Sipa Resources Ltd (ASX:SRI) (FRA:SPO) has been granted the first two Warralong Project tenements in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, marking a big step forward and paving the way for drill permitting to begin immediately.
The 100%-owned tenements contain drill targets prospective for Hemi-style gold and pegmatite-hosted lithium, with the company planning to target untested intrusions interpreted from its 2020 aeromagnetic survey along the major Lalla Rookh Shear Zone and associated splay faults.
Sipa’s Warralong Project covering the Lalla Rookh Shear zone showing the locations of several mineral deposits along the sub-parallel Tabba Tabba Shear Zone to the west.
Ready to test targets
SRI managing director Pip Darvall said: “We identified the area in early 2020 and have been eager to get on the ground ever since.
“We did as much preparation as possible during the granting process and are ready to test some of the great targets we’ve identified.
“Our first drill program will consist of aircore traverses over several of the multiple intrusions interpreted from the detailed aero-magnetics we flew in late 2020, and we have more targets to test as further tenements are granted and our knowledge of the basement geology builds.”
Background
During the extended granting process, Sipa commissioned a detailed aeromagnetic survey and a subsequent targeting exercise focussed on the identification of intrusive bodies concealed beneath the shallow sheetwash cover found in the area.
This shallow sheetwash (20-30 metres thick based on Department of Water pastoral bore data) has obscured the bedrock and no drilling to test the nature of the bedrock has previously been undertaken in this area.
The Hemi discovery and several other gold, iron ore and lithium-tin-tantalum deposits lie along the Tabba Tabba Shear Zone and associated splay faults, around 50 kilometres west of Sipa’s Warralong tenement package.
Sipa’s tenements overlie the sub-parallel Lalla Rookh Shear Zone, which is interpreted to be of the same age, and cross-cut the same rock units as the Tabba Tabba Shear Zone, and is therefore considered prospective for the same types of mineralisation.
Warralong Project tenement detail highlighting the location of the recently granted tenements which will be the focus of initial fieldwork.
Future drilling
Initial drill testing of priority targets will comprise several traverses of air core drilling to collect bottom of hole samples to identify bedrock character.
A program of works application has already been submitted and planning for the necessary heritage survey is well underway.
Drilling is planned to commence within the next two months, pending approvals being finalised, and will be followed by further programs as warranted by ongoing results and as additional Warralong tenements are granted.