- Drilling shows extension and thickening of the root zone feeder system at Karlsbrunn Main deposit
- Additionally, it has proven the value of soil sampling in finding “blind pegmatites” at the Bergers deposit
- Company has committed to progressing with Phase 2 earn-in to take its stake in Omaruru up to 51%
Follow-up drilling at the Omaruru project in Namibia has returned excellent assays like 13m at 1.04% Li2O from 12m at Karlsbrunn Main, which remains open at depth and along strike.
Last year PSC sold its 72.7Mt Arcadia lithium development in Zimbabwe to a subsidiary of lithium-ion battery material producer, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co, for ~$466m net.
It returned most of that to shareholders.
The experienced team at PSC is now going back to its exploration roots with the Omaruru lithium project in Namibia.
The project contains over 60 visible, outcropping pegmatites of variable size, some of which — notably Karlsbrunn — had been subject to limited, near surface, historical lithium and beryl mining.
Karlsbrunn is now emerging as a significant lithium deposit.
Top results from new drilling at Karlsbrunn Main, which remains open at depth to the northeast, is 35m grading 0.85% Li2O from surface including 5m at 1.03% Li2O from 1m and 13m at 1.04% Li2O from 12m (OMR046).
Notably, it lends credence to Prospect Resources’ (ASX:PSC) belief that Omaruru, which is located near a number of advanced mining projects, including Osino Resources’ Twin Hills Gold Project and Lepidico’s (ASX:LPD) Karibib Lithium Project, has excellent potential for the delineation of a maiden JORC lithium resource.
Additionally, first pass scout drilling of geochemical soil anomalies at the Bergers deposit has returned encouraging intersections of more than 1% Li2O within concealed pegmatites, proving the value of soil sampling in finding “blind pegmatites” at the project, and expanding the footprint of lithium mineralisation even further.
This includes a top hit of 7m at 0.84% Li2O from 16m including 2m at 1.46% Li2O from 16m and 2m at 1.21% Li2O from 21m.
Meanwhile, drilling at the Brockmans prospect has identified a potential strike extension to the north that requires follow-up.
“We are pleased with the results returned from our follow-up Phase 1 RC drilling at Omaruru. Karlsbrunn continues to demonstrate considerable scale potential, with the feeder system to its main deposit remaining open at depth and along strike,” Managing Director Sam Hosack said.
“Drilling of select surface geochemical anomalies, identified in soil sampling undertaken by Prospect earlier this year, has also delivered highly encouraging results at prospects such as Bergers, with high-grade intercepts returned within concealed pegmatite deposits.”
He added that with the drilling satisfying the Phase 1 earn-in for the project, which gives the company a 40% stake in Omaruru, Prospect has now elected to proceed with the Phase 2 earn-in due to the quality of results received to date and the ongoing potential it sees across the broader property.
Omaruru Project
The 175km2 Omaruru project is centred on the village of Wilhelmstal, east of Karibib in central Namibia.
It contains 60 visible outcropping lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites, with historical artisanal workings for gemstones common throughout the tenement and considerable prospectivity for the identification of further lithium-enriched deposits occurring below cover in the region.
Prospect’s exploratory soil geochemical sample survey program completed earlier in 2023 also outlined coherent anomalies of LCT coherent anomalies which after being followed-up by drilling, have outlined highly encouraging intersections of lithium within concealed “blind pegmatites”.
Besides the potential for the delineation of a maiden JORC reportable resource and the identification of new deposits, Omaruru also offers the company the opportunity to establish a strategic position in Namibia that provides an attractive growth pipeline in the battery minerals sector and continued investment in a desirable jurisdiction of sub-Saharan Africa.
Follow-up Phase 1 drilling
The follow-up Phase 1 reverse circulation drill program of 27 holes totalling 1,839m that targeted the Karlsbrunn Main and Bergers deposits, as well as the Brockmans area.
At Karlsbrunn Main, drilling not only extended the deposit’s main root zone feeder system to the northeast, but it also indicated a thickening of mineralisation in this location and returned excellent widths of higher-grade lithium, with the system still open in that direction.
Meanwhile, the scout drilling of seven holes at Bergers tested the Bergers NE for interpreted, concealed pegmatites and the Bergers Central areas.
At Bergers NE, this successfully intersected lithium where no pegmatite outcrop was visible while drilling at Bergers Central intersected a 3m zone grading 0.71% Li2O that was interpreted to be petalite mineralisation.
Over at the Brockmans area, drilling to follow up on hole OMR018 – 6m at 1.3% Li2O from 13m – failed to extend the zone laterally though one hole (OMR027) returned an anomalous intercept of 2m at 0.67% Li2O from 21m.
Prospect said this might indicate that the higher-grade zone in OMR018 resulted from a thickening or flexure in the pegmatite intrusive there.
However, it noted that a 500m section north of OMR018 has not been comprehensively drilled to date and is considered a lithium target based on the thick pegmatite mapped in that locality.
Future activity
Prospect notes that Phase 2 mapping, soil sampling and RC drilling programs have been approved and that soil sampling has now commenced.
This will expand and infill soil sample grids northeast and south of Karlsbrunn Main, and northeast of the original Spirit SW grid, where it adjoins the historical Spirit mine workings.
It notes that the new soil sampling work at Spirit is aimed at generating new concealed lithium targets in “blind” pegmatite deposits.
The company will also carry out detailed geological mapping and sampling of the prospective region southeast of Karlsbrunn Main, carry out mixed RC and rotary airblast drilling at Karlsbrunn North East after the soil survey extensions as well as infill and extensional drilling at Bergers Central.
Additionally, RC drilling will be carried out to the north of Brockmans where 500m of strike remains lightly tested.
This program is aimed at proving up strike extensions of existing or new, coherent indications of lithium-enriched LCT pegmatite deposits, with a focus on targeting higher grades and potential delineable Mineral Resources across the district.
This article was developed in collaboration with Prospect Resources, 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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