After securing exploration licence approvals for the KT East lithium prospect in Thailand, Pan Asia Metals (ASX:PAM) says it has uncovered a lepidolite pegmatite dyke swarm during preliminary field work.
Pan Asia has secured two exploration licences that represent the eastern applications of the KT tenements. The company is expecting a third grant to follow shortly, containing geothermal fields and hard rock targets prospective for lithium.
The latest dyke swarm discovery at KT East is defined over a 850m strike length and 350m width, which remains open in all directions.
Managing Director Paul Lock says the discovery, which has strong indications of lithium, complements the approval of the prospect’s exploration licences.
“The field team is still discovering and this looks to be a promising pegmatite field, the scale looks to be on par with the RK lithium prospect, and with more work we may see it grow into something like the BT lithium prospect,” he says.
Pan Asia, which is currently suspended from trading under ASX Listing Rule 17.3.1, says hand-held x-ray fluorescence analysis of 46 rock chip samples returned highly elevated lithium pathfinder elements, including rubidium and caesium.
“Our experience and use of hXRF and the rubidium:lithium correlation, combined with the mica content observed in the samples and the scale of the prospect, gives us confidence that we could be on to a significant discovery,” Lock says.
“From a strategic perspective, KT East is a natural extension of what we are doing at RK and BT, our goal is to increase the mineral resource, on success this will position Pan Asia Metals for increased annual lithium carbonate equivalent production or a longer project life, or a combination.”
The company is continuing to explore at the KT East prospect, focusing on determining the extent of the dyke swarm via geochemical sampling and mapping.
Potential reconnaissance drillhole locations are also being investigated.
The KT East prospect sits within the RK Lithium Project which sits 35km north of the RK and BT prospects in Thailand.
Pan Asia Metals is a battery metals explorer with lithium projects in Southeast Asia and South America. The company also has agreements with key battery and chemical producers in the Asian region to produce advanced battery chemicals.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Pan Asia Metals
