• Target Area 3 now extends 1.7km along strike and 700m down dip
  • Andover’s huge pegmatite swarm is now 9km east-west and 5km north-south
  • 57,878m of drilling is now complete across 192 holes
  • Extensional diamond drilling is ongoing at Target Areas 1 and 3

 

Special Report: Azure Minerals has extended and confirmed major lithium mineralisation 1.7km-long at the Target Area 3 prospect, part of its ever-growing Andover project in WA’s Pilbara.

The target of a joint takeover by SQM and Hancock Prospecting, Azure Minerals’ (ASX:AZS)  continues to reveal impressive results from drilling at its monster Andover lithium project which this time last year was pegged to be a prospective nickel-copper-cobalt project.

That was until the drill bit struck a thick lithium mineralisation interval of 105m @ 1.26% Li2O, and exploration since is constantly demonstrating Andover’s credentials as a Tier 1 lithium project.

 

Lithium confirmed at Target Area 3

Initial exploration at TA3 identified the presence of numerous outcropping mineralised pegmatites which Azure designated as targets AP0001 through to AP0006.

Several of the pegmatites that were originally considered to be separate have now been confirmed to extend beneath shallow cover and join together for a cumulative 1.7km-long strike and down dip 700m (450m vertical).

Assays are now back from drilling, confirming significant visible widths of up to 35.6m of spodumene-bearing pegmatites and show intersections of up to 2.99% Li2O with true widths averaging ~35m.

These include 90.8m @ 1.54% Li2O from 82.5m in hole ANDD0303 and 58.6m @ 1.57% Li2O from 57.7m in hole ANDD0306, including 15.9m @ 2.31% Li2O from 92.9m

To date, lithium-focused drilling has completed 192 diamond core holes for 57,878.4m, 97 RC holes for 19,267m (including 9 RC pre-collars without diamond tails), and 27 holes comprising RC pre-collars and diamond tails for 12,070.7m, for an overall total of ~90,000m.

Drilling has concentrated on three principal Target Areas (TA1, TA2 and TA3) with substantial spodumene-hosted lithium mineralisation identified and delineated at TA1 and TA3.

The latest results come on the back of impressive assay numbers from drilling within Target Area 1 and Target Area 2, which confirmed more broad intersections of lithium mineralisation.

The overall Andover pegmatite swarm extends over an area of 9km (east-west) and up to 5km (north-south) and contains hundreds of outcropping pegmatites.

Azure Minerals (ASX:AZS)
Andover’s target areas and its huge swarm of pegmatites. Source: AZS

 

Next moves

Following the Christmas break, drilling has now resumed at Andover with six diamond rigs currently completing infill resource definition drilling on Target Area 1.

Two additional diamond drill rigs are currently drilling at Target Area 3 with a focus on expanding mineralisation extends of the AP0002/AP0003/AP0004 pegmatite both down-dip and along strike.

AZS expects to release a maiden lithium resource for Andover in Q2 following completion of its joint takeover by SQM and Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting via a scheme of arrangement for $3.70/sh.

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Azure Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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