Mining

Kairos Minerals confirms ‘extensive’ pegmatite swarm at Wodgina

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By Lorna Nicholas - 
Kairos Minerals ASX KAI Wodgina lithium caesium tantalum Pilbara region Western Australia

Kairos Minerals will undertake a follow-up mapping and rock chip sampling program at Wodgina once all assays from the Ultrafine+ program are at hand.

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Kairos Minerals (ASX: KAI) has confirmed the presence of lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites following rock chip sampling and mapping at its wholly-owned Wodgina project in Western Australia’s Pilbara – less than 3km from the renowned Wodgina lithium mine.

Using the CSIRO’s Ultrafine+ soil sampling technology, Kairos returned up to 238 parts per million lithium 293ppm caesium, 582ppm rubidium and 78ppb tantalum – with these results firming up a large anomaly.

Kairos then undertook a follow up field visit to the site and has completed mapping and collected 15 pegmatite samples across the primary anomaly area and submitted them for analysis with results anticipated early next year.

This field visit has now confirmed “extensive” lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite swarm across Kairos’ own Wodgina tenements.

Additionally, a high-resolution drone survey validated the soil geochemistry – also corroborating the presence of pegmatites.

“We have now been able to build on the success of our Ultrafine+ soil sampling program, which defined a large lithium-caesium-tantalum anomaly, by confirming the presence of extensive outcropping pegmatite swarms,” Kairos executive chairman Terry Topping said.

“This is an important development, albeit that we need to wait for assays from the samples we have collected within the lithium-caesium-tantalum soil anomaly area to confirm they are lithium bearing,” he cautioned.

However, Mr Topping noted the drone survey validated the scale and potential of the pegmatite swarm.

“We are eagerly awaiting assays from the rock chip samples, which should be available by late January or early February,” he added.

Tier one lithium address

Mr Topping pointed out the company’s Wodgina project is in tier one lithium country.

“In terms of lithium exploration, you don’t get a much better address than our Wodgina project, which sits between the world-class Wodgina lithium mine, owned by Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) and the Pilgangoora project owned by Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS),” Mr Topping said.

“These are two of only a handful of genuinely tier one hard rock lithium deposits in Australia, indeed the world – so this is elephant country in terms of its potential for world-class spodumene deposits.”

Once Kairos receives the rock chip assays, the company will begin obtaining approvals for drilling to begin as soon as possible in the new year.

Gold and lithium exploration

In parallel with Kairos’ lithium exploration, work is continuing across its other assets in the Pilbara.

An infill aircore drilling program was recently completed at the Kangan project which uncovered anomalous gold and lithium.

A short aircore program was also undertaken at the Mt York project to assist with gold and lithium exploration targeting over 2022.