James Bay lithium rush continues with Fin Resources discovery
The James Bay region of Canada’s Quebec province has once again come up trumps for Australian junior explorers hunting for lithium riches.
Fin Resources (ASX: FIN), which joined the James Bay lithium rush in April, has achieved some early exploration success there with its in-country consultant Mercator Geological Services discovering large confirmed spodumene crystals within an outcropping pegmatite body during the maiden fieldwork programme at its Cancet West lithium project.
Located adjacent to James Bay Minerals’ (ASX: JBY) Aqua lithium prospect, Cancet West is also 45 km west of Winsome Resources’ (ASX: WR1) Cancet lithium deposit and 100 km west of Patriot Battery Metals’ (ASX: PMT) Corvette lithium deposit.
Abundant spodumene crystals
Fin says its maiden fieldwork programme has identified abundant spodumene crystals within a broad pegmatite outcrop.
It has already uncovered at least 5 pegmatite bodies which were identified as outcropping across the western and eastern blocks of Cancet West with approximate total strike lengths of each outcrop ranging from 200 to 400 m.
The company’s management now believes these pegmatite bodies may extend for significant distances, along strike and below surface.
It has also mapped large spodumene crystals, trace lepidolite, coarse muscovite, tourmaline, blue-green beryl, coarse red garnets and megacrystic feldspars within one of the pegmatite outcrops.
Spodumene samples confirmed
Fin’s consultants at Raman Spectroscopy at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax have confirmed the spodumene samples and will be subsequently sending them for lithium assaying.
“We are extremely excited to have confirmed spodumene within the pegmatite outcrop at our Cancet West project,” Fin director, Jason Bontempo, said.
“Following this initial spodumene discovery, the company is optimistic that additional lithium mineralisation will be discovered at Cancet West through further fieldwork, detailed sampling, and drilling.”
The Cancet West project covers an area of 30.7 sq km and is centred on 14 km of prospective greenstone strike length of the Guyer greenstone belt located within the La Grande sub-province of the archean superior province that is known to host spodumene-bearing pegmatites along strike to the east of the Cancet West project.
James Bay Minerals next-door
The news of Fin’s initial success is welcomed news for recently listed James Bay Minerals.
The company’s Aqua prospect – part of its larger La Grande project – shares a boundary with the Cancet West project.
Located 190km east of Radisson, Aqua consists of 63 claims covering approximately 3,225 hectares.
The geology of the local area touches three archean sub-provinces (La Grande, Bienville, Opinaca) and includes gabbro dykes and a proterozoic arenitic basin.
Regional faults transverse the property from east-southeast to west-northwest which hosts the La Grande greenstones which are considered highly prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites.
Aqua is currently being surveyed as part of James Bay Minerals’ current regional helicopter reconnaissance exploration program which is being flow across all three properties – Joule, Aero and Aqua – which form part of its La Grande Lithium Project, located in the prolific Eeyou Istchee-James Bay district in Quebec.