Wyemandoo assays return high levels of rubidium and lithium for Aldoro Resources
Rock chip samples from Wyemandoo returned up to 1.82% rubidium and 6,600ppm lithium.
Exploration junior Aldoro Resources (ASX: ARN) has reported very high rubidium and anomalous lithium grades from a sampling program at the Fairway Corridor target within its Wyemandoo project in Western Australia.
Wet chemistry results for the first 88 rock chip samples “exceeded expectations” with average rubidium grades of 0.38% and peak values of 1.49% and 1.82%.
Lithium grades averaged 1,187 parts per million, with a peak value of 6,600ppm.
Aldoro said the relatively fast turnaround of assay results augmented preliminary readings from portable x-ray fluorescence and provided confidence for an upcoming drilling program.
Drilling will target the highest-grade areas from the sampling results, as well as areas of interest where higher concentrations of lepidolite and rubidian muscovite have been observed in outcrop.
A rig scheduled to commence drilling at the Niobe project has been held up in servicing and will now move over to Wyemandoo in January.
Sampling program
The Wyemandoo sampling program was designed to cover high-interest rubidium-lithium pegmatites in the project’s central Fairway pegmatite corridor.
It aimed to investigate the nature of the mineralisation and morphology of the host pegmatites.
Portable x-ray fluorescence is being used to delineate the spread of rubidium mineralisation across and along the pegmatites with rock chip samples collected for laboratory analysis.
A key focus of the ongoing sampling program is the Loop pegmatite and surrounding area which contains lepidolite micas with anomalous lithium and rubidium assays highlighting the mineralisation potential.
Previous rock samples in the Loop area have averaged 1.06% lithium and 0.94% rubidium and actual grades of up to 2.6% and 1.7%, respectively.
Aldoro said satellite imagery had identified over 1,000 dyke-like features within the Fairway corridor which have been subdivided by geomorphic domes appearing across the area.
Samples collected
Aldoro has collected 275 rock chip samples to date from the Wyemandoo target areas.
A high proportion of samples contain visual purple micas (lepidolite), which is the host rock for rubidium and lithium.
The company said rock chip sampling would continue until all of the outcropping pegmatites had been tested and will allow for a focused drilling program targeting areas with the highest grade rubidium.