Torque Metals Ltd (ASX:TOR) is celebrating some high-grade lithium assay results from recent drilling at the New Dawn Lithium Project in Western Australia.
The campaign took in 5,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling and 1,000 metres of diamond drilling, intersecting spodumene-bearing pegmatites with a peak grade of 4.42% Li2O.
Just 600 metres west of the Bald Hill Lithium Tantalum Mine operated by Mineral Resources, New Dawn is entirely owned by Torque and has shown results that stand to impact the lithium supply landscape.
New Dawn Lithium Project along with Bald Hill Lithium and Tantalum Mine.
Standout lithium mineralisation
Among the standout results were multiple lithium-mineralised pegmatites, displaying vertically stacked patterns with collective thicknesses up to 28.8 metres.
Drill hole 24NDDD009 yielded an intersection of 13.11 metres at 1.03% Li2O from 49.9 metres depth, including a higher-grade section of 5.48 metres at 2.25% Li2O from 52.9 metres.
The RC drilling expanded the known mineralised pegmatites to the north and south, suggesting the deposit remains open in all directions.
Managing director Cristian Moreno said: “Our most recent RC and diamond drilling campaign again successfully intersected high-grade lithium, showcasing a peak grade of 4.42% Li2O in hole 24RCND034.
“Every hole drilled consistently encountered vertically stacked pegmatites, indicating substantial mineralisation potential open in all directions.
“Shallow mineralisation was targeted and intersected in multiple holes, best results are 13 metres at 1.05% Li2O from 67 metres, 13.11 metres at 1.03% Li2O from 49.9 metres, and 9 metres at 1.01% Li2O from 92 metres.
"The best cumulative result came from hole 24NDDD009 being 28.8 metres at ~1.01% Li2O from 49.9 metres.
“New Dawn’s initial exploration target, estimated between 8 and 14 million tonnes within the range 1.0-1.2%, is already promising significant expansion potential.
“Torque is purposefully advancing its exploration endeavours at New Dawn and at the adjacent Paris Gold Project.
“Our objective is unequivocal: to extend the presence of spodumene-bearing pegmatites and capitalise on substantial gold mineralisation potential.”
Highlights
Thick diamond core intersections include:
- 13.11 metres at 1.03% Li2O from 49.9 metres including 5.48 metres at 2.25% from 52.9 metres;
- 15.77 metres at 1.01% from 255.9 metres including 4.08 metres at 1.94% from 259.1 metres;
- 7.23 metres at 1% from 45.7 metres including 4.91 metres at 1.12% from 50.12 metres; and
- 14.16 metres at 1.01% from 196.7 metres including 4.59 metres at 1.71% from 205.7 metres.
Meanwhile, the extensive RC drilling program extended mineralised pegmatites to the north and south that also follow a vertically stacked pattern and remain open in all directions.
RC intersections include:
- 13 metres at 1.05% Li2O from 67 metres including 7 metres at 1.86% from 69 metres;
- 7 metres at 1.03% from 50 metres including 1 metre at 4.42% from 51 metres;
- 9 metres at 1.02% from 167 metres including 5 metres at 1.6% from 168 metres;
- 5 metres at 1.14% from 221 metres including 2 metres at 2.68% from 222 metres; and
- 10 metres at 1.51% from 249 metres including 4 metres at 3.38% from 251 metres.
What’s next?
Torque Metals has dispatched core samples for sighter metallurgical testing to Independent Metallurgical Operations Ltd, aiming to understand the project's potential further.
On the horizon is a soils campaign at newly acquired tenements and maiden mineral resource estimates at both New Dawn, where it will be concentrating its efforts on expanding its inventory of spodumene-bearing pegmatites, and at the Paris Gold Project in the heart of WA’s Goldfields.