Riversgold Ltd (ASX:RGL) has kicked off its maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the 100%-owned Tambourah Lithium Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Mapping and deep ground penetrating radar (DGPR) have defined nearly 3 kilometres of lithium-rich pegmatites at three prospects - Bengal, Lion and Ragdoll.
Bengal will be the initial focus of the RC drilling program, involving up to 21 holes for 2,500 metres.
Riversgold has completed the upgrade of the internal access roads and 70% of the drill pads at the 108 square kilometres project.
Drilling at Tambourah yesterday.
Proven lithium targets
“The drilling at Tambourah is a critical milestone for the development of RGL’s most advanced lithium project," Riversgold chief executive officer Julian Ford said.
"We have gone from tenement grant to maiden drilling in five months, with multiple proven high-grade lithium targets.
“The 2,500-metre drill program will test a number of important hypotheses for the company, including the presence of spodumene at depth within the multiple mineralised pegmatites seen at Tambourah and the veracity of the DGPR sub-surface geophysical targeting technique we used to identify pegmatites along strike and at depth.
“Initial drill holes will target the same structures that Infinity Mining have mapped on their side of the tenement boundary, where spodumene has been identified at surface.
"We are in a good position to rapidly expand our drilling plans to follow up on expected success.
“Tambourah has potential for a large lithium system as, so far, we have only explored 6 kilometres of the prospective 22-kilometre granite/greenstone contact we control at Tambourah.”
Growing rapidly
Riversgold is focused on lithium mining in the world-renowned Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons in Western Australia.
In 2022, it acquired a suite of four lithium-prospective exploration tenement applications covering 164 square kilometres in the Pilbara region.
The key Tambourah Project is underexplored and has the potential to host a major lithium-caesium-tantalum system, much like the nearby Pilgangoora and Wodgina deposits.
Further, the company has acquired a 301.2 square-kilometre tenement package prospective for lithium in the Southern Cross-Marvel Loch region of Western Australia, including a tenement immediately bordering the Mt Holland Lithium Project hosting 189 million tonnes at 1.5% Li2O.
The Riversgold portfolio also includes gold and nickel through its large landholding at the Kurnalpi Project in the Yilgarn.