chubb Lithium Project

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Burley Minerals (ASX: BUR) is back on the ground having recommenced diamond drilling at the company’s Chubb lithium project in Québec, Canada.

The recommencement of drilling activities follows completion of an Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) geophysics survey the company had commenced at the beginning of August.

Data from the ANT survey is now being assessed with information to be used to target extensions of known pegmatite dykes and to identify parallel dykes to the east of the mineralised zone.

Burley had commenced its maiden diamond drilling program in April 2023 and had things well underway until wildfires resulted in machinery operation bans.

Drilling recommenced in early July once machinery bans were lifted allowing just under 5,200 metres of diamond drilling to encounter thick lithium-bearing spodumene-pegmatites in holes drilled into the Main Dyke, with widths between 4 to 13m down hole intersected and confirming strong continuity both along strike and at depth.

The assay results from the drilling program completed during July are expected during September.

“Our geologists, drilling contractor and core shed operators responded rapidly and efficiently to complete the drilling and implement the ANT geophysics survey,” Burley Minerals managing director and CEO Stewart McCallion said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“They worked diligently to complete two ANT surveys covering the known Chubb mineralised zone, strike extensions and over the eastern parallel target zone.

“The geophysics survey equipment was pulled from the field last week, and the drill rig was mobilised and has set up on the first hole of the latest 3,000 to 4,000m program.

“It is exciting the team continues to grow and define the spodumene mineralisation in these highly prospective mineral claims, having only completed the acquisition of the Chubb lithium project in February this year in the in the Tier 1 lithium province of Québec, Canada.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Blackstone Minerals Completes Ta Khoa Nickel Concentrator Pilot Program

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX) continues to make progress at the company’s Ta Khoa project in Vietnam.

Blackstone Minerals announced completion of the Ta Khoa Nickel (TKN) plant pilot program along with progress toward completion of a variability testwork program at the existing mine site.

The completion of the TKN pilot program is in addition to Blackstone completing the Ta Khoa Refinery (TKR) pilot program.

Blackstone said the work it has carried out to date has confirmed the baseline flowsheet to treat ore through to concentrate from the nickel mine.

Both pilot and variability testwork programs achieved or exceeded pre-feasibility study (PFS) testwork assumptions.

The company highlighted these as important milestones for the site metallurgy and project team as they should enable consolidation of data and learnings to progress the TKN mine and concentrator definitive feasibility study (DFS).

“Testwork at Ban Phuc is approaching completion and continues to build our understanding of the disseminated sulphide ore body whilst addressing key recommendations arising from independent review of the PFS works,” Blackstone Minerals managing director Scott Williamson said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The program has been conducted safely at our site facilities and is providing substantial knowledge, training, and understanding for our project and technical teams.

“Importantly, the results to date validate, support and in many areas improve on PFS assumptions and criteria that will underpin our definitive feasibility study.

“Outputs confirm that our project flowsheet will be suitable for processing of Ban Phuc ores to deliver critical feedstock for our downstream refinery, confirming our strategy for developing the Ta Khoa Project, being an integrated mine to pCAM project.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Alto Metals Announces More Indomitable Gold Results

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Alto Metals (ASX: AME) reported gold results from the latest RC drilling undertaken at the Indomitable Camp, within the company’s 100 per cent-owned, Sandstone gold project in Western Australia.

Alto Metals has completed a second phase of approximately 5,000m of RC drilling at Indomitable targeting interpreted high-grade structures that had been identified from drilling in late 2022 and testing extensions of the existing mineralisation in primary rock.

Assay results for the final four holes from the second phase of RC drilling at Indomitable all intersected further broad zones of shallow oxide gold mineralisation, including:

SRC961
14 metres at 2.6 grams per tonne gold from 61m, including 2m at 10.6g/t gold from 61m, including 1m at 18.8g/t gold from 62m;

SRC962
11m at 3.4 g/t gold from 57m, including 2m at 12.6g/t gold from 60m and 1m at 19.8g/t gold from 60m;

SRC963
14m at 1.1g/t gold from 60m, including 1m at 5.6g/t gold from 64m; and

SRC964
12m at 1g/t gold from 34m, including 3m at 2.4g/t gold from 41m.

