Catalina Resources Ltd (ASX:CTN) has intersected pegmatite during its initial aircore drilling program completed this month at the Dundas Project in Western Australia’s south.
The company drilled 105 aircore holes for 2,684 metres with this program testing the identified lithium pegmatite potential and historical gold anomalies in the southern portion of tenement E63/2046.
Pegmatite was intersected in 18 holes and the accessory minerals identified include beryl and tourmaline. Other rock types intersected include sulphidic sediments and quartz sulphide veined schists.
Aircore program
Catalina said that pegmatite was intersected in many more holes than was expected, causing several drill holes to reach drilling refusal before the planned depth.
The aircore program was completed in mid-December 2022 without incident or lost time injuries.
Accessory minerals
During geological logging of aircore holes, several pegmatite intervals were recorded as containing accessory minerals including beryl and tourmaline with these occurrences being important in recognising the mineralisation potential of the pegmatite.
These minerals may suggest that the late-stage crystallising residual or pegmatitic melt, derived from the main granitic magma, may have been enriched in incompatible elements including lithium, beryllium, boron, caesium, rubidium, tantalum and rare earth elements (REEs).
Other rock types intersected included a 400-metre-wide sequence of graphitic, calcareous, and pyritic black shales and silts and quartz sulphide veined schists.
Depending on the age of these rocks, potential for sediment-hosted base metal mineralisation (copper, lead, zinc) of the Mt Isa type may exist.
Objectives achieved
Catalina said the drilling program had achieved its objectives:
- Confirming the presence of pegmatites. These pegmatites have not been previously assayed for lithium or REEs.
- Drilling along strike of historical drilling intersections of up to 3 g/t gold. A much wider area than had previously been drilled in 1998 was drill tested by Catalina. About 126 RAB/aircore holes and 127 RC holes were drilled by Pan Aust Ltd in 1998.
- Drilling by Catalina collected samples to not only assess the LCT (lithium cesium tantalum) potential of the pegmatites but to also assess the REE potential of the project.
Several ore-grade historical gold intersections were not followed up. For example, 2 metres at 3.5 g/t in hole T4RC032.
Hence, extensional aircore drilling was carried out along strike of historical gold intersections to identify the optimal gold geochemistry for testing by RC drilling in 2023.
Cultural heritage survey
Members of the Ngadju Native Title Aboriginal Corporation conducted a cultural heritage survey over Catalina’s Exploration Licence E63/2048 in November.
This was directed at clearing access lines for infill auger drilling in early 2023. Historical auger geochemistry in 2012 identified large and robust gold in soil geochemical anomalies, up to 6 kilometres in length.
Aeromagnetic interpretation suggests they may be spatially associated with the interpreted and mineralised Boulder Lefroy Fault Zone (BLFZ).
There has been no drill testing of the anomalies within E63/2048.
What comes next?
The company expects to receive gold and multi-element assays next month while infill auger drilling of the large geochemical anomalies in E63/2048 is expected to begin in January or February 2023.
Planning has also commenced on the follow-up RC drilling of any anomalous assays to be received.