Future Battery Minerals (ASX:FBM) is now mobilising a diamond drill (DD) rig to start a series of core holes at its joint venture with Lodestar Minerals (ASX:LSR) Kangaroo Hills Lithium Project (KHLP) in Western Australia.
The company reports this drilling will test the modelled thick (greater than 20m) portions of the prospective pegmatite identified in phase two reverse circulation (RC) drilling program.
Additionally, the purpose of the diamond core is to provide Future Battery Minerals with a confirmation of the orientation of the pegmatite and also provide a suitable bulk sample of mineralogy scanning and potential metallurgical assessments.
Future Battery reports the phase two program has partially delineated a thick, shallow pegmatite unit, hosting the previously reported stand-out intercept result from phase one drilling in drillhole KHRC011 with 29m @ 1.36% lithium oxide (Li2O) from 38m.
In addition to the previously reported results, a target pegmatite has been identified with a width of 200m, strike length of more than 300m, and a dip of -20 degrees to the north where it remains open.
The company reports the thickness of the pegmatite ranges between 5m to 30m and exhibits a consistent thickness greater than 20m over a 100m width at its core.
The Kangaroo Hills Lithium Project is a joint venture between Future Battery Minerals (80%) and Lodestar Resources (20%). The project is a new lithium discovery made in December 2022, which forms part of the Nepean Nickel Project in Western Australia.
“The geological interpretation of the phase two RC drilling program has now answered some very important questions for the FBM team”
Future Battery Mines Technical Director, Robin Cox says: “The geological interpretation of the phase two RC drilling program has now answered some very important questions for the FBM team.
We believe that the shallow thick LCT pegmatite intercepted in KHRC011 is not an isolated occurrence as wide step-out holes have proven that this pegmatite is continuous within a well-defined east-west width and north-south strike orientation.
While we wait for the phase two assay results, FBM will push ahead with diamond drilling to provide important, structural, and mineralogical results to further advance the KHLP. Pleasingly, the remaining assays received from the phase one program have highlighted that the LCT potential of the greater project area, which will be subject to further exploration.”
The phase two RC drill campaign consisted of 19 holes for over 2,200m which have been completed to date. The planned depths of the drilling have been 120m downhole, highlighting the shallow nature of the targeted pegmatite.
Additionally, Future Battery states the assay results for the remaining 10 holes of phase one have been received. These results confirm the presence of LCT pegmatites across the project area and require further follow-up testing.
‘Significant’ intercepts returned include drillhole KHRC013 with 3m @ 1.23% Li2O from 0m; KHRC006 with 1m @ 0.7% Li2O, 706 parts per million (ppm) caesium (Cs), 68ppm tantalum (Ta) from 204m; and KHRC006 with 1m @ 0.82% Li2O, 255ppm Cs, 141.5ppm Ta from 262m.
Future Battery Minerals is an exploration company focused on exploring key battery minerals, including lithium, nickel, and copper in stable pro-mining jurisdictions.
The company’s portfolio assets include the Nevada Lithium, Kangaroo Hills Lithium, Leinster Nickel, Saints Nickel, Nepean Nickel, Bonaventure, Arden, and Torrens East Copper projects.
Images: Future Battery Minerals Ltd
