Pioneer Lithium discovers 85 new pegmatite outcrops at Root Lake project

Pioneer Lithium (ASX: PLN) has moved its maiden exploration program at Root Lake in Canada into fourth gear with the discovery of a large pegmatite swarm.

The find of 85 outcropping pegmatites occurred adjacent to the Root Bay pegmatite system being explored by Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1) which has an inferred resource of 8.1 million tonnes at 1.32% lithium oxide.

Pioneer’s 90%-owned Root Lake in northern Ontario is one of three battery metals projects being pursued by the recently listed company.

In what the company terms a significant breakthrough, Pioneer Lithium reports that its program at the Central Corridor zone at Root Lake is along trend from Green Technology’s Root Bay deposit.

Wide, long outcrops

The company says the outcrops are up to 10 metres wide and are exposed over lengths of up to 140m.

Moreover, the outcrops typically display fractionation indicators and accessory minerals associated with lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites.

This announcement comes less than a week after Pioneer Lithium announced it had discovered three pegmatite outcrops at another part of Root Lake, along strike from the Morrison-McCombe pegmatite system also being explored by Green Technology Metals.

Vegetation clearing lead to discoveries

These had been concealed beneath thick overburden and dense vegetation.

Chief executive officer Clinton Booth said the field team will be completing this maiden program in the coming weeks and will move their search eastwards at Root Lake.

“With the extensive clearing and good accessibility at this Central Corridor, our expectations for the potential discovery of large pegmatite outcrops have well and truly been exceeded,” he added.

Thin overburden helped

The company notes that prospecting activities across the Central Corridor have been helped by the presence of only a thin veneer of overburden.

This has assisted the field team in making quick identification of new outcrops.

Mineral assemblages observed in the field include medium to coarse-grained crystals of potassium feldspar, albite, quartz and muscovite.

The team also identified widespread tourmaline, as well as other minor occurrences of other accessory minerals fluorapatite, garnet and beryl which are commonly associated with LCT pegmatites.