“We are pleased to announce the final assays from this drilling program at Indomitable, which have intersected more shallow oxide gold mineralisation. Importantly, during this overall phase of drilling gold was intersected in multiple shallowly dipping interpreted thrust faults in fresh rock at depth, with higher grades typically observed where these faults intersect the steeper plunging interpreted structures,” Alto Metals managing director Matthew Bowles said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“These results are now being incorporated into our targeting model for follow up drilling.

“In parallel, we are continuing our review of the historic Bull Oak Mine, following the maiden resource estimate released earlier this year, and the potential we see for further resource growth.

“Additionally, our low-cost mapping and multi-element soils is ongoing, along the Edale Shear on the eastern side of the Sandstone Greenstone Belt.”

Alto outlined its upcoming work at Sandstone, with the next phase of exploration either planned or already underway, to include:

• ongoing targeting and prospectivity review of the historic Bull Oak Mine and surrounds with the intention of identifying potential for further resource growth; pending

• a follow up drilling program for structural and lithological purposes at Indomitable, based on the increased geological interpretation and updated targeting model from this most recent drill program. The Company is finalising an application for co-funding of the program under the WA State Govt. Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS)

• a phased 5,000-10,000m of extensional and resource RC drilling, contemplated for Bull Oak, Indomitable and Vanguard – planned to commence in the coming weeks

• first pass RC drilling at multiple historic gold workings within the Hacks West area for high-grade reef style mineralization as well as regional targets – planned for Q4

• low-cost lithium exploration work is continuing at Sandstone, where are number of prospective targets have already been identified – ongoing

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Dreadnought Resources Releases Initial, Independent REE-Nb-P-Ti-Sc Resource at C3

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Dreadnought Resources relieved market suspense by announcing an independent JORC Code 2012 Inferred Mineral Resource for the C3 carbonite within the Yin Ironstone Complex at the company’s Mangaroon project in Western Australia.

Dreadnought Resources discovered the C1-C5 carbonatites less than 12 months ago and has now released the Inferred Mineral Resource for C3 of 10.84 million tonnes at 1 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO).

The resource contains a range of critical minerals including rare earths, niobium, phosphate, titanium and scandium (TREO, REE-Nb-P-Ti-Sc)

The initial C3 Resource covers an area of only approx. 600 metres by 550 metres.

Dreadnought declared that with the C1-C5 carbonatites now expanding under wide-spaced, first-pass drilling, it expects the Resource will grow substantially with future drilling.

“Since drilling commenced in June 2022, Dreadnought has delivered its third Resource for the Mangaroon project bringing the total resources to over 30 million tonnes with further Resource updates underway and significant exploration upside with first pass drilling still ongoing,”

“The delivery of the first Resource over the C1-5 Carbonatite Complex also marks the first polymetallic critical metal resource with significant niobium, phosphate, titanium, and scandium included within the Resource.

“Further work will seek to understand the economic potential of the project as we continue to highlight the critical metal endowment of the region.

“We are proud of how much has been achieved in such a short space of time and are looking forward to continuing to build on this later in 2023.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Strickland Metals Confirms Heritage Survey Commencement

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Strickland Metals (ASX: STK) is gearing up for a Heritage Survey to be undertaken at the company’s Yandal and Earaheedy projects in Western Australia.

Strickland Metals has received confirmation the surveys can go ahead and are scheduled to commence at the projects on October 9, 2023.

The company explained the survey will seek clearance for areas around Strickland’s Great Western, Rabbit Well and Cowza prospects.

Heritage clearance at Great Western will allow for follow up drilling at what the company considers to be a compelling, large, and entirely untested gold prospect where an IP survey is currently underway.

Clearance will also allow drilling at the Cowza prospect, where Strickland believes it has the potential to replicate earlier success at Millrose.

The survey will also take in the Rabbit Well prospect, where historic drilling detected elevated zinc anomalism in shallow holes coincident with a large gravity feature.

Strickland is of the opinion Rabbit Well has potential to be a much larger and more coherent target than its Iroquois base metal prospect.

Follow up diamond drilling is scheduled to commence immediately after clearance has been received in late October 2023.

