Infinity Mining says it has uncovered a “lithium-rich system” in a maiden scout drilling program at its Tambourah South project in the Pilbara, with more than 50 samples returning results above 0.2 per cent lithium oxide.
Highlights include a 4m hit at 0.573 per cent lithium oxide from 32m, while the widest section showed a 9m intercept going 0.332 per cent lithium oxide from surface.
Infinity says the maiden RC drilling program confirms that lithium-bearing pegmatites, with spodumene and lepidolite, continue at depth under outcropping pegmatites. A total of 41 individual pegmatite units were logged in 18 drill holes with thicknesses ranging from 1m to 35m.
The 21-hole program across 1812m tested three target areas that had been mapped and surface-sampled, with pegmatites testing up to 2.636 per cent lithium oxide. The 1m samples returned a peak result of 0.994 per cent lithium oxide, while another 132 samples between 1m and 5m showed positive figures between 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent lithium oxide.
The company says the assays confirmed the presence of elevated to anomalous caesium, tantalum and rubidium at depth within the pegmatites and host rocks, with up to 2123 parts per million rubidium, 155.8ppm tantalum and 235.9ppm caesium.
Follow-up field mapping, rock-chip sampling and recent drilling has now confirmed the presence of lithium and rare earths-bearing pegmatites, with grades up to 3.86 per cent lithium oxide, 0.66 per cent rubidium and 611ppm caesium at surface.
The positive samples were collected from previously-identified pegmatites and new pegmatites discovered in the north-west area of the South Tambourah tenements. Infinity believes the results show the potential to extend the zone of lithium-bearing pegmatites targeted during last year’s maiden drill campaign at the site.
Infinity Mining chief executive officer Joe Groot said: “Infinity believes that the current assays results are highly encouraging and that Tambourah South is still a very fertile lithium system that is under-explored. The ongoing 3D geology interpretation incorporating the results from the current passive seismic survey will enable the Company to identify prospective concealed pegmatite targets.”
Earlier this year, the company launched a new survey technique at Tambourah South that uses real-time data processing to model a 3D map of the underlying geology of the site. The Ambient Noise Tomography survey technology allows the explorer to map in 3D down to several hundred metres where lithium, caesium and tantalum-rich pegmatites identified at surface have grown at depth. The survey began last month and is expected to be completed by next week.
The Queensland-based explorer has high hopes for the Tambourah South project that lies in the greenstones on the east margin of the Yule Batholith, which hosts the relatively younger and lithium-fertile Tambourah Monzogranite.
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By Michael Philipps
