Krakatoa Resources Ltd (ASX:KTA) is making steady progress on its 6,000-metre, 49-hole phase 2 pegmatite exploration drilling program at the King Tamba ex-tantalum mine in the Murchison Province of Western Australia.
Krakatoa has completed a total of 3,938 metres of drilling to date, with 27 holes drilled and of these, 75% have intersected pegmatites, with intersections up to 39 metres downhole width.
Significant pegmatites have been intersected in multiple drill holes, including a 39-metre thick unit from 123 metres deep, 34-metre thickness from 91 metres, and 18 metres from surface.
Chip tray showing the 39-metre pegmatite intersection.
The drilling program has now tested 30% of the broader 3-kilometre lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) corridor.
The company reports that the mineralogy of the pegmatites showed variable proportions of quartz, feldspar and mica along with traces of accessory minerals fluorite and tourmaline in places.
Drilling intersected multiple highly micaceous zones which shared visual similarities with the greisen-altered surface samples that were taken from the Wilsons prospect earlier this year.
Large pegmatites, of more than 10 metres downhole width, generally showed good continuity across section, while smaller pegmatites tended to have a more erratic distribution and were less continuous.
Assays pending
Two batches of drilling samples, for a total of 788 samples, have been delivered to the laboratory over the course of the drilling program and are awaiting preparation for assay. While not specifying a precise time frame, Krakatoa says all assay results will be reported in due course.
Lithium mineralisation can only be confirmed with assaying, as the presence of pegmatites does not guarantee mineralisation. Pegmatites are fractionated coarse-grained igneous rocks commonly associated with LCT mineralisation, but many pegmatites do not contain appreciable quantities.
Drilling to recommence in January
The field crew and drillers have now demobilised from site for the festive season break with drilling expected to recommence in the second week of January.
The drilling program commenced at the northern end of the lithium soil anomaly and drilling is systematically progressing southwards. Once the crew is back on site, the remaining 22 holes will be drilled to test the southern extent of the high-grade lithium soil anomaly.
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