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Mamba Exploration Encouraged by Results from Initial REE Leaching Testwork

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Mamba Exploration (ASX: M24) has been carrying out initial metallurgical test work on the company’s Hyden rare earth element (REE) project east of Perth in the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Mamba Exploration submitted samples from Hyden for laboratory analysis in May on completion of a drill program.

Initial metallurgical leach tests from nine samples have returned variable results, including:

Southern area leach tests of mafic derived clays returned recovery rates up to 70.6 per cent total rare earth elements-cerium (TREE-Ce) into solution using simple hydrochloric acid (HCl) leaching.

Initial graphitic clay target zone tests returned variable recovery rates up to 19.3 per cent TREE-Ce into solution using simple HCl leaching.

Northern area samples derived from granite bedrock returned recovery results rates of less than 5 per cent.

“While the metallurgical leach results are variable, from the initial tests it is clear the greenstone hosted mineralisation in the Southern area can be readily leached, with tests showing up to 70.6 per cent recovery into solution with a relatively simple acid leach,” Mamba Exploration non-executive chairman Justin Boylson said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“While the recoverability of the granite and felsic hosted mineralisation is low, additional work is planned to better determine the REE mineralogy to understand the source of the mineralisation and to determine if the material can be beneficiated to allow alternative extraction or upgrading of the REE minerals.”

Mamba Exploration indicated mineralogical testwork is being planned to enable the company to enhance its understanding of the mineralogy of the host material and the associated REE.

Additional testwork is likely to include QEMSCAN, an automated mineralogical analysis technique, manual scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitative X-ray Diffraction (XRD).

The company anticipates these tests to be completed in in the near term, with results released as available.

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Metal Hawk Identifies New Lithium Targets at Yarmany

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Metal Hawk (ASX: MHK) reported identification of new lithium targets along the Ida Fault within the company’s Yarmany lithium and nickel project near Coolgardie in Western Australia.

Metal Hawk noted the targets from a review of historical data it is currently undertaking for the Yarmany lithium and nickel project.

One target to emerge is the Reptile Dam prospect situated at the northern end of the Yarmany project, which Metal Hawk has labelled a priority target area for RC drilling testing for both lithium and nickel sulphide mineralisation.

Historic diamond drilling was carried out at Reptile Dam in 1973-74, with four diamond holes drilled for a total of 2,110 feet (643 metres) designed to test beneath surface gossanous material interpreted to represent highly weathered and potentially mineralised ultramafic rocks.

“We have identified new walk-up lithium targets from historical diamond drilling which we’ll be testing with our first campaign of RC drilling at Yarmany,” Metal Hawk managing director Will Belbin said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“We are in the process of systematically mapping, sampling and prioritising drill targets for lithium and nickel sulphide mineralisation.

“The favourable lithologies present at Reptile Dam are very encouraging and warrant more drilling.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Charger Metals Ups Exploration Efforts at Bynoe Lithium Project

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Charger Metals (ASX: CHR) has upped the exploration ante at the company’s Bynoe lithium project in the Northern Territory.

Charger Metals has commenced an Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) geophysical survey in the northeastern portion of its Bynoe tenure, which is a form of passive seismic surveying that uses ambient sound waves to detect contrasting rock units.

The technology has been used to successfully detect ‘blind’ pegmatite systems that cannot be seen at surface.

Elsewhere a ground gravity survey is being carried out over the northeastern portion of the Bynoe project where earlier petrophysical testwork completed on drill core from diamond drilling demonstrated a density contrast between the pegmatites and the metasedimentary country rock.

To complete an exploration trifecta, Charger has commenced infill surface geochemical surveys infilling to 200m line spacing over key prospective areas at Bynoe of no previous sampling or wide-spaced (400m) sampling.

“The company has completed a significant amount of drilling to-date at Bynoe across several key prospect areas, and we look forward to receiving the assay results for each of the target areas that have been drill-tested so far.” Charger Metals managing director Aidan Platel said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“In addition to systematically drill-testing seven of the numerous (>20) prospects already identified, the company has initiated simultaneous ANT, gravity and surface sampling surveys in key areas of the Bynoe project that are currently considered prospective yet underexplored.

“The surveys have the ability to delineate new high priority drill targets, including targets that are not apparent at surface, and we look forward to seeing the results and modelling of these surveys in October.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Lithium Love Gun Locked and Loaded for New World Metals Investment Series

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THE CONFEENCE CALLER: Azure Minerals fired its first shot from the lithium Love Gun in the lead up to the 2022 South-West Connect ASX Showcase in Busselton.

