Aldoro Resources has unveiled a suite of high-grade rubidium and some anomalous lithium results from a pegmatite rock chip sampling program at its Wyemandoo project approximately 80 kilometres southeast of Mount Magnet in WA. The company says the results that included peak grades of 1.82 per cent rubidium and 6600 parts per million lithium, have “exceeded” expectations and that it is now powering ahead with rock chip sampling ahead of an expected RC drill campaign.
The new rock chip samples were bagged up from an area in Aldoro’s Wyemandoo project that the company refers to as its “Fairway Corridor” target.
To-date Aldoro has picked up close to 90 rock chip samples from Fairway Corridor. Another notable result was 1.49 per cent rubidium and the mean average grades from sampling came in at 0.38 per cent rubidium and 1187 parts per million lithium.
According to the company, the recently received wet chemistry results appear to correlate well with the previously completed portable XRF results, providing a high-degree of confidence for narrowing down potential drill targets for its imminent RC campaign.
Rubidium is typically used to remove trace gases from vacuum tubes and in the manufacturing of photocells and specialty glasses.
Aldoro will now ready the drill rig to probe a series of areas across its ground where elevated concentrations of lepidolite and rubidium were seen in conjunction with its ongoing rock chip sampling program.
The company’s latest results follows the collection of over 275 rock chip samples at the Wyemandoo project and the in-field analysis of over 80 samples using a portable, in-field XRF analysis. Of the 80 samples previously analysed in the field, almost all exhibited highly anomalous rubidium values.
Aldoro used portable XRF analysis to define potential rubidium anomalies as lithium is undetectable by portable XRF devices and rubidium is seen as something of a “pathfinder” mineral for lithium.
The pegmatites in the Wyemandoo Fairway Corridor were initially uncloaked through interpretation of satellite imagery when the company pinpointed over 1000 pegmatite dyke-like features as highly reflective anomalies.
According to Aldoro, the Wyemandoo pegmatites signify a new rubidium and lithium bearing lepidolite field in WA. Interestingly, the company’s battery metals ground lies some 25km north of Lithium Australia’s prospective tenements in the Youanmi pegmatite field.
Amid a booming lithium market, Aldoro’s strong results at its Wyemandoo project look to be perfectly timed. If the company can follow its encouraging rock chip sampling program with a solid RC drilling program, things could get interesting quickly for the small capped explorer.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
