Lithium and battery metals exploration company Charger Metals (ASX:CHR) has uncovered ‘high-grade’ lithium intercepts following a maiden drilling program at the Medcalf spodumene discovery, as part of its Lake Johnston Lithium prospect in Western Australia.
The results, generated by 17 reverse circulation (RC) drillholes drilled during late 2022, represent the first assays returned from the maiden RC drilling program and have delivered ‘high-grade’ lithium intersections.
The prospect is being prepared for a program of core drilling scheduled for later in 2023, which will test for mineralisation at depth greater than the current RC drilling rig’s capability.
Charger Metals notes the maiden drilling results were acquired from multiple stacked spodumene-pegmatites, which were intersected within a 100m-wide zone and an aggregated thickness of up to 12m.
Key intercepts include hole 22CRC002 with 5m @ 2.55% lithium (Li2O) from 68m including 2m @ 4.19% Li2O; and hole 22CRC008 5m @ 1.12% Li2O from 52m and 1m @ 4.02% Li2O from 63m and 2m @ 1.74% Li2O from 84m.
Results also demonstrate spodumene-pegmatites have been intersected on all sections drilled to date, with individual units having a downhole width of up to 13m and a strike direction of northwest and dip at about 40 degrees towards the southwest.
Drilling is ongoing to test for extensions to the spodumene pegmatites, both along strike and at depth.
As of 10.45am AWST, Charger Metals’ share price had increased by 12.162%.
Commenting on the results, Charger Metals Managing Director David Crook says: “The first encouraging drilling results are now at hand and drilling is continuing to intersect similar multiple-sheet pegmatites within a plunging, 100m-wide, structural zone. The drillholes reported here confirm high-grade lithium from surface down to a vertica depth of 210m, and the ongoing drill program is expanding the extent of the spodumene-pegmatites along the strike direction and at progressively greater depths.”
“The drillholes reported here confirm high-grade lithium from surface down to a vertica depth of 210m…”
In addition, thicker pegmatites are recorded on the north-western-most drill section indicating a possible north-westerly plunge to the mineralisation.
Charger Metals is an emerging, well-funded exploration company targeting battery metals and precious metals in 3 emerging battery minerals provinces across Australia. The company’s Lake Johnston project is located about 450km east of Perth, Western Australia and is host to multiple lithium prospects that occur within a 50km long corridor along the southern and western margin of the Lake Johnston granite batholith.
Key prospects include the Medcalf spodumene discovery and the Mount Day lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite field, prospective for lithium and tantalum minerals. Charger Metals recently acquired a minority interest to move from a 70% to 100% interest in the project.
Images: Charger Metals NL
