Premier1 Lithium commences drilling of lithium pegmatite targets at Abbotts North

Premier1 Lithium (ASX: PLC) has commenced drilling at a machine learning-generated target at the Abbotts North project located 35km north of Meekatharra, Western Australia.

The innovative explorer has used the latest technology to identify and secure a portfolio of rights in a premier hard rock lithium jurisdiction.

Now it is using its expertise to test the Buttamiah prospect where several parallel lithium-bearing pegmatites have been mapped and sampled.

Surveys have identified that the pegmatites strike approximately east-west and single pegmatites can be traced in strike over an extended area.

The reverse circulation (RC) drilling program has been designed to test the depth and extent of the mineralised pegmatite field.

Unrecognised potential

Premier1’s in-depth work has unveiled unrecognised lithium potential within a greenstone belt where no previous lithium exploration has occurred.

“We are excited that the first drill program is now underway and we look forward to testing the compelling LCT pegmatite targets at Abbotts North,” chief executive officer Richard Taylor said.

“The team has worked hard to achieve all required milestones to commence drilling so soon after funds were received from the recent capital raise.”

The current program of approximately 2,000m RC drilling is planned to test the depth and extent of the mineralised pegmatite field within the main Buttamiah prospect.

The campaign will help provide Premier1 with a deeper understanding of Abbotts North, where it has an option to acquire 100% of the project from a private vendor.

In early February, Premier1 obtained the required heritage clearances for the first stage of the exploration drilling program, which is expected to be completed this month.

Additional priority targets

Premier1 has identified further priority targets at Abbotts North based on the completion of the first phase of field mapping, rock chip sampling and soil geochemistry in December 2023.

The results from the soil survey highlighted areas of interest with anomalous responses comparable to the geochemical signature over the main Buttamiah prospect.

Further follow-up field work will be conducted to assess these new priority targets and plan for further heritage clearance surveys.

Premier1, which now owns three granted exploration licences and one recent application in WA, is strategically positioned in the region’s Archean cratons known for their substantial lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite deposits.

The projects were selected using state-of-the-art datasets and machine learning, allowing the company to reduce the lithium search space.