Azure Minerals (ASX: AZS)

Before the 2022 South-West Connect ASX Showcase, Azure had reported identification of numerous lithium, caesium and tantalum (LCT) pegmatites within the company’s Andover project, located in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia.

At the time, Azure hadn’t really got a handle on the lithium potential of the project with managing director Tony Rovira delivering a guarded statement to the ASX, declaring, “Azure’s primary focus is on the exploration and development of the nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide resources that we have discovered at Andover.

“We recognise that the presence of spodumene-bearing, lithium-rich pegmatites could add significant value to the overall Andover project, which aligns with increasing our exposure to clean and valuable energy metals.”

Somebody must have been paying closer attention to Rovira’s South-West Connect presentation than first thought, as just a couple of months later global lithium company Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A., via its wholly-owned subsidiary SQM Australia Pty Ltd completed a cornerstone investment of $20 million to acquire a 19.99 per cent interest in Azure.

Since then, Azure has released a series of lithium hits from what was once its nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide project, culminating in an encounter with a broad zone of lithium mineralisation intersected in the project’s AP0011 pegmatite of:

ANRD00171
209.4 metres at 1.42 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) from 219m (~134.6m True Width), including 126.2m at 1.72 per cent Li2O from 219m (~81.1m True Width), including 56.1m at 2 per cent Li2O from 257m (~36.1m True Width); and
19.7m at 1.54 per cent Li2O from 401.6m (~12.7m True Width).

Not only have the lithium hits continued to grow, so has the company’s share price, reaching $2.93 (22/8/23).

It was hardly surprising then that the company announced receiving firm commitments to raise $120 million through a two-tranche placement for the issue of 50 million new fully-paid ordinary shares at an offer price of $2.40 per New Share.

Tranche 1 of the placement raised approximately $100 million and Tranche 2 of the placement, which includes the issue of New Shares subject to shareholder approval, is set to raise approximately $20 million.

Azure Minerals is to be a featured presenter at the upcoming New World Metals Investment Series Roadshow.

We at The Roadhouse, however, will be interested to see how other lithium hopefuls fare at the podium.

 

Galan Lithium (ASX: GLN)

Galan Lithium is another to have enjoyed success in the lithium space, be it far from the local climes of Western Australia.

The company’s 100 per cent-owned Hombre Muerto West has recently been the subject of a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), Phase 1 of which delivered an annual production rate of 5,367 recoverable tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) contained in a concentrated lithium chloride product for a period of 40 years.

The Phase 1 DFS results and analysis provided solid outcomes that showed the HMW project was a very competitive and highly compelling project in the lithium brine industry.

Galan had previously announced, the DFS was separated into two phases.

This initial Phase 1 of the DFS focused on the production of a lithium chloride concentrate, as governed by the production permits.

DFS optimisation work continues and will culminate in the release of a Phase 2 DFS in September 2023, addressing full 20,000 tonnes per annum LCE production rate.

Still in Argentina, Galan recently acquired 100 per cent-ownership of the Catalina tenement that borders the Catamarca and Salta Provinces in Argentina.

“This acquisition represents a highly significant value accretive transaction for the company,” Galan Lithium managing director JP Vargas de la Vega explained.

“It resolves the security of tenure in this highly prospective area favourably for the exclusive benefit of Galan and its shareholders.

“As there are now no competing interests, our team can advance exploration and evaluation activities at Catalina with the objective of delineating a maiden resource.

“Furthermore, we plan to accelerate such work and look forward to keeping our shareholders informed of our progress.”

Pan Asia Metals (ASX: PAM)

Pan Asia Metals’ claim to fame was being the “only lithium explorer in South-East Asia”.

Not a bad place to be when you consider Asia accounts for over half the world’s annual vehicle production, however recent acquisitions have seen the company move into South America, in particular Chile.

The company wasted little time before commencing field work at the Hilix lithium prospect, one of seven target prospect areas that form the Tama Atacama lithium project.

“The Hilix lithium prospect is an easy project, located five minutes drive from the Quillagua village, with Chile’s main north south transport and power infrastructure adjacent to the project,” Pan Asia Metals managing director Paul Lock said.

