Azure Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZS) has confirmed the presence of high-grade lithium within the Andover Project’s lithium swarm, sampling more than 700 individual outcropping pegmatites and revealing grades up to 4.67% lithium.
The company took surface rock chip samples from several prospects:
- AP0001: Lithium grades between 3.49% and 4.52%;
- AP0005: 3.64% lithium to 4.44%;
- AP0009: 3.40% lithium to 3.77%;
- AP0011: 3.01% lithium to 3.96%;
- AP0012: 3.06% lithium to 3.88%; and
- AP0013: 3.81% lithium to 4.67%, with 10 samples grading above 4.00%.
Potential to host “substantial” resource
“The identification of abundant outcropping spodumene-rich pegmatites containing high grades of lithium at numerous prospects across Andover confirms the potential for this project to host substantial lithium resources,” Azure Minerals managing director Tony Rovira said.
“This is supported by the mineralised intersection reported from drill hole ANDD0199 and visual identification of spodumene-bearing pegmatites in ANDD0201 and ANDD0202.
“The company is very confident that the drilling we’re currently undertaking will identify and define substantial lithium mineralisation and potentially resources.”
Surface samples
Azure collected 793 surface samples in 2022, with 271 samples grading over 1% lithium and 102 samples exceeding 3% lithium, up to a maximum grade of 4.67%.
Of particular note were 14 samples from AP0012, which returned grades above 1.30% lithium, up to a maximum of 3.88% lithium over a 900-metre-long pegmatite.
There were also 13 samples over 3.80% lithium at AP0013, near a historical artisanal tin-tantalum mine working.
Finally, the 400-metre-long pegmatite at target AP0001 graded up to 4.52% lithium.
The first two holes of a diamond drilling program at AP0012 have also revealed visually spodumene-rich pegmatite intersections, with more drilling to come.
Read: Azure Minerals welcomes spodumene-rich pegmatite in first lithium-focused holes at Andover