Junior explorer Aldoro Resources could be closer to discovering lithium after intersecting pegmatites across multiple levels at its Niobe project, about 70 kilometres from Mount Magnet in Western Australia. According to the company, the recently completed program punched out 65-holes and struck pegmatites in almost all of them, confirming historical results and closing the campaign on a high.
Aldoro says the final round of drilling at the project is highly encouraging given the intersected pegmatites were as thick or thicker at locations than previously predicted.
The company will now look to complete a comprehensive analysis program using portable XRF readers and QAQC tests to understand the mineral content of the discovery.
Management believes the continued abundance of mica in geological logs bodes well for future exploration at Niobe, given the mineral, particularly in its lepidolite form, is one of the most common lithium-bearing minerals.
After receiving all assay results from the Niobe probe, the company will attempt to establish a JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate for the project.
The Niobe tantalum-lithium project is based on a pegmatite dyke swarm in the Murchison region of WA.
A small open pit on the ground has previously yielded high-grade tantalum ore and there are a number of shallow high-grade drill intersections yet to be mined. Anomalous lithium values were reported in the 1980s, however the area's lithium potential has been largely overlooked since then.
Aldoro says the RC rig used to carve up its Niobe ground has now been moved to the company’s nearby Wyemandoo project, where a large greenfield drilling program is scheduled.
The company recently unveiled a series of high-grade rubidium results from a pegmatite rock chip sampling program at Wyemandoo and subsequent testing pointed to “exceptional” grades of up to 1.24 per cent rubidum with anomalous lithium and tantalum mineralisation.
The company has previously suggested its Wyemandoo pegmatites could signify a new rubidium and lithium-bearing lepidolite district in Western Australia and appears eager to get the rods spinning at the project following its work at Niobe.
Aldoro's pegmatite discovery at Niobe could spark an intriguing period for the company and with work progressing at the nearby Wyemandoo project, that hosts its own set of pegmatites, its chances of becoming a real player in the lithium sector may have just been dialled up a few notches.
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