Mixed metals explorer Kairos Minerals could be onto lithium at its wholly owned Lalla Rookh Project, located in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia. The company has unveiled a suite of lithium-caesium-tantalum, or “LCT” pegmatite targets that it says forms part of an ongoing battery metals hunt aimed at beefing up its new energy portfolio amid a ravenous global market for all things lithium.
Kairos says the new discovery follows an extensive evaluation of regional data, taking in aeromagnetics, radiometrics and satellite imagery. The play looks to have delivered the goods too, with the company now boasting a string of prospective follow-up targets. It is also gearing up to complete mapping, sampling and a helicopter survey across the ground.
According to management, geological features that extend into the Lalla Rookh tenement could serve as a conduit for mineralised fluids rich in lithium and other pathfinder elements such as caesium, tantalum and beryllium.
The company says the structures at Lalla Rookh could be linked to pegmatites at Pilgangoora about 25 kilometres away and the historic Beryl mine located just four kilometres south.
A previous pegmatite rock chip sampling program at the tenure coughed up 0.57 per cent lithium oxide and anomalous pathfinder elements generally associated with LCT pegmatites including rubidium, caesium and beryllium..
Interestingly, the company says four of the LCT targets defined at Lalla Rookh are extensions of major geological features observed through satellite imaging.
Kairos Minerals’ Executive Chairman, Terry Topping said:“We have planned an extensive heli-borne mapping and sampling program that will commence next month to fast-track our evaluation of these extensive targets. Subject to the results, we will move quickly to refine areas for potential drilling as part of our 2022 exploration field season. This adds another exciting dimension to our growing Pilbara lithium portfolio, and we are looking forward to getting on the ground in the near future.”
The recent work at the project follows a soil geochemistry survey completed in 2020. The program was designed to test several structures identified in an airborne magnetic survey and saw Kairos bag up over 170 samples. The sampling revealed a wide range of regional anomalies that called for supplementary testing.
The Lalla Rookh project sits some 75 kilometres south of Port Hedland and is proximal to Pilbara Minerals’ globally significant Pilgangoora lithium project. The ore body at Pilgangoora is one of the world's biggest hard rock lithium deposits, with a total resource of over 300 million tonnes and grades around 1.14 percent lithium oxide.
Lithium is white hot right now and Kairos’ address amongst the big lithium players could not be much better – the fact that the company has already found hints lithium on its ground is encouraging – now to find the Mother-lode….
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
