Azure Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZS) has identified abundant lithium-bearing pegmatites outcropping within the Andover Project in Western Australia through an intensive, six-month on-ground mapping and sampling program.
The company’s geologists have confirmed more than 130 outcropping pegmatites in an 8-kilometre corridor, with individual pegmatites demonstrating surface exposures up to 500 metres long and 100 metres wide.
Encouragingly, Azure identified visual spodumene in multiple locations, with laboratory analysis confirming high grades of lithium.
Best results included 1.62% lithium, 0.92% lithium and 0.73% lithium.
Abundant spodumene-bearing pegmatites
“Azure’s primary focus is on the exploration and development of the nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide resources that we have discovered at Andover,” Azure Minerals managing director Tony Rovira said.
“We recognise that the presence of spodumene-bearing, lithium-rich pegmatites could add significant value to the overall Andover Project, which aligns with increasing our exposure to clean and valuable energy metals.
“While our lithium exploration program is still in its early stages, results received to date have been very encouraging.
“Fieldwork has confirmed that the Andover Project contains abundant pegmatites containing spodumene throughout the property, and we’ll be continuing to advance this new lithium opportunity with ongoing systematic exploration, including drilling.”
Azure’s geology team also identified two pegmatite intersections containing spodumene in a drill hole at nickel sulphide target VC-18 East, demonstrating lithium mineralisation may be widespread over the project.
Advancing both nickel and lithium
While Azure says it intends to maintain a focus on its nickel-copper-cobalt potential, the company has engaged its lithium-focused geological team to continue field exploration – further assays are pending from more samples, and first drill planning is underway.
The nickel-focused team is continuing a drilling program at the Seaview and Pipeline nickel-copper-cobalt prospects.
“It’s a credit to our geological team that they recognised the potential for Andover to host lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites and tracked down specimens that were collected in the 1960s and stored within the Simpson Mineral Collection in the WA Museum,” Rovira continued.
“We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and assistance of the museum in providing our geologists with access to these valuable samples.”