Tambourah Metals acquires three strategic tenements near Russian Jack project in WA’s Pilbara
Junior explorer Tambourah Metals (ASX: TMB) has been granted three exploration licence applications located north-east and along strike from its Russian Jack-Haystack Well lithium project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The tenements have a combined area of 193 square kilometres and cover the northeastern extent of the Bonney Downs monzogranite and Golden Eagle orthogneiss, known to be associated with pegmatite-hosted occurrences of tin-tantalum and lithium.
Executive chair Rita Brooks said the company was pleased to be able to extend the Russian Jack project to over 70km of strike following the recent announcement of positive rock sampling results from pegmatites at Haystack Well.
“The addition of the Kurana tenements provides significant additional opportunity across the underexplored margins of the Bonney Downs intrusion,” she added.
Minimal exploration
The new tenements have been subject to minimal previous exploration for pegmatite-hosted lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation other than a reconnaissance program of rock chip sampling in 2017 reported by Macarthur Lithium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Macarthur Minerals (ASX: MIO).
That work involved the collection of 23 samples from an area of pegmatites in the southwestern corner identified through aerial photography.
While the sampling covered a zone of 700 metres in length, the resulting report by Macarthur Lithium stated that pegmatites may extend for up to 3km.
Assays of whole rock samples did not identify anomalous lithium; however, potassium/rubidium ratios were as low as 50 which suggests a potentially fractionated suite of pegmatites.
Given the localised sampling pattern, the report said the samples were worthy of further investigation.
High-grade anomalies
In January, Tambourah unveiled high-grade lithium anomalies in first-pass reconnaissance rock chip sampling at Russian Jack.
An initial 41 samples returned elevated LCT values along with tin and confirmed that the project is highly prospective for pegmatite-hosted LCT mineralisation.
Ms Brooks said the information would be used to define mapping and sampling locations to test outcropping pegmatites and confirm the extent and orientation of any spodumene-bearing pegmatites within the project.