Pan Asia Metals Limited (ASX:PAM) has completed drilling the first-ever hole at the highly prospective Bang I Tum prospect within Reung Kiet Lithium Project (RKLP) in southern Thailand.
RKLP is a hard rock project with demonstrated potential for lithium hosted in lepidolite-rich pegmatites chiefly composed of quartz, albite, lepidolite with minor cassiterite and tantalite - as well as other accessory minerals including some rare earth.
The hole BTDD001 intersects a pegmatite dyke swarm from 46.5 metres to 164.5 metres and the composite thickness of pegmatite approximately 25 metres from 86.3-135.3 metres.
"Potential for a low-cost operation"
Pan Asia Metals managing director Paul Lock said: “We are very pleased with the initial drilling results at Bang I Tum, which accord with the literature and our expectations.
“We are looking forward to the results in the next holes and particularly our planned drilling under Lepidolite Hill, which is to the south of the historical Bang I Tum tin mine.
“The Reung Kiet Lithium Project has the potential to be a very low-cost operation and, being the only lithium project in South East Asia, and in close proximity to the advanced industrial centres of Thailand and Malaysia and the massive battery markets of Asia, provides PAM with a suite of advantages including its close proximity to all required processing inputs.”
Recent drilling
Drilling at BIT is planned on 100-150 metres spaced sections along the pit length and extending southwest to “Lepidolite Hill” (see Figure 1).
Drillhole depths are planned up to about 180 metres and will test the interpreted pegmatite positions beneath the open pit and along strike to the south-west.
The hole intersected a swarm of 17 separate pegmatite stringers, veins and dykes starting at 46.5 metres and continuing through to 164.5 metres.
All of the pegmatites intersected in the hole contain quartz, feldspar and varying amounts of fine-grained to clotty muscovite, as well as tourmaline which is locally altered to chlorite and the muscovite is the potential lithium-bearing mineral phase in the pegmatite.
Bang I Tum Lithium Prospect
The Bang I Tum prospect was a relatively large open cut tin mine, with the old pit about 650 metres long and up to 125 metres wide.
Soil and rock-chip sampling has defined the Main trend and an Eastern trend, and the prospective Main trend is about 1.5 kilometres long.
Rock chip sampling has yielded 14 of 24 samples >0.5% Li2O, with an average grade of 1.23% Li2O plus accessory tin and tantalum.
A lepidolite pegmatite dyke swarm can be observed on a hill about 400 metres south of the pit and this swarm is up to 100 metres wide with individual dykes up to 7 metres wide.
Forward planning
PAM has four priority one drill holes planned at BIT, with additional drilling contingent on positive results from these holes.
Following the completion of drilling at BIT, PAM intends to relocate the rig to the nearby Reung Kiet prospect to conduct additional drilling that will target lepidolite rich pegmatites identified in previous trenching and mapping programs conducted by PAM.
Results of the priority one holes at BIT will be assessed and further drilling may be conducted.
The company looks forward to keeping Shareholders and the market updated on the drilling progress and results obtained from the drilling program at Bang I Tum.