“The lithium mineralisation is found in an approx. 30 metres thick layer of soft friable, porous, typically white, clay rich sediments which start at or near surface.

“Although yet to be tested, general observations suggest the mineralisation is homogeneous in nature and laterally extensive and is considered amenable to a wide spaced drill pattern which will facilitate a relatively cheap and quick pathway to an inaugural Mineral Resource later this year.”

Infinity Lithium Corporation (ASX: INF)

Infinity Lithium has its eyes on the development prize of the company’s 75 per cdent-owned San José lithium project in Spain.

Like the country’s Women’s Football Team, Infinity has World Cup scale ambitions for its proposed fully integrated industrial project with a focus on production of battery grade lithium chemicals from a mica feedstock that represents the EU’s second largest JORC compliant hard rock lithium deposit.

Infinity Lithium has aspirations for the project to ultimately provide an essential component in the EU’s development of a vertically integrated lithium-ion battery supply chain.

The EU is no different to any jurisdiction a present looking to lock in supply of critical raw materials and the production of battery grade lithium hydroxide to ensure the long-term production of lithium-ion batteries for electric mobility and the transition of the EU’s automotive industry towards electric vehicles.

Jindalee Resources (ASX: JRL)

Earlier this year, Jindalee resources released an updated MRE at the company’s McDermitt lithium project in the United States.

The MRE for McDermitt contains a combined Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Inventory of 3 billion tonnes at 1,340ppm lithium for a total of 21.5 million tonnes LCE at 1,000ppm cut-off grade.

Jindalee claims that at 21.5 million tonnes LCE, McDermitt is the largest lithium deposit in the US by contained lithium in Mineral Resource.

Not much later, Jindalee commenced a PFS on the McDermitt lithium project announcing the appointment of Fluor as lead engineer, a company with extensive US sediment hosted lithium deposit experience.

Jindalee sees the PFS as the next logical step towards development of McDermitt that it expects to facilitate meaningful discussions with potential financiers (both public and private sector), off-takers and strategic partners.

Lithium Energy (ASX: LEL)

Lithium Energy recently established a maiden 3.3 million tonnes JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of LCE at the company’s 90 per cent-owned Solaroz lithium brine project in Argentina.

Lithium Energy is now considering development options for Solaroz with a Scoping Study soon to be finished.

All alternative lithium extraction technologies are under the microscope, which as seen the company execute an agreement to manufacture and commission a 3,000 tonnes per annum battery grade lithium carbonate demonstration plant on the Mario Angel concession at Solaroz, using the proprietary sorbent-based DLE technology of Lanshen.

The structure of the agreement for the construction and commissioning of the DLE Plant, in which Lanshen will supply, build and initially operate the plant at its own cost reduces the upfront capital costs in evaluating this DLE production option for Solaroz.

Burley Minerals (ASX: BUR)

Burley Minerals acquired 100 per cent ownership of the Chubb lithium project in Québec, Canada earlier this year.

The Chubb lithium project sits in a good neighbourhood, smack bang in the heart of the world-class lithium province of Quebec, which hosts major lithium projects including Sayona Mining (ASX: SYA) and Piedmont Lithium Inc’s North American Lithium (NAL) mines and operations.

Burley kicked off its drilling campaign at Chubb in early April 2023, however, as is the case in most of Canada this year bushfires interrupted proceedings.

Despite these interruptions, diamond drilling has been undertaken with assays returned from the Chubb Central Main Dyke confirming spodumene-bearing pegmatite with a strike length of at least 560m, extending from surface to below 200m depth.

Diamond drilling is ongoing to test for extensions to the Chubb project, Central Main Dyke both along strike and at depth, as well as for spodumene in mapped parallel pegmatites dykes.

Future Battery Minerals (ASX: FBM)

Future Battery Minerals has gone from an initial 5,000 metres of drilling to a further 6,000m of drilling at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Kangaroo Hills lithium project (KHLP) in Western Australia.

While undertaking Phase 3 reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) programs at the Rocky Prospect, Future Battery Minerals identified multiple new stacked spodumene bearing pegmatites semi parallel to the project’s Big Red lithium pegmatite.

