Infinity Mining continues to expand the footprint of lithium-bearing pegmatites at its Tambourah project in WA’s east Pilbara region with further rock chip samples returning up to 1.77 per cent lithium oxide.
As the company awaits final heritage approval to set the rods in motion on a maiden 2500m program, extra rock chip and lag sampling has uncovered another four lithium-rich pegmatite zones to add into the targeting mix. The latest surface sampling program saw 31 rock chip samples and 223 lag samples collected along the north-western boundary of its tenure.
Infinity says the rock chip samples were collected along previously unsampled prospective pegmatites with spodumene visually identified in several of the rock chips. In addition to the peak grade of 1.77 per cent lithium oxide, three other samples returned over 1 per cent lithium oxide.
Complementing the lithium enrichment, seven samples returned grades over 0.2 per cent rubidium oxide, with a peak value of 0.52 per cent.
Rubidium, one of the lesser known but more abundant elements, finds many applications in electronics, telecommunications, solar technology, biomedicine and – fun fact - is the element that gives off violet hues in fireworks.
The company believes the rock chip assays highlighted anomalous path-finder elements including beryllium, caesium, niobium and tantalum – a key geochemical signature of lithium-bearing pegmatites.
The lag sampling program took in the north-eastern strike extension of MinRex’s recently discovered 300m wide pegmatite swarm located just over the fence. MinRex reported earlier this month rock chip samples returning a whopping 2.56 per cent lithium oxide from the swarm.
Lag sampling is a useful exploratory technique in areas of poor outcrop and involves taking a composite sample of rocks that have been removed and transported, or ‘floated’ from their original outcrop. Infinity says pegmatite was identified in some of the ‘float’ samples collected.
A peak value of 1.18 per cent lithium oxide was returned from the lag sampling with 15 samples coming back with grades more than 0.1 per cent outlining two areas of interest around known pegmatites.
Management says the lag sample assay results also returned anomalous lithium-indicator pathfinder element geochemistry which it hopes will be a useful tool in exploring areas of poor outcrop and surficial cover.
Infinity Mining’s Chief Executive Officer, Joe Groot said:
“Tambourah South is becoming a major asset for Infinity and these additional geochemical results continue to confirm this. Our technical team is looking into new geochemical and geophysical exploration methods to identify additional mineralised pegmatites concealed under thin cover. This sub-surface information, in combination with the surface geochemical and mapping data we already have, will support a drilling program to test the depth continuity of these highly mineralised pegmatite units.”
Infinity is awaiting the final nod of approval from the recently completed heritage survey with the Palyku People prior to commencing earth works ahead of drilling. Its lithium-focused Tambourah tenements collectively cover an area of 15.92 square kilometres in the east Pilbara.
The region has become an intense hotbed of lithium exploration and discovery over recent years, making up a significant portion of Australia’s total lithium resources.
Geoscience Australia says about 95 per cent of Australia’s lithium resources are found within just five deposits and all are in WA — two of them are the Pilgangoora and Wodgina mines found in the Pilbara.
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By Matt Birney
