Mining

Venus Metals identifies strong lithium anomaly southeast of Greenbushes

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Galan Lithium ASX GLN Greenbushes South historical CSIRO data

Galan Lithium’s data review will assist with mapping and planning soil and rock chip sampling across Greenbushes South.

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Phase three geochemical reconnaissance sampling of ultrafine soil within the Bridgetown East nickel-copper-platinum group element project in Western Australia’s southwest has discovered a strong lithium anomaly for owner Venus Metals Corporation (ASX: VMC).

The anomaly sits southeast of Talison’s Greenbushes lithium mine and measures approximately 300m by 400m and is open to the north.

It is located within a magnetic low along a regional north-northeast trending magnetic high and is associated with elevated levels of tin, tungsten and tantalum concentrations to the west.

Venus collected 198 ultrafine soil samples designed to extend previous sampling at the copper-nickel-platinum-palladium, test historical copper-PGE anomalies, and explore an area north of the Blackwood River, along strike of a previously announced “Julimar lookalike” target discovered in late 2020.

Target 2 North anomaly

At Target 2 North, the soil survey outlined a strong lithium anomaly which appeared to indicate a bedrock that is less magnetic than the adjacent greenstone sequence, potentially a felsic intrusive.

Anomalous lithium concentrations were associated with raised concentrations of tin, with an elevated tungsten and tantalum cluster to the west of the lithium anomaly.

Venus said the spatial association of anomalous lithium and tin with elevated tantalum concentrations nearby was “intriguing” and may indicate the presence of primary lithium mineralisation in the bedrock.

It remains to be seen whether the anomaly is in any way genetically-related to the Greenbushes pegmatite.

Further work has been planned to define the extent of the Target 2 North anomaly and to test the bedrock beneath sandplain and overburden.

Samples from the area will also be subject to fusion digest and ICP (inductively coupled plasma) analysis using fine soil fraction.

Julimar lookalike

The Bridgetown East project project covers the northern part of a Julimar lookalike nickel-copper-PGE target, which is a 20km long interpreted mafic-ultramafic complex with a strong magnetic signature and electromagnetic highs which may indicate bedrock-hosted sulphide mineralisation.

Illustrating the prospectivity of the area is a farm-in deal by Chalice Mining (ASX: CHN) and Venture Minerals (ASX: VMS), whereby Chalice may earn up to a 70% interest in the Venture-owned Southwest project by spending $3.7 million on exploration over four years.

The partners will explore the project for Julimar-style mineralisation including the Thor prospect which intersected 2.4m of massive sulphides averaging 0.5% copper with 0.05% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and anomalous gold and palladium in mid-2020.