Boadicea Resources Ltd (ASX:BOA) has intersected multiple fertile lithium pegmatites from its 20-hole reverse circulation (RC) drill program at Two Tanks Project in the emerging Mt Ida lithium region of Western Australia.
The company’s drill program has identified three primary target areas, further encouraging testing for thicker and higher-grade pegmatites.
With geochemical vectoring, Boadicea has indicated that higher lithium grades are possible closer to the Copperfield Granite.
Notably, 17 of the 20 holes drilled intersected at least one pegmatite unit, with the highest grade of 2,491 parts per million (ppm) lithium followed by 797 ppm and 552 ppm lithium values.
Moving ahead, these positive results have encouraged the Boadicea’s board to bring forward the next drill program to the December quarter this year.
“Very positive step”
Boadicea managing director Jon Reynolds said: “The drilling has confirmed the presence of lithium pegmatites in the region of the Two Tanks tenement.
“This is a very positive step and provides encouragement to test for thicker higher-grade pegmatites that are undercover.
“The use of geochemical vectoring indicates that higher grades are possible closer to the Copperfield Granite.
“We will advance this drilling with some urgency given the positive indicators of higher grade and thicker pegmatite intersections are possible.”
Drilling and geochemistry results
Drill program
Boadicea completed a 20-hole RC program for a total of 2,726 metres of drilling.
Analysis of results from drilling and geochemical soil sampling has confirmed that the pegmatites located within the Two Tanks tenement are prospective for lithium mineralisation and have highlighted three additional target areas.
The drilling program targeted areas where visible pegmatites were mapped at the surface.
The results suggest that the degree of pegmatite fractionation (K/Rb element ratio) and lithium mineralisation is increasing closer to the granitic contact.
Geochemistry program
A detailed 810 sample geochemical program was carried out alongside the RC drill program, covering the middle western portion of the project, in a 40x40-metre offset grid pattern.
The study was planned over an area of low to moderate surface cover, where direct mapping of pegmatites was not possible, to generate areas of interest for an exploration drilling campaign.
Analysis of the results from the ultrafine study has produced two main areas of interest, with coincident lithium and rubidium anomalies, supporting an ENE/WSW general trend, in line with locally mapped pegmatites.
Forward plan
Following the successful completion of reconnaissance drilling at Two Tanks, Boadicea will advance the project by following up on generated lithium pegmatite targets.
An initial field mapping campaign will be carried out, to investigate and validate the targets, in combination with a better understanding of the local fractionation trend and established geochemical anomalies will serve to support drill planning in the next phase of exploration.
Planning for the next phase of exploration has commenced with a focus on aircore or slimline RC drilling, a low-impact, lower-cost, versatile exploration tool for areas with moderate surface cover.
The drilling will aim to identify mineralised pegmatites, with program design and permitting well advanced for the next stage of exploration, currently scheduled for the December quarter.
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