Essential Metals (ASX: ESS) has reported ‘excellent’ results from a 5,934m drilling program at the Cade Deposit within its Pioneer Dome Lithium Project in Western Australia’s southern Yilgarn area.
Results taken from four RC holes are described by the miner as confirming ‘high grade tenor’ across broad widths encountered from surface.
Key grades include:
- Hole PDRC589: 21m @ 1.08% Li2O from surface
- Hole PDRC590: 24m @ 1.29% Li2O from surface
- Hole PDRC591: 15m @ 1.06% Li2O from 47m
- Hole PDRC592: 26m @ 1.46% Li2O from 51m
Drilling was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the weathering profile of the upper zone of the Cade Deposit, with assays indicating minimal lithium depletion near surface.
“These assay results once again reinforce that the Dome North area hosts a high quality Resource”
Speaking on the results, Essential Metals Managing Director Tim Spencer said: “These assay results once again reinforce that the Dome North area hosts a high quality Resource with the potential to be mined with minimal overburden. We now need to undertake further drilling and metallurgical test work to advance the project towards development in parallel with more exploration. We will announce the program details as soon as we can finalise the various practicalities and contractors.”
Essential Metals’ 100%-owned Pioneer Dome Lithium Project is situated in the heart of Western Australia’s ‘lithium corridor’, 130km south of Kalgoorlie and 275km north of the Port of Esperance. The Yilgarn area is known for its density of spodumene deposits, with nearby projects including Bald Hill (Alliance Mineral Assets Limited), Buldania (Liontown Resources Limited), and Mt Marion (Mineral Resources Limited), containing the world’s second largest high-grade lithium concentrate spodumene reserve. Pioneer Dome houses an existing mineral resource of 11.2Mt @ 1.21% Li2O.
Essential Metals reports that a resource-definition diamond drill program is planned to begin in November at Dome North, which is expected to provide samples for metallurgical test work at both the Davy and Cade Deposits.
