St George Mining Limited (ASX: SGQ) has commenced drilling at its Mt Alexander Project in Western Australia to test below numerous widespread pegmatite dykes, which are interpreted as highly prospective for lithium mineralisation.
“This is an exciting milestone for St George as we commence the first-ever, lithium-focused drill programme at Mt Alexander. This initial phase of drilling will provide St George with an opportunity to potentially make a greenfields discovery within what is emerging as a significant lithium province,” Executive Chairman, John Prineas, said.
“Prospective pegmatites have been mapped over a wide area within a north-south corridor adjacent to the Copperfield Granite and extending approximately 15km along St George’s tenements.
“This scale, together with the grades we are seeing in the outcrops sampled to date, provides encouragement for the potential for a large lithium system at Mt Alexander.
“The initial focus of drilling is on the Jailbreak Prospect, where high-grade lithium observed in outcropping pegmatites has been confirmed by rock chip assays. The Jailbreak pegmatites occur in a zone extending 1.7km north-south and up to 1.4km east-west. The first phase of drilling will test a number of east-west trending pegmatite dykes within this zone.
“Once the diamond rig arrives in coming weeks, we will incorporate the results from the RC drilling to prioritise diamond hole follow-ups – alongside testing some of our priority nickel targets.
“It promises to be an exciting end to 2022 for St George and our shareholders.”
In total, 20 RC holes for approximately 2,000m are planned as an initial test down-dip from outcropping pegmatites at the Jailbreak Prospect. In addition, approximately 1,500m of diamond drilling is planned to test new nickel targets generated by recent electromagnetic (EM) and seismic surveys in the Manta Prospect area, then follow up lithium targets in the Jailbreak Prospect area. Additional RC and diamond drilling will be implemented pending a review of drill results.
The downhole depths of RC drill holes for lithium targets will range between 60m and 150m. Deeper holes at the lithium targets will be completed by the diamond rig, with drill core providing a clearer picture of the mineralogy and zonation of the lithium mineral system.
Laboratory assays are expected to be progressively available within four to five weeks.
Lithium Prospectivity
The geological setting of the pegmatites mapped at Mt Alexander is interpreted to be similar to the significant pegmatite-hosted lithium discovery made by Red Dirt at its Mt Ida Project, approximately 15km south of Mt Alexander.
The geochemsitry of rock chip samples from the pegmatites at Mt Alexander indicates fertility for lithium, caesium and tanatalum (LCT) pegmatites. Assays for rock chips samples from the Jailbreak Prospect returned up to 2.7% Li20, 715ppm Cs, 166ppm Ta2O5 and 1.37% Rb.
Drilling is designed to test below these prospective pegmatites to confirm the continuity and thickness of the pegmatites below surface. Deeper diamond drill holes will be completed to acquire drill core that can provide more detailed data on orientation and mineral zonation within the pegmatites.
New lithium province:
The province around Mt Ida is emerging as a new lithium province following the significant high- grade lithium discovery by Red Dirt at its Mt Ida Project in September 2021.
In addition to St George and Red Dirt, significant exploration is underway in this region by Zenith Minerals (ASX: ZNC) in joint venture with EV Metals plc and Hawthorn Resources (ASX: HAW) in joint venture with Hancock Prospecting.
Further north of Mt Alexander and situated adjacent to the Mt Ida fault, the large Kathleen Valley lithium deposit of Liontown Resources is in development.
The lithium prospectivity of this region is interpreted to be associated with the large Copperfield Granite. The prospective LCT pegmatite corridor is interpreted between the contact with the Copperfield Granite in the east and the Ida Fault in the west.
For further information please visit: https://stgm.com.au/
