Essential Metals (ASX:ESS) reports it has nearly completed drilling at its 100% owned Pioneer Dome Lithium Project in Western Australia, with the results to underpin a resource update and Scoping Study.
The company reports that the current resource extension drilling program is expected to be completed in the next 2 weeks, with assays expected by the end of October to feed into a Mineral Resource update.
the current resource extension drilling program is expected to be completed in the next 2 weeks
Essential reports that an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) is on-track for delivery in November. Together with metallurgical test work results, this will underpin a Scoping Study targeted for completion by end-December.
This in turn is expected to pave the way for a feasibility study starting in early 2023.
As part of the almost completed drilling works, drilling at Cade Deeps included 6 holes being completed to a down-dip target depth of 120-150m below the Cade Mineral Resource. While spodumene was observed in 3 holes, the core logs suggest that the drilling intersected the wall zone of the Cade pegmatite on the lower periphery of the spodumene mineralised zone.
Essential notes that further exploratory drilling is warranted to follow the Cade pegmatite to the south to determine if more spodumene mineralised zones are present.
The 450km-square Pioneer Dome Project is located in the core of Western Australia’s lithium corridor in the Eastern Goldfields, about 130km south of Kalgoorlie and 275km north of the Port of Esperance.Also, 8 holes have been completed to target depth at the northern and southern strike extents as well as down-dip of the Davy Mineral Resource. Spodumene-bearing pegmatites of 1-3m in thickness were intersected in all 5 holes drilled in the northern strike extent of target.
A Mineral Resource of 11.2Mt @ 1.21% Li2O has been defined at ‘Dome North’ in the northern area of the Project.
The southern Yilgarn area is recognised as being well-endowed with spodumene deposits, including the Bald Hill Mine, the Mt Marion Mine and the Buldania Project, all of which are located within 80km of Pioneer Dome.
The ‘world-class’ Greenbushes Deposit, the Mt Holland Mine and the Mt Cattlin Mine are located further west, south-west and south-south-west, respectively.
