Prospect Resources (ASX:PSC) reports it has intersected ‘high-grade’ lithium mineralisation from initial drilling at the Step Aside Project, located near Harare in Zimbabwe.
A scout RC drilling program targeting the Step Aside pegmatite outcrops commenced in July, but progress was hampered by site access for the tracked rig and mechanical issues with the only available rig suited to the topography.
A total of 17 reverse circulation (RC) drillholes for 783m were completed (including the re-drills) through to mid August before the remainder of the drill program was completed with diamond drilling, where a total of 13 diamond drillholes for 853m were completed up to October 12.
Through drilling, the company identified 6 visible mineralised pegmatites (denoted A to F) within the meta-dolerite host rocks at Side Step.
“What the initial drilling has shown us is robust intercepts of strong lithium tenor at relatively shallow depths, in multiple places”
Prospect Resources Managing Director Sam Hosack said the company is pleased with what the initial drilling at Step Aside has delivered.
“The first-pass RC and diamond program focused on providing geological continuity, seeking to define the potential strike extent of LCT pegmatites, and commencing testing of the potential down-dip extent and thickness of these pegmatites.
“This work was also designed to define key targets for follow-up drilling.
“What the initial drilling has shown us is robust intercepts of strong lithium tenor at relatively shallow depths, in multiple places.
“This is strongly encouraging and demands further, prompt testing.
“While still early-stage, our objective at Step Aside is the rapid delineation of a maiden JORC Mineral Resource estimate.
“Our experienced in-country team is focused on quickly advancing Step Aside towards this aim, with further drilling to be progressed over the coming months.
“Planning for this follow-up program is already well advanced and is targeted to commence in the first quarter of 2023.”
The Step Aside Project consists of a folded sequence of metasediments of the Gwebi and Mapfeni Members of the Passform Formation, and these metasediments are intruded by north trending pegmatites, dolerites and quartz veins of the Mashonaland Suite.
Pegmatite A on the eastern side and Pegmatite D to the west were identified as the widest, measuring 5m to 15m thick and 4m to 20m thick respectively.
The strike lengths of the A, B, C, D, E, and F pegmatite outcrops at surface are between 50m and 120m long.
Pegmatite D was targeted by 4 RC holes and 10 diamond drillholes, and the company says the results from Pegmatite D are very encouraging with all holes reaching their target depth intersecting lithium mineralisation, besides the northernmost hole CDD012.
Diamond drilling has confirmed that the pegmatite dips at between 60º to 75º to the west, steeper than was mapped at surface, and the company has located mineralisation over a lateral extent of 120m strike to date that is open both down dip and along strike to the south.
Best results recorded from Pegmatite D includes 6.1m @ 1.49% Li2O from 82.2m in CDD011, 9m @ 1.02% Li2O from 38m in CRC011B, 8m @ 1.09% Li2O from 53.9m in CDD001, 4.4m @ 1.43% Li2O from 52.6m in CDD006, and 6m @ 1.05% Li2O from 17m in CDD007.
Prospect drilled 7 RC holes targeting Pegmatite A to the far east at Step Aside, with the best result of 7m @ 0.82% Li2O from 24m downhole in CRC001B.
Narrow mineralised intercepts were noted elsewhere for Pegmatite A, but the northernmost drillhole CRC004 did not intersect pegmatite in the position expected, indicating the pegmatite does not continue in that direction or has been structurally offset.
Pegmatite B, located to the west of A contained ‘narrow’ intersections of lithium mineralisation, but was also not intersected where expected at depth to the north in CRC007, which the company speculates could indicate a structural offset.
Prospect reports Pegmatite C contained only narrow sub-grade lithium intersections as pegmatite stringers.
The Pegmatite E complex is centred about 220m north of Pegmatite D, but is not interpreted by the company to be along strike from it.
Below the pegmatite outcrop for Pegmatite E, the company drilled 3 diamond holes, and while stringers were identified at depth to the north, drillhole CDD013 contained 2 wide intersections of pegmatite containing lithium mineralisation.
The topmost zone returned 4.3m @ 1.15% Li2O from 19.2m, whilst the lower zone returned 7.4m @ 1.28% Li2O from 43.6m downhole.
Prospect reports the presence of ‘high-grade’, spodumene rich mineralisation confirmed by the assays for Pegmatites A, D and E, a follow-up drilling program for Step Aside is currently advancing in design and is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023.
The Step Aside Project is located within the Archean Harare Greenstone Belt approximately 35km east of Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare, and the claim covers around 100ha.
Step Aside is located 8km north of the Arcadia Lithium Project , which was discovered by Prospect and holds a mineral resource estimate of 72.2Mt grading 1.02 % Li2O.
Prospect states the Arcadia asset was sold to Huayou Cobalt earlier this year, and the company retained the Step Aside Project to independently explore and advance.
Prospect Resources is an ASX listed company focused on the exploration and development of mining projects, specifically battery and electrification minerals in Zimbabwe and the border sub-Saharan African region.
Images: Prospect Resources Ltd
