• 13 drill holes have been completed and significantly widened the identified main pegmatite at Blakala
  • Drilling has intersected widths at depth at the eastern pegmatite
  • The Main 1.2km-long pegmatite strike now open to the north, south and at depth

 

Special Report: 13 diamond core drill holes have intersected significant widths at depth at the >1km main pegmatite and completed the first drill intersections of the promising eastern pegmatite at First Lithium’s Blakala deposit.

Recent drilling observing signification pegmatite intersections in all 19 drill holes at Blakala had shown up to 3.39% Li2O, from the first three diamond hole assays with an average grade of 1.5% Li2O across the cores.

Blakala is the most significant deposit of First Lithium’s (ASX:FL1) Gouna project and one of only two Tier 1 priority targets in Mali as ranked by CSA Global in 2008, the other being Leo Lithium’s (ASX:LEO) 211Mt Goulamina project – which is now proved up as the fifth largest hard rock lithium deposit in the world.

The deposit is <5km from the main highway connecting it to the port of Abidjan and the first batch of diamond drilling results so far is confirming the potential for Blakala to become a world-class lithium project.

 

Drilling into pegmatite

An additional 1,703m has been drilled in the latest 13 holes for a combined total of 4,008m as part of FL1’s 6,000m Blakala diamond drilling program.

The Main, Western and Eastern pegmatite bodies have now been intersected at Blakala after the next lot of 13 drill holes were completed at the project.

Holes BDFS20, BDFS21, BDFS23, BDFS26, BDFS28 and BDFS31 intersected a total of over 200m of pegmatite in the Western pegmatite body, with intersection widths of up to 19.4m, 7.06m, 21.00m, 7.37m, 11.24m and 16.54m identified.

While at the Eastern pegmatite, holes BDFS24, BDFS25, BDFS27, BDFS29, BDFS30 and BDFS32 are the first to have been drilled, intersecting a total of 116.62m of pegmatite, including well-mineralised pegmatite widths of 13.03m, 19.83m, 23.30m, 14.33m, 17.08m and 14.99m respectively.

Hole BDFS22 was drilled on the northern extent of the Main pegmatite body, intersecting three pegmatites totalling 34.47m with widths of up to 13.45m and 19.22m.

The strike of the main pegmatite is now confirmed at 1,200m with diamond drilling and is still open to the north, south and at depth.

Hole BDFS20 also intersected the mineralised main pegmatite at depths of 150m to 220m under surface for two pegmatite intersections, being a 19.99m intersection (with 1m of schist) and a 12.11m respectively.

First Lithium (ASX:FL1)
Diamond drilling completed to date and pegmatite intersections at Blakala. Pic: Supplied (FL1)

FL1 MD Venkat Padala says that with the main pegmatite strike further extended and with intersections of well-mineralised main pegmatite at depth, the Blakala prospect continues to provide encouraging signs.

“Drilling has reached ~60% of the previously announced program, and with more mineralised intersections in the western pegmatite and now the first intersections of the initial drilling in the eastern pegmatite totalling 116.6m, the project not only remains open on strike, but also in width and at depth,” Padala says.

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with First Lithium, 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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