iTech Minerals Ltd (ASX:ITM) is reporting it has released an Exploration Target of 158-264Mt @ 7 to 12% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) for the Sugarloaf Graphite Prospect, near Cleave on the Central Eyre Peninsula.
The target has been compiled from over 33 historic drillholes and a detailed airborne electromagnetic survey that has been used to predict the continuity of graphite mineralisation.
The Sugarloaf Graphite Prospect is located approximately 30km north-west of Cleve on the central Eyre Peninsula and is directly adjacent to iTech’s proposed graphite processing plant for the Campoona Spherical Graphite Project.
The graphite at this location occurs within the Paleoproterozoic Hutchison Group Metasediments and is likely to have formed from organic rich stratigraphic horizons metamorphosed during regional upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism during the Kimban Orogeny.
iTech Managing Director Mike Shwarz said the project has potential characteristics to be used in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries.
“With positive metallurgical results, the Sugarloaf Graphite Exploration Target has the potential to add significant resources to the Campoona Graphite Project”
“With positive metallurgical results, the Sugarloaf Graphite Exploration Target has the potential to add significant resources to the Campoona Graphite Project.
Having been previously overlooked in the past due to its fine flake size, iTech believes it has potential as a source of graphite for the anodes of lithium-ion batteries in which fine flake size is a desirable characteristic.”
iTech Minerals has engaged ANZAPLAN, a specialist graphite materials consultancy in Germany, to undertake a metallurgical test work program on Sugarloaf graphite.
The aim of the program is to determine if Sugarloaf graphite can be processed into a concentrate suitable for battery anode material.
A sample is currently enroute to Germany with results expected in 3 to 4 months.
iTech is currently finalising government and landowner drilling approvals across the Sugarloaf Graphite Exploration Target with a view to commence drilling in the last quarter of this calendar year.
At Sugarloaf, the graphite rich horizons forms a largely flat lying, shallow anticlinal structure as interpreted from drilling and detailed airborne and ground-based electromagnetics.
When combined, all drilling results confirm that the graphitic-rich body consists of two broadly flat lying zones of graphitic schist that, in aggregate, average 50m in true width varying in depth from 0m to 50m below surface.
Drilling results extend over a strike length of 4km.
Two airborne electromagnetic surveys have been flown over the Sugarloaf Exploration Target resulting in 10 east-west conductivity depth image sections that were used to predict the subsurface extent of graphite mineralisation is confirmed by drilling.
A 3D model was generated from the cross sections to define the dimensions of the Exploration Target.
No density measurements have been conducted at this time but given the dominant quartz and muscovite composition it is reasonable to ascribe a very conservative density of 1.5sg units.
The depth of oxidation in the area is approximately 80m vertically below surface corresponding with the current water table.
The Sugarloaf Exploration Target area has up to 2 vertically stacked graphite domains identified from the down-hole drill intersections with a combined average thickness of 50m determined from 13 drillholes over 2.5km.
The weighted arithmetic average of all drill intervals of graphitic schists is 9.4% Total Carbon.
Intervals chosen for the analysis had to have visible graphite, however no ‘lower grade’ cut-off was used.
In view of no lower cut-off grade being applied, it is therefore reasonable to assume that the likely grade will be between 7% to 12% TGC.
iTech Minerals Ltd is a newly listed mineral exploration company exploring for and developing battery materials and critical minerals within its 100% owned Australian projects.
The company is exploring for graphite, kaolinite-halloysite, regolith hosted ion adsorption clay rare earth element mineralisation and developing the Campoona Graphite Deposit in South Australia.
iTech also has extensive exploration tenure prospective for Cu-Au porphyry mineralisation, IOGC mineralisation and gold mineralisation in South Australia and tin, tungsten, and polymetallic Cobar style mineralisation in New South Wales.
Images: iTech Minerals Ltd
