St George Mining Limited (ASX: SGQ) has kicked off this year’s field program for lithium exploration at its Mt Alexander project, in WA’s Goldfields.
The program is designed to identify further high-grade, lithium-bearing pegmatites, with field mapping and sampling of pegmatite outcrop resuming two weeks ago.
Drilling is scheduled to commence late this month, with preparation of drill sites underway. In total, 20,000m of drilling is planned in H1 2023 and further drilling will be scheduled based on results. Drilling will include several areas not previously drilled for lithium, including the highly prospective contact adjacent to the Copperfield Granite.
St George has received more assays for rock chip samples collected last year, which have confirmed high-grade lithium mineralisation including:
- MARK311: 2.8% Li2O, 154ppm Cs, 30ppm Ta2O5 and 0.84% Rb2O
- MARK317: 1.91% Li2O, 97ppm Cs, 30ppm Ta2O5 and 0.57% Rb2O
- MARK351: 1.52% Li2O, 227ppm Cs, 275ppm Ta2O5 and 1.26% Rb2O
- MARK319: 0.93% Li2O, 96ppm Cs, 335ppm Ta2O5 and 0.41% Rb2O
These high-grade lithium results occur within a prospective area, which has an interpreted 5km east-west strike, and extend the area of lithium-bearing pegmatites targeted in the recent drilling by a further ~450m along strike. Strongly anomalous pathfinder elements caesium (Cs), tantalum (Ta) and rubidium (Rb) in the assays for the rock chip samples also support the fertility of the pegmatites in this area.
“We are pleased to have boots on the ground again at Mt Alexander as we kick off our big exploration program for 2023,” executive chairman John Prineas said.
“The extensive field mapping and sampling program have continued to identify new pegmatite outcrop along the 15km pegmatite corridor in our project tenure.
“Assays from rock chip samples collected last year have been received and confirm an extension to the area at the Jailbreak Prospect that hosts pegmatite outcrop with high-grade lithium.
“The rock chip assay results provide further encouragement of the exploration upside at Mt Alexander.
“These host pegmatites will be priority drill targets in 2023 with drilling scheduled to start in late February.
“We are excited to have commenced the next chapter in our systematic exploration push at Mt Alexander.”
