Completes Reconnaissance Including Preliminary Sampling And Mapping
Galan Lithium Limited (ASX: GLN) has confirmed that a major geological structure hosting the world class Greenbushes LCT pegmatite transects the current holdings through first exploration sampling and mapping work at the Greenbushes South Lithium project in Western Australia.
A review of historical data sets indicated a well-defined footprint of anomalous concentrations of pathfinder elements surrounding the Greenbushes mine and along its host structure. This led to an initial reconnaissance field visit being conducted by Galan last month which included preliminary field mapping and hard rock / soil sampling.
A major goal of the field mapping was to identify and map the surface expression of the Donnybrook- Bridgetown Shear Zone (DBSZ) that hosts the Greenbushes deposit. The DBSZ is a steeply dipping, N-S trending, shear zone associated which is primarily associated with syntectonic emplacement of the lithium bearing pegmatites of the Greenbushes mine to the north.
This major geologic feature is recognised in geophysical data and the recent mapping helped identify its surface expression through the Greenbushes South project.
Additionally, 25 soil samples and 15 rock chip samples were taken perpendicular to strike of the DBSZ. Assays of soil and rock chip samples taken from near the DBSZ surface expression have arsenic (As) concentrations up to 574 ppm, up to 16 ppm antimony (Sb) and up to 12 ppm of tin (Sn). Additional samples taken from previously mapped pegmatite outcrops have concentrations of up to 27 ppm of tin (Sn).
This data, combined with the historical data, indicate that the DBSZ and its associated geochemical footprint continues along strike from the Greenbushes Deposit into the project area. These initial samples serve as a positive sign for future targeted soil and geophysical surveys along the DBSZ to help identify potential blind pegmatite bodies. Plans for further soil and rock chip sampling are underway.
In January 2021, Galan entered into a sale and joint venture agreement with Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) for an 80% interest in the Greenbushes South Lithium project – which is located 200 km south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia.
With an area of 353 sq. km, the Project was originally acquired by Lithium Australia NL due to its proximity to the Greenbushes Lithium Mine, given that the Project covers the southern strike projection of the geological structure that hosts Greenbushes. The project area commences about 3km south of the current Greenbushes open pit mining operations.
Greenbushes is currently the largest hard-rock lithium mine in the world, operated since May 2014 by Talison Lithium Pty Ltd, an incorporated joint venture between Tianqi Lithium Corporation (51%) and Albemarle Corporation (49%). Greenbushes produces a concentrate of the lithium mineral, spodumene, to feed both China and Western Australian based mineral conversion plants or consumers of spodumene concentrates in Europe, North America and China. In December 2020, Australian mining company IGO Limited signed a deal to acquire a 24.99% stake in Greenbushes from Tianqi Lithium Corporation.
