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Pioneer Lithium identifies new pegmatite outcrops at Red Squirrel prospect

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Pioneer Lithium ASX PLN pegmatite outcrops Red Squirrel prospect Root Lake project Canada
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A maiden exploration program at Pioneer Lithium’s (ASX: PLN) 90%-owned Root Lake project in Canada has identified mineralised pegmatite outcrops at the Red Squirrel prospect.

The prospect sits within the central corridor in the south-eastern portion of the project area and is adjacent to the Root Bay pegmatite system owned by Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1).

The pegmatite outcrops identified by Pioneer — reported to contain up to 5% visible spodumene — could represent a continuation of Root Bay, which has an inferred resource of 8.1 million tonnes grading 1.32% lithium oxide.

Pegmatite geology

The new mineralised pegmatite is approximately 50 centimetres wide and exposed over a length of 15 metres.

It consists of medium to coarse-grained milky white and grey feldspar, smoky quartz, green-grey spodumene lathes, muscovite and tourmaline.

Pioneer’s field team is completing detailed sampling to confirm the presence of lithium mineralisation with all samples to be submitted to AGAT Laboratory in Ontario.

Outstanding result

Chief executive officer Clinton Booth said the maiden program had produced an “outstanding” result.

“This gives further strength to our theory that the Root Bay pegmatite system continues into our claim area,” he said.

“The discovery of spodumene-bearing pegmatite is a tremendous way to end this fieldwork campaign and caps off the recent discovery of a massive pegmatite swarm in the central corridor zone at Root Lake.”

Outcropping pegmatites

The swarm reported last week comprised 85 outcropping pegmatites adjacent to Root Bay, measuring up to 10m wide and exposed over lengths of up to 140m.

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

The discovery happened less than a week after Pioneer announced it had identified three pegmatite outcrops at another part of Root Lake, along strike from the Morrison-McCombe pegmatite system also being explored by Green Technology Metals.

Mr Booth said prospecting activities across the central corridor had been helped by the presence of only a thin veneer of overburden.