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Jindalee Resources Limited (Jindalee, the Company) is pleased to advise initial head assay results have been received for metallurgical samples from Jindalee’s 100% owned McDermitt Lithium Project in Oregon, USA (McDermitt, Project).
- Head assays received for McDermitt metallurgical samples being tested at Hazen (US) and managed by Fluor
- Head assays average 1790 ppm Li, 34% higher than average McDermitt resource grade (Indicated and Inferred) of 1340 ppm Li1
- Benefication currently underway expected to further increase head grade prior to acid leach testwork
These samples average 0.179% Li (1790 ppm) (Table 1), 34% higher than the average grade of the current McDermitt Indicated and Inferred resource grade of 0.134% Li (1340 ppm)1, suggesting excellent potential to process shallow, higher grade ore early in the mine life, with positive implications for Project economics.
Table 1. Head Assays from McDermitt metallurgical samples (rounded to 3 significant decimal places).
Discussion
In March 2023 Jindalee announced that global engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance (EPCM) company Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) (Fluor) had reviewed metallurgical testwork undertaken at McDermitt and had determined that acid leaching with ore beneficiation (to upgrade the leach head grade) delivered the lowest operating costs and best financial outcome among the alternatives considered2.
Fluor also noted that the very large Mineral Resource at McDermitt (21.5 Mt LCE, Table 2)1 allows flexibility in development, providing the opportunity to optimise mining and feed higher grade ore early in the mine life and recommended that a comprehensive metallurgical testwork program be undertaken to provide information upon which the preferred flowsheet for the processing of McDermitt ore can be defined.
Figure 1 - Plan view of the McDermitt Lithium Project with 2023 Mineral Resource1 (at 1523mRL), completed drilling, Section C-C’ & schematic conceptual pit shells (Pit Shell 5: 0-20 Yr).
Jindalee’s geological team has recently relogged all holes drilled at McDermitt and this work has resulted in the recognition of up to 12 distinctive stratigraphic units which can be tracked across the Project (Figure 2). Four of these units (Units 4, 6, 8 and 10) carry elevated lithium grades and selective mining of these units has the potential to deliver higher grade material for processing.
In June 2023 leading mine engineering group Cube Consulting generated conceptual pit shells using the McDermitt MRE geological model (Figures 1 & 2) to assist with selection of samples for the metallurgical testwork program, which is being managed by Fluor3. Samples from Units 4, 6, 8 and 10 within the Indicated portion of Pit Shell 5 (nominal 20 years) were selected and approximately 700kg of drill core was despatched to consultant metallurgists Hazen for testing, with initial results from this work now being reported.
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This article includes content from Jindalee Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
JRL:AU
Spodumene Pegmatite Discovery at Esperança Project in Brazil Yields LIBS Results up to 4.04% Li2O
The discovery has been made during early-stage exploration programs which include project scale geological mapping, ground reconnaissance, and soil sampling. These early-stage programs remain ongoing with further results to come over the coming weeks. The discovery supports the Company’s exploration thesis and uplifts the remaining prospectivity across all three project areas: Canabrava, Caraíbas and Esperança projects.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Artisanal excavations reveal a lithium bearing pegmatite with elongate crystalline spodumene crystals up to 50cm in length
- LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) results of spodumene crystals return up to 18,800 ppm Lithium, or 4.04% Li2O
- Discovery provides walk up drill target for fully funded drilling campaign to begin Q1 2025
- Soil sampling and geological mapping continues across the Esperança, Canabrava and Caraíbas projects with further results due over the coming weeks
Lightning Minerals Managing Director Alex Biggs said, “I am highly encouraged by these results from Brazil. As I have spoken about, as a team we are committed to discovery and completing our works in a diligent and structured manner, the proof of which is in these results. The Company is progressing its projects in Brazil quickly and cost effectively and generating significant results for the business which we feel will be transformational. I am proud of and congratulate our geology teams both in Australia and Brazil who have conducted themselves in a professional and astute manner which has been crucial in making a discovery such as this. This is a great first step for us in Brazil and is testament to the prospectivity of the region as I have discussed previously. We look forward to drilling in Q1 2025 and further results to come imminently from all three project areas in Brazil. I would also like to thank our shareholders who have supported our vision and exploration strategy. As a Company we are firmly committed to the lithium thematic and firmly committed to Brazil where we see significant potential moving forwards”.
Lithium Discovery at Esperança Project
During geological mapping fieldwork conducted in mid-November 2024 field geologists encountered a previously unknown historical artisanal mine within the Esperança project area. The site presented with a small access which opened into a set of sub vertical shafts sunk several meters into schists of the Salinas formation. Upon investigation the geology team has discovered pegmatitic lithologies in the walls of the excavations, of which the suite of minerals indicates inclusion of macro crystalline (up to 50cm) elongate crystals of spodumene as shown in Figure 1(a) and Figure 1(b).
Figure 1a (left): Brazilian geologist Vitor Araujo Alves showing the spodumene rich portion of the zoned pegmatite discovered at the Esperança Property. Figure 1b (right): Large elongate spodumene crystals (Spd) up to 50cm in length showing homogeneous growth patterns amongst a quartz (Qtz) and Feldspar (Fdsp) rich matrix
The Company’s geologists have collected selective mineral specimen grab samples in sample VLM207 (Figure 2). Six separate minerals have been analysed via a SciAps Z-903 hand-held LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) device which has returned lithium endowment of up to 18,800 ppm lithium, which equates to a lithium oxide percentage of 4.04% Li2O.
The SciAps Z-903 handheld LIBS device is considered a qualitative analysis technique only and is used as an in-field preliminary check to establish if a mineral is lithium-bearing. Certified laboratory assays are required to provide accurate, quantitative analysis. A table of the six SciAps Z-903 handheld LIBS results testing the spodumene crystals is shown in Table 1. A full table of results are presented in Appendix 2, Table 2.
While the current field observations indicate that the mineral identified is a lithium-bearing mineral, the percentage of lithium produced from the LIBS analyser does not correlate to an accurate quantitative measurement of the lithium concentration of the mineral itself, or to the overall grade of the pegmatite.
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This article includes content from Lightning Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
