St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ) has restarted lithium exploration at its Mt Alexander Project in WA’s Goldfields.
The explorer has kicked off 2023 work with a pegmatite field mapping and outcrop sampling program, designed to identify further high-grade lithium-bearing structures.
The latest assays from a rock chip sampling program — conducted at Mt Alexander in 2022 — have confirmed high-grade lithium mineralisation, including:
- 2.8% lithium, 154 parts per million (ppm) caesium, 30 ppm tantalum and 0.84% rubidium;
- 1.91% lithium, 97 ppm caesium, 30ppm tantalum and 0.57% rubidium;
- 1.52% lithium, 227 ppm caesium, 275 ppm tantalum and 1.26% rubidium; and
- 0.93% lithium, 96 ppm caesium, 335 ppm tantalum and 0.41% rubidium.
These high-grade hits land within a prospective area that has an interpreted 5-kilometre east-west strike, meaning the target zone has been extended around 450 metres along strike.
What’s more, evidence of caesium, tantalum and rubidium mineralisation is another promising sign that the pegmatites in this area host strong lithium potential.
Priority drill targets in 2023
St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas said: “We are pleased to have boots on the ground again at Mt Alexander as we kick off our big exploration program for 2023.
“The extensive field mapping and sampling program has continued to identify new pegmatite outcrop along the 15-kilometre pegmatite corridor in our project tenure.
“Assays from rock chip samples collected last year have been received and confirm an extension to the area at the Jailbreak prospect that hosts pegmatite outcrop with high-grade lithium.
“The rock chip assay results provide further encouragement of the exploration upside at Mt Alexander. These host pegmatites will be priority drill targets in 2023 with drilling scheduled to start in late February.
“We are excited to have commenced the next chapter in our systematic exploration push at Mt Alexander.”
What’s next?
With boots on the ground at Mt Alexander, St George is waiting on some pivotal results from last year’s work programs. These include:
- assays from soil sampling at the E29/962 tenement — these have the potential to identify a lithium signature in an area where pegmatites are not exposed due to cover;
- results from the pegmatite rock chip sampling program; and
- assays from the 2022 reverse circulation and diamond drilling campaigns.
The explorer has already hit the ground running with its 2023 mapping and sampling campaign and will advise on next steps as more results come to hand.