Azure Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZS) has received heritage survey clearances allowing it to proceed to the next stage of a lithium-focused exploration drilling program at the Andover Project in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Priority targets at Andover, which is 60% held by Azure and the remainder by the Creasy Group, accessible following the clearance include AP0005, AP0006, AP0009, AP0010, AP0011 and AP0012.
Azure now has in place sufficient PoW and heritage clearances to significantly expand the lithium-focused exploration program at Andover.
RC rigs being mobilised
To this end, track preparations and drill pad establishment are underway with two reverse circulation (RC) rigs being mobilised to the site.
Azure’s managing director Tony Rovira said: “Receipt of the heritage clearances allows us to access the high-priority lithium targets at the Andover Project.
“With the recent approval by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety of the Program of Work applications we now have in place all the environmental and heritage approvals required for the next stage of drilling at Andover.”
Many high-priority targets
In addition to the AP0011 and AP0012 targets now being drilled, there are many other areas that have returned high-grade surface sample results, resulting in APP0005, AP0006, AP0009, and AP0010 being high-priority targets which will be the focus of diamond and RC drilling in the coming months.
Areas to the east and west of the drilling at AP0011 and AP0012 will also be drilled to test the continuation of the spodumene-rich bearing pegmatites intersected in early drilling.
"With two diamond core rigs already operating on site and two reverse circulation (RC) drill rigs being mobilised, this is an exciting phase of our lithium-focused drilling campaign,” Rovira added.
Remaining priority targets, including AP0001, AP0003, AP0004, AP0007, AP0008 and AP00013, will follow once additional environmental approvals and heritage clearances are received.
Heritage clearance surveys
The heritage clearance surveys were completed by the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) as representatives of the Native Title holders the Ngarluma People.
Surveys were conducted over seven days, with participants from the NAC, the NAC’s heritage consultant and Azure.
Azure and the NAC have now completed six heritage clearance surveys at the Andover Project, and further surveys are planned for the second half of 2023.
“The traditional owners of Andover and the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation were instrumental in completing the heritage surveys and I thank them for their help and cooperation,” Rovira said.
PoW approvals
Azure has received Program of Work (PoW) approvals from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulations and Safety (DMIRS)for 45.81 hectares of land over the priority target areas within Exploration Licence E47/2481.
These PoWs provide the company with the ability to construct tracks and drill pads, and to carry out RC and diamond drilling.