ASX-listed Aldoro Resources is days away from firing up the rig to drill over 60 holes across its Niobe East, Niobe Southeast and Breakaway pegmatites in Western Australia after completing a heritage site avoidance survey at its planned drill sites. The program follows a recently completed exploration campaign that saw Aldoro bag up close to 50 rock chip samples with elevated rubidium grades of up to 9,307 parts per million.
The high rubidium values give cause for pause as the mineral is considered to be a “pathfinder” mineral for lithium and recently completed assay results point to a rubidium and lithium prospectivity that stretches beyond the main Niobe pit pegmatite. Aldoro only a few months ago suggested its Niobe prospect could be developed into a world-class rubidium resource
The company will kick off its lithium hunt on its Niobe East pegmatite system, where historical drilling failed to test the ground for rubidium and lithium. Interestingly, at Niobe East, Aldoro unveiled high rubidium and lithium grades across a massive 400 metre strike length. According to Aldoro, the discovery justifies the drill testing of the multilayered pegmatite section.
Aldoro is also planning to pepper its Breakaway and Niobe southeast pegmatites with drillholes after previous exploration uncovered anomalous rubidium and lithium that extended up to 100m in strike length at the former and rubidium values of up to 0.2 per cent at the latter.
Previously completed mapping at the outcrop suggests the rubidium and lithium hits are generally consistent with historical data.
Aldoro previously unveiled a rubidium exploration target at the main pegmatite that weighs in at between 33,000 and 150,000 tonnes with grades that run between 696 and 1457ppm rubidium oxide defined from an 80m by 65m area of detailed drilling.
The company’s Niobe landholdings lie some 70 kilometres north-west of Mount Magnet in WA and boast an assortment of pegmatites with noteworthy lithium and tantalum enrichment. Aldoro only recently kicked off a re-evaluation of the Niobe prospect, which forms part of the larger ultramafic-mafic Windimurra Igneous Complex.
Historical work in the mid 1980’s pulled in rubidium oxide values of over one per cent supporting the view that the deposit is potentially rich with rubidium.
As the company gears up to drill its prospective rubidium and lithium ground in WA, it could find itself with a growing list of admirers as market meerkats wait in anticipation for its latest drill program to kick off what could be an interesting new year for Aldoro.
Amongst all the speculation, one thing seems certain however – Aldoro’s ground is littered with pegmatites – now to find some lithium.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
