AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX:AVZ) has released further robust assays from a mineral resource drilling program at its Manono Lithium and Tin Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fresh results come from four new, widely spaced step-out holes drilled at Carriere de l’Este, confirming the deposit is a likely rival to the Roche Dure mineral resource.
Ultimately, these new holes were drilled to help identify additional high-grade, spodumene-rich zones for future infill resource estimation drill programs.
The Carriere de l’Este pegmatite deposit is now confirmed at 1.2 kilometres long and remains open at both ends and down dip.
“Highly encouraging mineralisation”
AVZ Minerals managing director Nigel Ferguson said: “The assay results from these four new holes show highly encouraging mineralisation 400 metres closer to the historical Carriere de l’Este open pit; as well as a more complex geology with intrusions of aplitic pegmatite and dolerite possibly along late-stage faults.
“The holes were deliberately widely spaced to try and help track the location of the high-grade zones mapped further to the southwest along this massive deposit and to that extent, the drilling has been successful.
“This information will be used to plan focussed infill drilling for the high-grade zones, with a closer pattern required in order to generate near surface indicated or measured resources for possible conversion to reserves, prior to the commissioning of the new processing plant.”
“The possible delineation of high-grade future reserves has the potential to initially feed higher-grade ore to the plant, providing increased SC6 production volumes from the start of operations.”
A likely rival
Ultimately, wide-spaced resource drilling at Carriere de l’Este confirms further high-grade lithium and tin mineralisation directly beneath the deposit’s thin soil and laterite cover.
All four holes were collared in slightly weathered pegmatite from the top of the hole and returned significant intersections of more than 2% lithium oxide.
In addition, new high-grade tantalum pegmatite was noted on one of the sections.
Some of the major high-grade intersections included:
- 12.05 metres at 2.41% lithium oxide and 735 parts per million (ppm) tin;
- 21.09 metres at 2.1% lithium oxide and 943ppm tin; and
- 16 metres at 2.49% lithium oxide and 571ppm tin.
Results from these holes will be used to help target areas where higher grade material of greater than 2% lithium oxide may be found at shallow depths as a possible higher grade spodumene concentrate feed material to the plant.
“Drill planning well advanced”
“This new information has allowed the location of the hanging wall contact to be expanded in areas of poor outcrop, which will help with the efficient targeting of future resource drilling of the overall Carriere de l’Este deposit.
“The drill data has also confirmed the presence of sub-cropping spodumene mineralisation to 1.2 kilometres long at average pegmatite widths of up to 200 metres in places, confirming this deposit as a likely rival to Roche Dure.
“Additionally, drill planning is well advanced on both eluvial laterite hosted tin deposits and the historical F2 and F4 alluvial tin deposits identified from the review of historical tin exploration carried out in the 1980s with drilling expected to commence soon.
“Despite future tin production accounting for only a small percentage of the project’s overall revenue, a strengthening tin and tantalum price continues to justify some exploration expenditure to gain information on the potential scale of these deposits which may sustain a separate placer tin mining business on the concession.”