Mineral explorer Galan Lithium could be closing in on the key battery metal at its Greenbushes South project in WA after recent exploration work at the venture highlighted anomalous pathfinder mineralisation in soil samples and rock chips. According to the company, the samples show trace elements in the Donnybrook shear zone could support lithium pegmatites similar to those in the nearby Greenbushes mine, the world’s largest hard-rock lithium deposit.
The lithium hunt at Greenbushes marks Galan’s first at the project and is comprised of exploration mapping and sampling. The latter took in 425 soil samples and 14 rock chips from the northern boundary of Galan's tenement, as well as the mapped location of the Donnybrook-Bridgetown shear zone. The area is closely linked with the syntectonic emplacement of Greenbushes’ lithium-bearing pegmatites to the north.
According to the company, an airborne geophysical survey was also completed and is currently being processed. The data will be subsequently dispatched to Southern Geoscience Consultants, that has been contracted to interpret the results for potential lithium targets.
The survey collected high-resolution magnetics and radiometrics above Galan's tenements and the company says it is now awaiting the high-resolution data to improve its targeting in the Donnybrook shear zone and the identification of lithium-bearing pegmatites.
The company says pathfinder elements, including arsenic and antimony, are found in high concentrations in soil samples near the target area and when integrated with historical data highlight the potential for pegmatites in its northern tenements.
According to Galan, supplementary lithium pathfinder minerals such as tin and rubidium sit within a bed of transported material to the east of the recently surveyed area.
The company has also submitted a new conservation management plan for its pending tenement in the Donnelly State Forest.
Since the early 1900s, pegmatite-derived mineralisation, particularly tin and tantalum, has been the focus of exploration within the tenement. Recent exploration has focused on base-metal mineralisation and lithium-tin-tantalum pegmatites.
Galan's re-interpretation of historical geophysical data suggests the Donnybrook shear zone extends into the tenement and may be responsible for the pegmatite formation.
The company entered into a sale and joint venture agreement with Lithium Australia early last year for an 80 per cent stake in the Greenbushes South project, 200km south of Perth. The project was initially procured by Lithium Australia due to its close proximity to the Greenbushes lithium mine.
Galan’s ground is on the doorstep of one of the globe’s most significant areas for battery metals and with the new energy revolution still picking up speed, the company could find itself in the right place at the right time –as economies around the world embrace the low-carbon movement.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
