The Conversation (0)
Forrestania Resources Limited (ASX:FRS) (Forrestania or the Company), is pleased to announce that it has executed a drilling contract for a lithium-focussed RC drilling programme at its flagship Forrestania Project. The RC drill rig has arrived on site and drilling is due to commence imminently.
Highlights
- RC drill rig on site with lithium-focussed drilling to commence at Forrestania.
- RC drill programme for an initial 3000 - 4000m at three high priority targets, including a maiden drilling programme at the highly promising Calypso prospect.
The RC drilling programme for up to 4,000m will test targets at three of the company’s high priority lithium targets:
Calypso – maiden drilling programme to define the extents of and investigate whether pegmatites identified from mapping and historic drilling1 host lithium mineralisation.
South Iron Cap East– following up on the highly encouraging geochemistry returned from pegmatites intersected in the company’s previous drilling campaign2.
Giant - testing the down-dip extent of high-grade lithium mineralisation (10m @ 1.49% Li2O) which was intersected in the company’s previous drilling campaign2. Additionally, the strike continuation of the Giant pegmatite body will be tested to the south.
Forrestania Resources MD Michael Anderson commented:
“We are extremely excited to see what this latest drilling programme will uncover across three of our highest priority targets. The drilling represents a carefully refined and targeted programme – a testament to our exploration strategy which is continually being optimised through results analysis, investigation into historic data and observations in the field. We remain confident that the Forrestania project remains highly prospective for a significant lithium discovery”.
Figure 1: Forrestania project showing locations of upcoming lithium-targeted drilling locations – Calypso, South Iron Cap East and Giant.
Discussion
The company is eagerly anticipating its maiden drilling programme at Calypso, as it holds the belief that the project possesses all the right criteria for a potentially significant lithium discovery. This includes the following which was detailed in the company’s announcement ‘Pegmatite identified at new Calypso prospect’ dated 29th November 2022:
- Favourable geological setting – the prospect is located in the Forrestania greenstone belt and overlies ultramafic and mafic rocks which are interpreted to be the preferential host for pegmatite intrusions. Additionally, Calypso occurs within 4.5km of South Ironcap (Figure 2) where Western Areas (now IGO) previously reported a significant intercept of 50m @ 0.95% Li2O.3
- Promising soil geochemistry – the area shows well-defined anomalism for key lithium pathfinder elements: beryllium (see Figure 3) and rubidium. The anomaly trends in a north-west, south-east orientation over a length of ~1.4km and a width of ~440m1 and is consistent with an underlying ultramafic unit1.
- Outcropping pegmatite - pegmatite rock chips1 (FR001306 and FR001307 – see figure 3) were identified during mapping and soil sampling. The samples exhibit a mineral assemblage of quartz, feldspar, tourmaline and muscovite; considered a typical mineral assemblage of fractionated pegmatites.
- Pegmatite intercepts in historic drilling (untested for lithium) – there is a line of historic air core drilling which crosscuts the Calypso prospect1 (Figures 2 - 3). The historical aircore drill holes were drilled in 2005 by LionOre Australia Pty Ltd to test the source of aeromagnetic highs. Historic logs report the intersection of numerous pegmatites and granitoids within the regolith profile. The nature of the intercepts appear somewhat flat lying in cross-section (Figure 4) with some intercepts not closed out.
The upcoming drilling will aim to validate and extend the historic pegmatite intercepts with deeper RC drill holes along the same drill line. Additionally, the extent of the pegmatite body will be fully tested along strike of the anomalous soil trend.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Forrestania Resources, 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.
Beneficiation Delivers 4,480ppm Lithium Clay Concentrate at Red Mountain Project, USA
Key Highlights
- Follow-up Falcon C beneficiation testwork completed on diamond drill core samples from the Red Mountain Project.
- Sample upgraded from 3,245ppm to 4,481ppm Lithium.
- Successful removal of 51.8% of dense material and concurrent 38% increase in lithium grade.
- Reinforces the April 2025 results indicating that Red Mountain mineralisation may be upgraded using beneficiation.
- Attrition Scrubbing beneficiation testwork now underway for comparison with the Falcon testwork results.
- Leaching testwork to be undertaken on Falcon and Attrition Scrubbing products to confirm reduced acid consumptions.
Following on from the results announced on 22 April 2025, this second phase of Falcon Beneficiation testwork was designed to concentrate lithium-bearing clay and remove unmineralized gangue (waste) in order to decrease mass and increase lithium grade. In a mineral processing context, a reduction in tonnes and volume processed with an increased head-grade typically results in lower processing costs.
This second Falcon testwork program was conducted by Sepro Laboratories (Sepro) and utilised high- clay drill core samples from hole RMDD002 (which intersected 86.9m @ 1,470ppm Li from 18.3m4). This follow-up test was designed to establish how high-clay material performed using the Falcon method, for comparison with results from the previous test conducted on lower grade mineralisation from Red Mountain.
The latest result indicates a strong ability to upgrade mineralisation, achieving a reduction of sample mass by 51.8% with a concurrent increase in lithium grade of 38% (from 3,245 to 4,481ppm Li), with an overall 66.6% lithium recovery. These results compare favourably with the previous round of testwork, exhibiting both a greater upgrade in lithium and reduction in mass, with a substantial 43% reduction in calcium and carbon (interpreted as calcite removal) expected to result in a significant reduction in acid consumption. The Company has commissioned Attrition Scrubbing testwork – another method of beneficiation – for comparison with the Falcon results. Once complete, sample products from both the Falcon and Attrition Scrubbing tests will be assessed for acid consumption in future leachability tests.
