Australian graphite developer Sarytogan Graphite (ASX:SGA) reports its wholly owned subsidiary Ushtogan has been granted a licence to explore the Kenesar Graphite Exploration Project in Northern Kazakhstan.
The Kenesar project is in the Akmola Province of Northern Kazakhstan about 270km away from the capital city of Astana. The granted exploration licences cover an area of 309km-square.
Sarytogan reports the geology at the project consists of Pre-Cambrian strata-formations controlled by northwest striking regional structures of the Kokshetau Shield.
These formations are represented by a variety of regionally metamorphosed rocks including quartz-muscovite schists, gneisses, chlorite-biotite, and garnet-sillimanite schists. The company says these strata-formations are intensively folded and overprinted by predominantly northwest trending regional faults.
The strata-bound graphite mineralisation occurs in quartzites and various schists as bands, lenses, and disseminated crystals. The extension of the graphite-bearing formations within Kenesar is 30km by 3km to 8km in width.
According to historic mineralogical studies, Sarytogan says the concentration of graphite varies in thin sections from 5% to 25%. Crystals of graphite have also been observed in thin sections of rocks sampled from Kenesar by the company’s geological team.
The company says the Pre-Cambrian graphitic schists at Kenesar are prospective for graphite mineralisation. In contrast to the Sarytogan Graphite Deposit which was formed by contact metamorphism, the rocks at Kenesar have been subject to regional metamorphism.
Sarytogan reports this geology is known to host flake graphite deposits elsewhere globally. Any economic graphite mineralisation discovered at Kenesar could be complementary to the premium micro-crystalline graphite at the company’s Sarytogan Graphite Deposit.
“Sarytogan’s sustainable competitive advantage is our in-country exploration team’s ability to identify, explore and develop mining projects in Kazakhstan”
Commenting on the project, Sarytogan Graphite Managing Director, Sean Gregory, says: “Sarytogan’s sustainable competitive advantage is our in-country exploration team’s ability to identify, explore and develop mining projects in Kazakhstan.
As we move into the studies phase for the giant and premium microcrystalline Sarytogan Graphite Project, our new Kenesar project provides a relatively low-cost opportunity to leverage our future position in the graphite market.”
While graphitic schists are observed in outcrop in many areas, much of the prospective formation is obscured by shallow quaternary sediments. To identify the ‘higher grade’ and shallower graphitic mineralisation, Sarytogan has planned an electromagnetic (EM) survey over the project.
Exploration drilling is also planned for the ‘highest’ priority targets identified by the EM survey during the 2023 field season. The company says regular exploration results are expected to follow throughout the year.
Sarytogan Graphite is an Australian graphite developer focused on its flagship Sarytogan Graphite Deposit in the Karaganda region of Central Kazakhstan. The project has an indicated and inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 229 million tonnes @ 28.9% total graphitic carbon (TGC). The company has upgraded the mineralisation to 99.87% purity by floatation, alkali roasting, and chemical purification in its pursuit to supply ‘high-quality’ anode materials for the electric vehicle battery market.
Images: Sarytogan Graphite Ltd
