Novo confirms pegmatite swarm at Nullagine

Toronto-listed Novo Resources has confirmed a 16km lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite swarm about 5km north of the Kurrana granite complex that the company says hosts significant lithium-tantalum potential.

Recent reconnaissance exploration programs along the Kurrana pegmatite swarm defined more than 200 pegmatites with numerous geometries and various sizes including some up to 40 per cent lepidolite.

According to Novo, the Kurrana pegmatite trend is open to the south-west and to the east of the currently defined 16km prospective zone, potentially covering over 25km of strike length. 

The swarm forms along the contact with the Mosquito Creek basin, part of Novo’s Quartz Hill project in the Nullagine district of WA.

The company purchased Quartz Hill, south of Novo’s Nullagine gold project,  from Creasy Group in 2020.

Historic sampling done by Creasy Group identified two zones of anomalism in soil and stream sediment sampling across an approximate 16km trend.

Creasy Group rock chip sampling returned high-grade results of 3.36 per cent lithium oxide and 22 parts-per-million tantalum pentoxide.

Whereas Novo’s latest rock chip sampling yielded peak results of 1.54 per cent lithium oxide and 1992ppm tantalum pentoxide.

The western sector of the coincident lithium-tantalum trend was tested by Creasy Group with RC drilling in 2019.  However, a program of 25 holes over 11km of strike returned disappointing results  in 4m composite sampling, with the best assay results going 4m at 0.4 per cent lithium oxide from 72-76m.

Last year, an unfazed Novo completed a 10-day mapping and surface sampling program focused on lithium-tantalum prospectivity that defined more than 200 pegmatites.

Stream sediment samples taken by the Toronto exchange-listed company highlight an extension of the lepidolite-rich pegmatite trend by 700m that remains open to the east.

The lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite trend appears to change orientation and has not been previously tested by geochemical sampling in this region.

Newly returned results from exploration programs completed by Novo in December include results of 148ppm lithium and 64ppm tantalum.

The company says while exploration of the Kurrana trend is in its early stages, mapping and sampling are ongoing to test the lithium-tantalum prospectivity to the east of the potential resource.

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