Astute Chairman, Tony Leibowitz, said:“The demonstration of a commercial pathway to a lithium product is the natural complement to the establishment of a Mineral Resource. It is for this reason that Astute has actively advanced workflows for both exploration drilling and metallurgical testing at Red Mountain, in tandem. These positive results, which reinforce the previous results from the project, represent the systematic de-risking of what continues to emerge as an important US- based critical metals project.”
Figure 1. Clay-rich RMDD002 drill-core from 160-165ft (3,280ppm Li) used in Falcon beneficiation testwork.
Background
Located in central-eastern Nevada (Figure 4), adjacent to the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (Route 6), which links the regional mining towns of Ely and Tonopah, the Red Mountain Project was staked by Astute in August 2023.
The Project area has broad mapped tertiary lacustrine (lake) sedimentary rocks known locally as the Horse Camp Formation1. Elsewhere in the state of Nevada, equivalent rocks host large lithium deposits (see Figure 4) such as Lithium Americas’ (NYSE: LAC) 62.1Mt LCE Thacker Pass Project2 and American Lithium (TSX.V: LI) 9.79Mt LCE TLC Lithium Project3.
Astute has completed substantial surface sampling campaigns at Red Mountain, which indicate widespread lithium anomalism in soils (Figure 3) and confirmed lithium mineralisation in bedrock with some exceptional grades of up to 4,150ppm Li1,5.
A total of 19 RC and diamond drill holes have been drilled at the project to date for a combined 3,666m. Exploration drilling has been highly successful, with strong lithium mineralisation intersected in every hole for which assays have been received9.
Scoping leachability testwork on mineralised material from Red Mountain indicates high leachability of lithium of up to 98%, varying with temperature, acid strength and leaching duration, and proof-of- concept beneficiation testwork has indicated the potential to upgrade the Red Mountain mineralisation6,8.
About Beneficiation
The primary purpose of beneficiation is to optimise the value of mineralised material by separating unwanted waste material (gangue) from valuable minerals.
Testwork conducted to date at Red Mountain indicates that clay-hosted lithium mineralisation may be upgraded through beneficiation, which seeks to remove coarser grained material, such as particles of sand, that do not contain appreciable lithium8. Successful beneficiation can result in reduced reagent consumption, reduced plant wear and tear, and a reduced environmental footprint.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Astute Metals NL, 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.
Pursuit Dispatchs 99.5% Lithium Carbonate Samples to Potential Strategic Partners as Feasibility Studies Progress
HIGHLIGHTS
- Final product assays confirm 99.5% lithium carbonate purity, upgraded from pilot output via bench scale processing.
- Certified samples dispatched to multiple potential offtake and strategic partners for qualification.
- Feasibility study progressing for low cost, 5,000tpa operation at Rio Grande Sur.
- Ongoing small batch lithium carbonate production to support offtake qualification while preserving capital discipline in current market conditions.
- Pursuit continues to advance its dual-pronged growth strategy progressing Rio Grande Sur while accelerating the evaluation of strategic gold, silver, and copper acquisitions in Argentina.
Figure 1 – Pursuit’s 99.5% Li₂CO₃ Sample Ready for Dispatch to Potential Offtake Partners
In relation to the dispatch of samples, Pursuit Managing Director & CEO, Aaron Revelle, said:
“Achieving 99.5% lithium carbonate purity is a major technical milestone for Pursuit and a clear demonstration of the capability embedded within our flowsheet, team, and pilot plant infrastructure. It not only validates the compatibility of our process design with Rio Grande Sur brines but also confirms our ability to deliver a consistently high-quality product suited to a wide range of industrial and energy storage applications. Dispatching these samples to potential offtake partners is a critical first step in our commercialisation pathway, enabling product qualification and accelerating engagement with strategic customers in tough market conditions. As we transition into the next phase of development, our focus is firmly on advancing feasibility for our 5,000tpa operation and securing long-term partnerships that will underpin the future production and growth of the Rio Grande Sur Project.”
Initial pilot production at Pursuit’s 250tpa Pilot Plant in Salta successfully produced 15 kilograms of lithium carbonate at 98.9% purity, validating both the compatibility of the Rio Grande Sur brine and the efficiency of the Company’s conventional processing flowsheet. To enhance product quality and simulate potential refinement steps at commercial scale, a portion of this material was further treated at bench scale using fractional crystallisation (FX) and ion exchange (IX) techniques. These post processing steps upgraded the product to 99.5% purity, meeting established benchmarks for technical-grade lithium carbonate.
The final product assays confirm not only the effectiveness of Pursuit’s downstream purification strategy but also the scalability and robustness of its broader flowsheet. This achievement represents a critical milestone on the path to commercial readiness supporting key feasibility assumptions, validating end product quality, and enabling active engagement with prospective offtake partners.
Pursuit is well positioned to undertake additional small-batch production as required to meet partner qualification needs and advance strategic discussions. Furthermore, it demonstrates Pursuit’s capability to produce high-purity lithium carbonate suitable for industrial use, with potential to meet battery-grade specifications through additional refinement.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Pursuit 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.
