Burley’s maiden Chubb North drilling has intersected pegmatite swarms with aggregate thickness of up to 182m. Pic: via Getty Images.
Extremely Thick Peggies: Burley intersects large, stacked lithium system at Chubb North
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- Burley’s drilling at Chubb North, part of Chubb project in Canada, hits large stacked hard rock lithium system
- System has an outcrop strike length of +500m; pegmatite dykes are up to 182m aggregated thickness
- Drilling at Chubb Central has extended strike to over 600m while proving continuity and consistency of mineralisation
- More drilling is underway following a pause for hunting season
Burley’s maiden diamond drilling at the Chubb North prospect has provided more evidence for why it is in the right spot for lithium exploration after intersecting pegmatite swarms of up to 182m in aggregated thickness.
The Chubb project is centred within the Manneville Deformation Corridor which hosts Canada’s only operating lithium mine – the North America Lithium Operation (NAL) owned by Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA) and Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL) that has resources of 58Mt at 1.23% Li2O.
Despite its proximity to other emerging projects such as Sayona’s Authier lithium project (17Mt at 1.01% Li2O), Chubb remains relatively underexplored with just 43 diamond holes totalling 5,460m completed prior to Burley Minerals (ASX:BUR) acquiring the project in February this year.
The company has completed just over 7,800m of diamond drilling since April, confirming spodumene mineralisation within the Main Pegmatite Dyke at Chubb Central over at least 560m length and 200m depth with assays such as 12m at 1.57% Li2O from 108m and 11.8m at 1.28% Li2O from 83.2m.
Spodumene reported in other historical, unassayed drill holes, and in surface mapping has also led company geologists to suggest that mineralisation should extend both to the southeast of the current drilling and at greater depths.
More recently, mapping at the large (previously) undrilled Chubb North area identified six new pegmatite targets that are now the subject of preliminary drilling to understand their structure and identify lithium and pathfinder mineralisation.
Excitement building at Chubb North
The four initial diamond holes drilled at Chubb North prior to a pause for hunting season intersected a large, stacked lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite system with dykes having up to 182m of aggregated thickness and an outcrop strike length exceeding 500m.
Though no substitute for laboratory testing, pXRF and LIBS analysis performed on Chubb North drill core indicate that the pegmatite intersections have LCT-pegmatite affinities and are therefore prospective for lithium.
Meanwhile drilling at Chubb Central has extended the spodumene mineralised zone to over 600m while demonstrating the continuity and consistency of mineralisation.
Latest assays include 6m at 1.7% Li2O from 250m, 4m at 1.42% Li2O from just 6m and 3m at 1.99% Li2O from 168m.
“Excitement is building following examination of the initial four diamond holes drilled into the newly identified LCT pegmatite target at Chubb North,” managing director Stewart McCallion said.
“All four holes encountered pegmatite zones greater than 30m wide with combined widths of up to 182m, and with the largest pegmatite outcrop exceeding 500m of strike length.
“Importantly the pXRF and LIBS geochemical results suggest very positive indications of lithium fertility in this recently recognised, large, untested system and we are looking forward to getting more holes in the ground as soon as possible.
“We are also pleased with the latest round of assay results from Chubb Central, which expands the spodumene zone both north and south while successfully intersecting mineralised pegmatites to the east of Chubb Central, confirming the first of a suite of targets identified by the recent ANT geophysical surveys.
“Having completed more than 9,000m of drilling at Chubb since April of this year, company geologists have commenced the large job of compiling and reviewing all data, matching it with drill logs, and placing it into the structural context provided by the ANT geophysics survey.
“This is expected to generate further drilling designed to expand the extent of the known spodumene pegmatites at Chubb Central and explore for new mineralisation at Chubb North.”
Next steps
Drilling at the project has resumed following a two week break for hunting season.
Assays from Chubb North are expected within four to six weeks while geological evaluation – including further mapping and detailed core appraisal – is continuing concurrently with advancing drilling permits and other pre-drilling logistics.
This article was developed in collaboration with Burley 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.
