Encounter Resources Cites Encouraging Critical Minerals Start at Junction
THE CONFERENCE CALLER: Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) is onto an “encouraging start” for critical minerals at its Junction lithium project in the Northern Territory, managing director Will Robinson said on the sidelines of the 2023 RIU Explorers Conference. By Ngaire McDiarmid
On the eve of the event, Encounter reported that rock chip assays had confirmed lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites at Junction’s Crawford target, saying they were comparable to the host pegmatites of the Finnis lithium deposits in the Pine Creek region.
Robinson said it was the company’s first exploration in the area, which had been identified by director Dr Jon Hronsky as having potential for critical minerals or lithium.
“For us to go onto the ground and sample exactly what we want to see in our first program was a really encouraging start,” Robinson told Resources Roadhouse.
“Now the path from here is pretty clear, we’re going to do a soil sampling program and drill the best of the anomalies that come out of that.”
He thought the area was going to be regionally significant, noting Core Lithium’s Ringing Rocks lithium prospect was about 5km to the west.
Robinson expected exploration at Junction to form “a big part” of the 2023 work program for Encounter, which has suite of exploration projects in the NT and Western Australia, some subject to farm-ins with companies including BHP and IGO.