Lithium Australia finds visible lepidolite mineralisation in nearly every drill intercept at Youanmi

Lithium Australia (ASX: LIT) has unearthed visible lepidolite lithium mineralisation in almost every hole drilled to-date under its reverse circulation program at Youanmi in Western Australia.

The company has drilled 37 holes for 1,579m across the 3km by 200m lithium target at the project and has observed lepidolite mineralisation in 36 holes.

Additionally, Lithium Australia said it was encouraged by pegmatite intersections on drill lines where there was no existing surface outcrop.

“Our reverse circulation program continues to intersect good widths of lithium mineralisation in pegmatites at Youanmi,” Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said.

“This first pass drill program is testing a lithium target with a strike of around 3km and I am eagerly awaiting the first batch of assay results before the end of the month,” Mr Griffin added.

Once Lithium Australia has the assay results, it will assess the resource potential and geometry of the pegmatites, with work to also include metallurgical testing.

The company anticipates assay results will be in before the end of the month with drilling expected to wind up around the same time.

In addition to the lithium potential at Youanmi, Lithium Australia is also evaluating vanadium mineralisation present at the project. Samples from four reverse circulation holes are currently undergoing metallurgical testing and analysis.

SiLeach process

As part of its sustainable and vertical integration strategies, Lithium Australia is firming up lithium resources from unconventional material including lepidolite.

Mr Griffin noted the lithium hosted in lepidolite at Youanmi was “ideally suited” to the company’s proprietary SiLeach process, which can convert material traditionally deemed as waste or unusable into battery grade chemicals for use in lithium-ion batteries.

In a world first in November last year, Lithium Australia’s wholly-owned subsidiary VSPC created a lithium-ion battery using tri-lithium phosphate which was generated from mine waste using the SiLeach process.

Lithium Australia is currently working on refining its proprietary processes as well as evaluating the ability to unlock battery minerals from spent batteries.