St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ) has interested wide zones with multiple pegmatites, including a continuous 120.8-metre interval at Manta prospect, boosting lithium prospectivity at the Mt Alexander Project in Western Australia.
Assays from the pegmatites intersected in MAD213 provide indications of a wide, multi-phase and locally fractionated pegmatite system that has the potential to host lithium mineralisation.
This hole intersected a wide zone with multiple pegmatites, including the 120.8-metre interval, that SGQ believes may represent the distal part of a zoned lithium-bearing system.
Meanwhile, at Jailbreak, 9 kilometres south of Manta, drilling has intersected multiple pegmatites that have the potential to become thicker at depth, similar to results reported by other explorers in the region.
St George claims that it is in the early stages of unveiling the expansive lithium potential at Mount Alexander, as the latest drilling efforts have verified the existence of significant structures, creating extensive openings for the intrusion of thick fractionated pegmatites.
“Lithium prospectivity continues to grow”
St George executive chairman John Prineas said: “Our understanding of the lithium prospectivity continues to grow at Mt Alexander with recent drill results confirming high-grade and anomalous lithium across a wide area.
“Most encouraging is the very thick 120.8-metre, flat-lying and locally fractionated zone of pegmatites intersected in hole MAD213 at the Manta Prospect, approximately 9 kilometres north of the Jailbreak Lithium Prospect.
“These types of pegmatites are what is required for large mineral deposits and we will continue to test for potential extensions of the Manta pegmatites within and below the adjacent greenstone belt.
“We have only just begun to realise the wider lithium potential at Mt Alexander, with the latest drilling confirming the presence of major structures that can produce wide extensional openings for thick fractionated pegmatites to intrude.”
Regional map showing the location of Mt Alexander and other nearby lithium projects
Favourable host in greenstone belt
Major structures are interpreted to be associated with the thick flat-lying pegmatites hosted in granite, supporting the potential for the pegmatites to extend into a more favourable host in the greenstone belt adjacent and intruded by the granite source.
The thick flat-lying pegmatite at Manta is modelled by seismic data as a strong, 1,000-metre diameter circular feature, with additional geophysics and drilling planned to test the wider potential for lithium-bearing pegmatites around Manta.
Prineas adds: “The results for MAD213 confirm that large-scale pegmatite intrusions have occurred and that they are showing signs of prospectivity for lithium.
"It is now down to identifying the more fractionated lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) zone within the pegmatite-hosted mineral system.
“We are also encouraged by recent excellent results announced by Delta Lithium at its nearby Mt Ida Project and the confirmation by Hancock Prospecting that it will proceed with a lithium exploration joint venture for Mt Bevan, which has ground that wraps around our Mt Alexander tenure.”
What’s happening at Jailbreak?
Further assay results from the recent 2023 drilling program at the Jailbreak Prospect confirm multiple lithium-bearing pegmatites with a peak value of 1.28% lithium.
Lithium-bearing pegmatites are now identified by drilling across a two kilometres strike of the pegmatite corridor with a further 13-kilometre-long part of the corridor that hosts an extensive network of mapped pegmatites yet to be tested by drilling.
Assays for MARD247, which was targeting the down-dip extension of the J1 pegmatite at Jailbreak, indicated that in addition to lithium, high-grade zinc was intersected towards the end of that hole.
Furthermore, high-grade zinc mineralisation coupled with elevated copper, lead and silver is typical of certain base metal deposits, including VMS-style deposits.
Cross section showing drill results and interpreted pegmatites at the Jailbreak Prospect.
Read more on Proactive Investors AU
