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Patriot Lithium Limited (“Patriot”, “PAT” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the completion of the initial reconnaissance mapping and sampling program of the Black Hills in South Dakota. The program has successfully identified several fractionated, potentially Li-fertile pegmatite outcrops on the Keystone claims which lie along strike from, and adjacent to, several historical high-grade, hard rock lithium mines.
- Reconnaissance has identified a new, fractionated, potentially Li-fertile pegmatite only 3.5km from the historic high-grade Etta, Edison and Hugo Li mines near Keystone.
- Keystone reconnaissance has also successfully confirmed the potential Li fertility of several additional fractionated pegmatites based on portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) readings.
- Highly encouraging results will inform a program of systematic mapping and sampling across Patriot’s Black Hills claims commencing in September.
- Patriot’s claim holding has been expanded to cover additional highly prospective ground at the Keystone and Tinton West projects.
- Patriot’s Keystone claims sit within the same region as Iris Metals’ (ASX:IR1) Beecher Project, which recently returned outstanding initial drill intercepts, including 60m @ 1.21% Li2O1.
Patriot CEO and MD Mr Nicholas Vickery commented:
“After a period of dedicated focus on Patriot’s highly prospective Gorman project in Ontario, the team has been eager to get back on the ground in the Black Hills to direct attention to our exciting Keystone and Tinton West projects. Recent early-stage reconnaissance around the Keystone region has confirmed promising K/Rb ratios, indicating a potential for lithium mineralisation, within significant pegmatite outcrops only 3.5km from the historic high-grade Etta, Edison and Hugo Li mines that the team is keen to explore and define further.
"The recent impressive drilling results achieved in the region by Iris Metals reaffirms the Black Hills as a highly prospective lithium district. The results released from the Beecher Project nearby give us even greater confidence in the early exploration work that Patriot is undertaking.
“Patriot will be ramping up its efforts in the Black Hills in the coming months. Mapping and sampling programs are scheduled across the remaining Keystone and Tinton West claims, including the recently staked claims that extended Keyston claims by 15 km2 and the Tinton West claims by 4km2."
Keystone Project, South Dakota, United States (100% PAT)
The Keystone Project (Figure 1) encircles the town of Keystone, a small settlement in the central-eastern Black Hills, approximately 26 km southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Keystone Project covers 34 km2 of lithium prospective ground in the prolific high-grade Black Hills lithium province, South Dakota. Keystone claims cover poorly documented pegmatite occurrences that lie along strike from and adjacent to the main historical lithium mines: Etta, Hugo, Edison and Bob Ingersoll.
Patriot’s Keystone claims, that were recently increased by 15km2 (refer to ASX Announcement dated 31 July 2023), sit within the same region and are targeting similar pegmatites as Iris Metals’ (ASX:IR1) Beecher Project (Figure 1) and are contained within a similar geological setting. Outstanding initial results were recently announced by Iris Metals from their maiden drilling program at Beecher, with significant lithium intercepts confirmed, including 60m @ 1.21% Li2O2.
Figure 1. Map of the Company’s lode mining claims at Keystone Project with respect to Iris Metals’ Beecher Project and other historic workings.
Patriot’s Keystone claims lie to the east of the Harney Peak Granite, a Late Palaeoproterozoic granite genetically related to 5000+ pegmatite intrusions in the surrounding district. Some of these pegmatite intrusions host significant lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralization that has been mined historically, notably at the Etta, Edison, Hugo, Peerless and Ingersoll mines, which are all within 1km of the Company’s Keystone claims.
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This article includes content from Patriot Lithium, 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.
Drilling Commenced at Viani in Fiji
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program has commenced at the Viani Project, Fiji and will test for extensions to the quartz vein gold mineralisation at depth.
- Phase 1 is expected to be completed in early 2025, with plans for additional drilling under the same program dependent on the initial results
- The Viani Project (SPL1513) covers an area of approximately 200km2 and is largely underexplored.
- At the Dakuniba prospect within Viani, low sulphidation epithermal high-grade gold mineralisation has been mapped over >3km strike length.
- Diamond drilling completed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1995 to 1997 intersected high-grade gold in low sulphidation epithermal quartz veins, including 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au.
Alice Queen’s Managing Director, Andrew Buxton said,
With drilling underway, Alice Queen is positioned to test the epithermal gold-style mineralisation identified in historic drilling at the Viani Project. Weather permitting, we anticipate completing the Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program in early 2025. Following this, our exploration team will mobilise the drill rig to the Sabeto Project in Fiji to maintain the momentum of this campaign. To deliver timely results to shareholders, we intend to accelerate the analysis of the drill core at ALS Brisbane.”
Image 1 – Diamond drilling at Viani
Details
Geology
The geology of the Viani Project (SPL 1513) comprises olivine basalts and volcaniclastics of the Natewa Volcanic Group which are intruded by andesite sills and dykes. In the 1940s, gold mineralisation was found by local prospectors near the village of Dakuniba. At Dakuniba, low sulphidation style epithermal gold occurs in quartz veins, and silicified rocks along a 3km long NE trending zone.
In 1995-1997, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) drilled six diamond holes at Dakuniba and intersected high-grade gold in chalcedonic, crustiform, colloform banded quartz veins at depths of 50m to 100m below surface (i.e. MJVFV-5 intersected 2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au, incl 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au at 121m downhole). This high-grade gold mineralisation is open in all directions.
Proposed Drill program
The initial Phase 1 drill program at Viani (see Table 1) will comprise three diamond drillholes designed to test continuity to the epithermal gold mineralisation previously intersected in JICA drillhole MJVFV- 5 (2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au) (see Figure 2). The drilling will test for extensions to the gold mineralisation at depth and along strike.
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This article includes content from Alice Queen 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.