The new intersections resulted in an increase in the scale of the pegmatite swarm and potential tonnage at Kangaroo Hills, which has been confirmed over a 1.2 x 1.5km area and remains open in all directions.

As a consequence, Future Battery Minerals has expanded the drill program with an additional 6,000m of RC drilling, with which it aims to further test additional extensions at Big Red and Rocky, as well as assess other regional prospects at Eastern Grey, Wallaroo and Pademelon.

To date, drilling at Rocky has only tested the western margin of the pegmatites on a wide spaced grid.

The expanded program will test the pegmatites towards the east and south directions, employing more closely spaced drilling technique suitable for the completion of a MRE.

Latin Resources (ASX: LRS)

In June, Latin Resources upgraded the Colina MRE at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Salinas lithium project in Brazil.

The company increased the JORC Measured, Indicated and Inferred MRE for the expanded Colina deposit by over 241 per cent to a total of 45.2 million tonnes at 1.34 per cent Li2O, reported above a cut-off of 0.5% Li2O.

This upgraded resource of 45 million tonnes represents a LCE of approx. 1.48 million tonnes.

Not long after, the company confirmed an extension of the Colina pegmatite system via drill testing of a ‘blind’ geophysical target, 560m to the southwest of the Colina, where three of four holes completed intersected shallow east dipping, course grained spodumene rich pegmatites.

Outcrop mapping undertaken six kilometres to the southwest of the Colina deposit, subsequently identified a third new pegmatite occurrence within the company’s interpreted prospective corridor.

T company considers these achievements highlight the further potential scale and growth of the Colina deposit.

Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7)

Lithium Universe came to market attention by ending its opening day of ASX trading at 6.1 cents, a healthy opening dividend from its IPO that raised $4.5 million at 0.02 cents per share.

Lithium Universe has a wide-reaching portfolio of lithium exploration assets in regions well known for discovery of the electronic feedstock in both Australia and Canada.

The company’s stated objective is to establish itself as a “prominent lithium project builder by prioritising swift and successful development of lithium projects”.

The company’s initial target is its Apollo lithium project, covering 240sqkm in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James Municipality (James Bay), in north-west Québec, Canada.

The project has some well-credentialed neighbours, namely Patriot Battery Metals’ (ASX: PMT) Corvette Property with a maiden resource of 109.2 million tonnes at 1.42 per cent Li2O and Winsome Resources’ (ASX: WR1) Adina Property.

Solis Minerals (ASX: SLM)

Solis Minerals announced it had acquired the Jaguar hard rock Lithium project in Bahia State Brazil in May this year.

It didn’t take long for the news to flow and in July Solis announced drilling had intersected shallow-dipping coarse spodumene rich pegmatites at Jaguar in two initial diamond holes.

JADDH00002 intersected 52m of pegmatite with 8.2m of spodumene rich quartz bearing central core area from 32m downhole; and

JADDH00003 intersected 39.3m of pegmatite with 7.9m of spodumene rich quartz bearing central core area from 44.3m downhole.

“As we extend our mapping and geochemical sampling programs, we are finding evidence of a potential stacked pegmatite system,” Solis Minerals executive director Matt Boyes said.

“Multiple spodumene bearing float samples have been collected up to one kilometre from the central Jaguar artisanal mine area and large outcropping pegmatites, which are completely untested, have been located.

“We are encouraged by our early results at the Jaguar project, and we look forward to updating the market as we deliver results from this maiden drill program.”

European Metals Holdings (ASX: EMH)

The importance of European Metals Holdings’ Cínovec lithium/tin project in the Czech Republic to Europen lithium security was emphasised when the project received a recent visit from the Czech Republic Prime Minister, Petr Fiala.

“Lithium is a critical and key raw material,” Prime Minister Fiala said after his visit.

“Cínovec is the largest European deposit of this raw material.

Thanks to this, the Czech Republic has a unique opportunity to contribute to both its own and European raw material security.

“We are on the threshold of a ‘lithium revolution’ as the use of lithium will grow significantly.

“As a country with a large share of the automotive industry, it is important for us to support it and capture current trends.”

European Metals later reported that ongoing test work had achieved continued outstanding lithium recoveries.

A Definitive Feasibility Study is being undertaken on the Cinovec project and is on track for completion in Q4 2023.