AVZ Minerals has unveiled a monster lithium hit, with credible tin additions, from five holes in a wider 54-hole drilling campaign at its Manono project in the Congo.
The company’s campaign at its Roche Dure North-East Extension within the project yielded headline results including 308m at 1.53 per cent lithium oxide and 731ppm tin from 22.5m, with another 176.3m grading 1.67 per cent lithium oxide and 898ppm tin from 23.7m.
The results also featured 105 separate 2m drill intersections from the five holes which returned assays greater than the magical 2 per cent lithium oxide and up to a tantalising peak of 3.55 per cent.
The Manono project has JORC resources of 401 million tonnes at a grade of 1.65 per cent lithium oxide and is believed to be the world’s biggest and highest-grade undeveloped hard rock lithium project.
Assay results from the five drillholes were the fourth consignment received from a total program of 54 resource extension drillholes. AVZ said the results confirmed further widespread high-grade spodumene lithium mineralisation, including a thicker high-grade zone of 72m at 2.07 per cent lithium oxide from 203m.
Johannesburg-based geotechnical engineering consultancy Middindi has also completed specialist logging of eight drillholes for possible expansion of the open pit redesign.
AVZ says recent drilling located areas of late-stage alteration of the pegmatite with the associated typical lower lithium values. These zones are balanced with significant thicknesses of lithium mineralisation with grades above 2 per cent elsewhere in the ore body.
AVZ Minerals managing director Nigel Ferguson said: “This tranche of drilling results nicely complements the previous results, with a mix of wide consistent mineralisation. Specialist geotechnical logging of selected drillholes and core samples taken for a suite of specialist analyses assist in the design of future open pit wall angles.”
AVZ completed its weighty 8500-page definitive feasibility study for the Manono project in April, 2020. Management expects to complete its sale of 24 per cent of the project to Suzhou CATH Energy Technologies for US$240 (AU$356.2) million on March 31.
AVZ says it still owns 75 per cent of the legal title at the Manono Project.
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By Terry Bates
