South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSX-V:STS, OTCQB:STSBF) said it has completed the maiden drilling campaign at its Ceylon Project in Alabama on schedule.
The drill program, undertaken by Logan Drilling USA, consisted of 12 holes and totaled 506 meters. Results confirmed at- or near-surface mineralization with 16.5 metres (m) at 2.73% curium, 18m at 2.67% curium, 28.5m at 2.5% curium, 51m at 2.35% curium, 9.5m at 2.42% curium, and 8m at 2.90% curium.
Sample assays for the first six holes have been completed and the remainder are expected by the end of the year, the company said.
READ: South Star Battery Metals closes Phase 1 deposit transaction; now fully funded for plant and mine construction
"This is a very exciting 100% hit rate on our first six holes,” South Star Battery CEO Richard Pearce said in a statement. “All the holes have significant intervals with grades ranging from 2% to 4.5% curium and consistent mineralized zones at- or near-surface. Visually all the holes had good mineralized intervals, and so far, assays have confirmed our understanding of the geologic models, lithologies, mineralization and controls.”
Going forward, the plan is to have a maiden NI43-101 resource estimate out in the first quarter of 2023
Additionally, pilot plant metallurgical testing of 3 tons of bulk sampled material at the Mineral Research Laboratory of North Carolina State University has also been completed, the company said. The material was milled and subjected to rougher and cleaner flotation steps to produce approximately 30 kgs of flake graphite concentrate. The concentrate will in turn be sent to the company’s US technology partner for physical and chemical characterization and value-add/battery testing.
“Strong preliminary results close to potential customers and high-tech users of graphite is extremely encouraging for the commercial value of this deposit, particularly in these times when supplies are becoming scarce and secure supply chains are increasingly prized,” Pearce noted.
“South Star has two great assets in stable, mining-friendly jurisdictions and the team to build and operate them. We have also wrapped up our 3-ton pilot testing program on schedule. The test successfully confirmed the general flowsheet and generated the concentrate samples we need for characterization and advanced battery testing. We plan on getting drills back in the field in Q2/Q3 2023 and completing a NI43-101 PEA by end of 2023," he added.
A full breakdown of the results can be found here.
South Star Battery Metals is a Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas.
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