Lithium Australia NL’s (ASX:LIT) joint venture partner in the Sadisdorf project, Tin International AG, has been awarded key additional tenure near the project.
The Sadisdorf project is located in the Eastern Ore Mountains of Saxony, Germany.
Potential to increase the maiden resource of 25 million tonnes
The initial focus of the joint venture agreement is the dormant Sadisdorf tin mine, which is enveloped in a pervasive lithium alteration halo and has a maiden resource of 25 million tonnes at 0.21% lithium.
READ: Lithium Australia granted licence in lithium tungsten region of Germany
Now the mining authority in Saxony has granted Tin International an additional exploration licence covering 15 square kilometres around the Hegelshöhe hillside, just 5 kilometres southeast of the Sadisdorf licence.
Hegelshöhe is located in the same regional geological formation that hosts the lithium mica deposits of Sadisdorf, Zinnwald and Cinovech (Czech Republic).
Substantial tin-lithium potential in the area
The Hegelshöhe licence shares its northern border with the Falkenhain, currently being explored by Deutsche Lithium and partner Bacanora Minerals Ltd (CVE:BCN).
On the basis of historic mining and exploration activities, Tin International has a significant potential to discover tin-lithium mineralisation in the area.
READ: Lithium Australia’s SiLeach® process confirmed as novel and patentable
The application of the SiLeach® process to recover both lithium and a range of by-products has the potential to breathe new life into the Sadisdorf operation, where drilling has already commenced to upgrade the resource.
SiLeach® was recently confirmed by the Australian Patent Office as a novel and inventive process which meets the requirements for industrial applicability.
Lithium Australia is on track to approve the construction of a large-scale SiLeach® pilot plant (LSPP) in 2018 and has recently stated its intention to fund construction off its own balance sheet.