James Bay Minerals discovers new pegmatite swarm at Aero prospect
James Bay Minerals (ASX: JBY) has discovered over 20 new pegmatite dykes as part of a maiden exploration campaign at the Aero prospect within its La Grande project in Canada.
The pegmatite swarm extends over a corridor measuring 3 kilometres from east to west and 350 metres north to south and all dykes are reported to display fractionation indicators and lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) associations.
The full extent and understanding of the mineralisation is in its early stages however rhe presence of tourmaline – considered to be a common accessory mineral in rare-metal pegmatites – is being used as an indicator for vectoring.
The current interpretation is that the swarm is a fractionated pegmatite derived from a nearby fertile granite.
Avro pegmatite
This latest discovery follows the identification of the large and continuous Avro pegmatite outcrop in the first week of the campaign.
It was observed over an area of 400m in length and up to 20m in width, running east-west across the south-eastern segment of the prospect.
The pegmatite is believed to have been made more visible by recent wildfires which burned through much of the property and cleared away shrub and brush, leading to Avro’s immediate discovery.
Personnel from James Bay’s campaign partner Breakaway Exploration are now carrying out systematic grab sampling and rock saw channel sampling in the area.
Rapid pace of discovery
Executive director Andrew Dornan said he was pleased with the rapid pace of discovery at Aero.
“We are three weeks into our maiden exploration program and have already uncovered a field of fractionated pegmatites over a large corridor,” he said.
“The field team has done an exceptional job and we look forward to continued success over the coming weeks.”
Continuous claims
The Aero prospect consists of 89 continuous claims with approximately 12km of deformation zones which are considered highly prospective for LCT pegmatites.
Nearby properties at Cancet (owned by Winsome Resources, ASX: WR1) and Corvette (Patriot Battery Metals, ASX: PMT) also contain deformation zones which have yielded significant exploration success for both companies.
Current exploration by James Bay includes the mapping of targeted areas within the Aero prospect along as well as rock chip collection and channel sampling.
The program is expected to continue until the region’s first snow fall later this month.