Azure lithium drilling at Andover is off to a rousing start

Azure’s lithium-focused drilling program at its Andover project in WA’s West Pilbara region is off to a great start with the first holes intersecting substantial widths of spodumene-bearing pegmatite.

Holes ANDD0201 and ANDD0202 intersected 22m and 27m of pegmatite from down-hole depths of 187m and 197.4m respectively, indicating that the pegmatite dips shallowly to the north.

Upcoming holes in the program to test beneath outcropping pegmatites in the central part of the Andover project area will follow up these intersections to define the orientation, continuity and dimensions of this pegmatite.

While a clearer picture of just what Azure Minerals (ASX:AZS) has intersected will need to wait on laboratory analysis, the result is still a very strong hint that the company is on the right track.

Success here will also de-risk the nearby outcropping pegmatites, mapping of which has confirmed extensive visible spodumene mineralisation, particularly at the 900m by 100m AP0012 prospect.

“It’s highly encouraging that the first two holes of our lithium-focused drilling campaign successfully intersected substantial widths of pegmatite containing spodumene,” managing director Tony Rovira said.

“This gives us an exciting start to the Andover lithium exploration story, confirming that the widespread, lithium-rich pegmatites observed at surface extend to depth, providing significant volume potential.”

Azure Minerals asx azs — Quartz-feldspar-spodumene pegmatite in hole ANDD0201. Pic: Supplied

Andover and upcoming work

While Azure, which holds Andover in a 60-40 joint venture with renowned prospector Mark Creasy’s Creasy Group, had originally pegged the project for its nickel prospectivity, intensive mapping and sampling last year uncovered its potential to host lithium.

Subsequent work was enough to draw lithium giant Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile to make a $20m investment into the company, which received vindication earlier this year when assaying of nickel hole ANDD0199 intersected a mineralised pegmatite intersection with significant visible spodumene of 7.2m grading 1.51% lithium oxide from a down-hole depth of 313.9m.

The Andover pegmatite swarm contains more than 700 individual outcropping pegmatites occurring in a zone about 9km long and up to 4km wide in the central and eastern parts of the project area.

These pegmatite bodies typically trend in a southwest to northeast orientation and are generally shallowly dipping with surface exposures ranging in size up to several hundred metres across and over a kilometre in length.

Additionally, other targets containing high-grade lithium have been identified from the ongoing project-wide geological mapping and rock chip sampling program and planning to drill these targets is underway.

Drilling of the highest priority targets to determine the scale and depth potential of lithium mineralisation identified in other outcropping pegmatites across the project area will be undertaken following receipt of requisite heritage clearances and environmental approvals.

This article was developed in collaboration with Azure Minerals (ASX:AZS), 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.