Mining

Kalamazoo Resources commences maiden drilling at Pilbara lithium projects

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Kalamazoo Resources ASX KZR Marble Bar Lithium Project DOM’s Hill Pilbara

The 5,000m drilling program will begin at Kalamazoo’s Marble Bar project before moving to DOM’s Hill.

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Kalamazoo Resources (ASX: KZR) has commenced a maiden drilling program at its Marble Bar and DOM’s Hill lithium projects in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The 5,000-metre reverse circulation program will commence with 4,000m at the Marble Bar tenements, which are considered highly-prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation due to their proximity to the Moolyella monzogranite (an inferred LCT-pegmatite source).

The tenements are also well located along the margin of the Moolyella tin-tantalum alluvial field plus numerous local occurrences of mapped lithium-enriched pegmatites.

Global Lithium Resources’ (ASX: GL1) Archer deposit is 25 kilometres to the north and has a reported maiden inferred resource of 10.5 million tonnes grading 1% lithium oxide.

Pegmatite dykes

Drilling at Marble Bar follows on from Kalamazoo’s recently-completed field mapping and surface sampling activities which identified numerous outcrops of pegmatite dykes.

Some of the dykes were reported to contain visible amounts of lepidolite (lithium mica) with a best rock chip sample assay of 1.6% lithium oxide and 372 parts per million tantalum.

Drilling will target several dykes recorded across four high-priority prospects.

DOM’s Hill drilling

Immediately following exploration at Marble Bar, Kalamazoo will mobilise its rig to DOM’s Hill for a 1,000m drilling program to test three prospects defined by significant soil geochemistry anomalies coincident with favourable structures at its tenements.

Kalamazoo considers DOM’s Hill to also be highly-prospective for LCT-mineralised pegmatite dykes.

The project contains a similar geological setting (and host rocks strongly analogous) to the nearby world-class Pilgangoora and Wodgina pegmatite-hosted lithium deposits.

Joint venture agreement

The DOM’s Hill and Marble Bar projects are part of a joint venture agreement between Kalamazoo and Chilean lithium producer Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA (SQM).

SQM has been granted the right to earn an initial 30% interest (to a maximum of 70%) in all mineral rights by sole funding a minimum $12 million of exploration and development activity over the next four years.

SQM is one of the world’s leading lithium producers with its main asset in Australia being a 50% joint venture interest in the Mt Holland lithium project with Wesfarmers (ASX: WES).