Krakatoa Resources Limited (ASX: KTA) has confirmed numerous thick mineralised pegmatite zones confirmed at the 100% owned King Tamba critical metals project located approximately 70km from Mt Magnet, Western Australia.
The company drilled 32 RC drillholes for a total of 3045m during May and June 2022. The programme targeted a suite of mineralised pegmatites which are enriched in rubidium, tantalum, caesium, niobium and lithium and was designed to infill existing drilling to a nominal 40 x 40m spacing to allow calculation of a maiden mineral resource.
Rubidium was the primary target of the drilling with previous work having returned highly anomalous values over a large areal extent.
Initial observations during drilling were positive with wide intervals of consistent pegmatite regularly intersected.
The company has now received around 40% of the laboratory assay results (553 of 1416 samples). The thickness of the intersections, combined with the continuity of mineralised units in our geological modelling is very promising.
We now have a robust model showing a series of stacked sub-horizontal pegmatites plunging gently to the southwest.
The thickest and highest tenor Rubidium intersections such as those from DAL005 and DAL018 have come from a newly modelled pegmatite directly below the existing known occurrences, which presents an excellent exploration opportunity to return to previously drilled areas and add significant tonnes and grade at depth.
Further work is now underway to study these intersections in-depth and determine the geological controls on sediment-hosted mineralisation as this may unlock significant value within the project.
Next Steps
In addition to the assay results reported here, we have a further three batches expected to be received shortly, and the company is also advancing the King Tamba project on a number of fronts including:
• Airborne Lidar survey to provide more accurate topographic control over the project area,
• Structural geology mapping of the historical pit area and surrounds.
• Characterisation of the mineralised rocks is underway using a combination of XRD and scanning electron microscopy.
• Geological modelling of the deposit is well advanced, and we expect to begin work on a maiden mineral resource estimate within weeks once the remaining assay results are received.
On positive resource definition the company will undertake initial metallurgical test work to identify suitable product suites from the various zones within the pegmatite complex.
Undoubtedly further drilling is justified and we expect to be back at King Tamba in the near future to carry out additional RC and diamond drilling campaigns.
The rise in demand and prices of the currently identified speciality metals has risen over the last few years, to level which may provide opportunities for the company to investigate potential for extraction.
The expansion of Krakatoa’s land holding has also brought the company closer to this ambition. Rubidium (as Rubidium carbonate) has many industrial uses typically for enhancing stability and durability as well as reducing conductance. It is currently principally used in speciality glasses such as fibre optic cables, telecommunications systems including an important role in GPS systems, and night vision devices. There are also uses in medical equipment and quantum computing.
For further information please visit: https://www.ktaresources.com/
