Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M) has begun reverse circulation (RC) drilling targeting pegmatites intersected during a recent aircore program on tenement E63/2001 in the south of Dundas Lithium Project in Western Australia.
The program is designed to follow up on the pegmatite intersections to test orientation, dip and potential lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation at Dundas South, which is 190 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie.
Standout assays to follow up include:
- 17 metres in hole DSAC0071 from 30 metres, with the end of hole (EOH) ending in pegmatite;
- 20 metres in hole DSAC0033 from 31 metres with EOH ending in pegmatite; and
- 12 metres in hole DSAC0006 from 9 metres with EOH ending in pegmatite.
Demonstrates confidence
Lightning CEO Alex Biggs said: “We’re excited to have begun our follow-up RC program immediately post-completion of our aircore drilling on E63/2001.
“The speed at which we have pivoted to RC drilling is a demonstration of our confidence in the pegmatite intersections we are seeing and our desire to complete our exploration quickly and effectively.
“Drilling below the weathered lithology encountered during our aircore drilling presents the opportunity to now target fresh rock, gain an understanding of pegmatite orientations and test the potential for LCT mineralisation.
“The team has demonstrated a staged, streamlined approach to how exploration should be completed with subsequent stages of exploration leveraging off the successes of the last.
“We look forward to updating the market in due course.”
Forward plan
Interpreting the orientation and true width of the intersected pegmatites is not currently possible as the aircore drilling locates but fails to delineate the spatial presentation of the pegmatite intrusives.
To accelerate the understanding around 1,000 metres of RC drilling will be employed to test depth extension beneath the Aircore drill holes that have reported pegmatites.
Drilling is designed to test for depth extension to a maximum of 100 metres vertically beneath the natural surface.
Full penetration of the pegmatites downhole will provide greater confidence in spatial geological modelling.
Additionally, the collection of fresh rock samples will provide a more representative sample for analysis.