Tambourah Metals identifies new lithium opportunities across three Pilbara projects
Tambourah Metals’ (ASX: TMB) recent focus on critical metals potential in its permits in the Pilbara region of Western Australia is showing early promise with lithium identified in a number of areas.
The company kicked off a lithium hunt across three of its Pilbara projects early this year and has now received initial results from field sampling and mapping at the Haystack Well, Shaw River and Tambourah Nth projects.
Tambourah’s team collected 142 samples in a program of extended exploration coverage over areas where the company’s mapping had previously identified numerous pegmatites associated with historic alluvial workings for tin and tantalum.
The company has now received significant assay results from its recent sampling at the three Pilbara projects.
Haystack Well pegmatites
At the Haystack Well area, 15 samples reported lithium of greater than 500 parts per million to a maximum of 11,045ppm (1.1% lithium) from a biotite alteration margin adjacent to the pegmatite.
The sampling program at Haystack Well was expanded to a search area covering abundant pegmatite exposures, with pegmatite samples reported up to 4,478 ppm lithium with elevated rubidium, tin and tantalum.
Tambourah, which is participating in a collaborative research project with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), is preparing to send selected samples to Australia’s leading scientific organisation for analysis where a Hylogger spectral scanner will be used to identify pegmatite mineralogy and pegmatite fertility.
To further upgrade its exploration activities at Haystack Well, the company has applied for environmental impact statement co-funding to fly hyperspectral and detailed aeromagnetic/radiometric surveys.
The results are expected to provide high-quality data for the collaborative research project with the CSIRO.
Shaw River area growing
At the Shaw River project, Tambourah utilised drone mapping to extend the company’s search into new areas, successfully identifying numerous potential lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite targets outside the current exploration area.
Shaw River is the site of extensive historic tin-tantalum mining and produced 6,585 tonnes of tin and 548t of tantalite concentrates up to 1975.
In its recent program, Tambourah pushed its sampling activities beyond the immediate area of the historic alluvial and eluvial workings and successfully collected six samples that reported results above 500ppm lithium, to a maximum of 4,823ppm.
The company now plans to undertake follow-up work to test and sample pegmatite targets, some extending for over 700 metres, identified by drone mapping.
At Tambourah North, additional targeting is underway in an area also covered by recent drone mapping.