Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX:PLS) has delivered some exceptional drilling results at the Far East, South End and Monster pegmatite zones, within the company's wholly-owned Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project in Western Australia.
The latest results are expected to increase the project’s resource inventory.
Development drilling highlights immediately east of the Altura tenement include: 8 metres at 1.75% lithium from 56 metres; 8 metres at 1.57% lithium from 82 metres; and 23 metres at 1.35% lithium from 119 metres.
Mineralisation at the Far East prospect now extends over 1.2 kilometres and remains open both to the north and south, with highlights: 13 metres at 1.61% lithium from 96 metres; and 5 metres at 1.87% lithium from 104 metres.
Houston Creek highlights: 12 metres at 1.55% lithium from 13 metres.
Monster highlights: 15 metres at 1.76% lithium from 81 metres.
Ken Brinsden, managing director and CEO, said the completion of the sterilisation and strategic drilling program marked the end of a remarkably successful 2016 exploration campaign at Pilgangoora.
"When you stand back and look at what has been achieved this year in terms of drilled metres and the astonishing return on that investment in terms of resource and reserve growth, it has been a standout performance by our exploration team.
"The major focus of this final chapter of the exploration program has been to sterilise locations for key infrastructure and strategically target resource extensions which could impact materially on pit designs and infrastructure placement.
"That work has been extremely fruitful right up until the recent conclusion of the program, with the drilling returning outstanding results on numerous fronts.
"Of particular note is the very large pegmatites which have now been delineated at the Far East and Monster prospects and the strategically important results which have been generated at the Altura tenement boundary.
"We are confident that these results will underpin a further material increase in the overall resource inventory at Pilgangoora, and we expect to finalise that resource upgrade before Christmas.
"This will further underscore the global significance of the Pilgangoora deposit and its potential to underpin a long-life, low-cost production centre for spodumene concentrates for many decades to come."