Latin Resources Ltd (ASX:LRS) has made a new lithium discovery at Colina West, just 500 metres from the Salinas Project’s cornerstone Colina prospect in Brazil.
The minerals exploration company uncovered an 18.71-metre intersection grading 1.32% lithium oxide and encountered other high-grade lithium hits during diamond drilling west of the Colina property.
What’s more, Latin says its latest resource definition results — such as 8.45 metres at 3.57% lithium oxide, including 4.17 metres at 5.79% — represent Colina’s highest-grade hits to date, confirming the prospect’s grade continuity along strike and at depth.
Latin has drilled all holes required for its maiden resource estimate, which remains on track for release in December 2022.
Exploring beyond Colina
Latin Resources exploration manager Tony Greenaway said the significance of these latest results from could not be understated.
“They confirm that we have a second zone of high-grade lithium-bearing pegmatite only 500 metres to the west of the main Colina resource drilling,” he explained.
“This new zone is open in all directions including along strike to the north and south, up-dip to the mapped outcrop, which drew us to this area and extending at depth to the east beneath Colina.”
Greenaway said that Colina West had the potential to add considerable resources to the company’s maiden JORC mineral resource estimate, which was on track to be delivered in December this year.
‘[It] proves the exceptional prospectivity of the wider project area to the west where the company has mapped even more outcropping pegmatites that are yet to be drilled,” he continued.
“Now that the drilling needed for the maiden inferred mineral resource estimate for Colina is completed, we can let loose with drilling at Colina West, with the aim of potentially incorporating this second area into the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) and other studies that the company has underway.”
Colina West
Diamond drilling at the Colina West prospect has unearthed a new swarm of spodumene-bearing pegmatites roughly 500 metres from the main Colina structure.
Logging highlighted 15 separate pegmatites, many of which have returned significant lithium grades, including:
- 1.78 metres at 1.33% lithium oxide from 120.53 metres;
- 1.67 metres at 1.36% from 275.38 metres; and
- 18.71 metres at 1.32% 321.15 metres, including 4 metres at 1.94% from 322 metres and 4 metres at 1.58% from 334 metres.
Resource definition drilling
Latin has closed the books on its resource definition drilling program ahead of the December mineral resource.
The latest assays showcase Latin’s highest-grade intersection to date, and results include:
- 12 metres at 1.82% lithium oxide from 149 metres, including 8 metres at 2.31% from 149 metres;
- 20.19 metres at 1.45% from 209 metres, including 10 metres at 1.88% from 213 metres;
- 7 metres at 1.13% from 201 metres, including 2 metres at 2.20% from 201 metres;
- 6.15 metres at 1.56% from 286.60 metres, including 3.15 metres at 2.12% from 289.30 metres; and
- 8.45 metres at 3.57% from 306 metres, including 4.17 metres at 5.79% from 309.10 metres.
Promisingly, the initial, first-pass sighter test-work recovered 78.72% of the lithium oxide into a concentrate, grading at a very high 6.57%.
Further sighter test work is underway, with additional samples being dispatched to the laboratory.
These additional sighter tests will further explore the optimal crush size, additional heavy liquid separation cut points and fine fraction flotation to optimise the larger test work flowsheet for the planned PEA.