Venus Metals Corporation Limited’s (ASX:VMC) review into the hard-rock Lithium potential of the Henderson tenements has identified significant pegmatites in enriched in Tantalum and Niobium.
Located in the central section of the Mt Ida/Ularring Greenstone Belt, northwest of Menzies in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, the VMC tenements are located directly south from and abut the Mt Ida Lithium-Copper-Gold project.
VMC has completed an assessment of available drilling data and received assay results for 143 rock samples that were collected during sampling of outcropping granitoids/ pegmatites and greenstone host rocks on tenements E30/520 and E29/1112
Highlights of the review include:
- Outcropping LCT-Type pegmatites identified on tenement E30/520.
- The prospective pegmatites are noticeably enriched in Tantalum and Niobium (max 426 ppm Ta2O5; max 392 ppm Nb2O5) with many showing elevated Lithium compositions with a maximum of 3.5% Li2O.
- The sampled Ta-Nb enriched pegmatites are considered to be part of zoned LCT pegmatite swarms and exploration is ongoing to identify more extensive Lithium-rich end members.
- The positive results from the reconnaissance sampling programme warrant an accelerated and more focussed exploration effort that will include detailed surface sampling/mapping and RC drill testing of identified fractionated pegmatites.
The Mt Ida/Ularring Greenstone Belt is recognised as an emerging Lithium Province following the discovery of spodumene-rich Lithium pegmatites near the Mt Ida gold Mine, located some 15 km northwest from the Henderson Project.
To assess the Lithium potential of the Henderson tenements VMC initiated a reconnaissance sampling programme in October 2021 that targeted outcropping pegmatites and host rocks on tenements E30/520 and E29/1112, covering the greenstone sequence and granitoids east of the Ballard Fault respectively.
Current Sampling A total of 143 rock chip samples were collected and send to Jinning and Nagrom laboratories in Perth for analysis with an emphasis on Lithium and associated elements. Assay results from the reconnaissance sampling programme show a concentration of Tantalum and Niobium enriched pegmatites within the greenstones on tenement E30/520.
Management said the identification of LCT pegmatites and the common elevated Lithium content of the samples is highly encouraging. The highest returned Lithium assays (0.2-3.5% Li2O) are from three samples that were collected over a strike distance of 50m from a single north-easterly trending pegmatite dyke at Emerald SE. The presence of this Lithium-rich pegmatite is significant and warrants further work.
Further Work
An accelerated exploration programme is planned for Q1 and will include infill surface sampling and mapping, and drill testing of LCT pegmatites. The work will also include petrological studies to determine the mineralogy of Lithium pegmatites.
For further information please visit: https://www.venusmetals.com.au/
