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Mining
Azure Minerals has unlocked a string of priority lithium targets at its Andover project in WA’s north after receiving heritage clearances in consultation with Traditional Owners that will enable drilling beneath areas where surface samples have graded in excess of 4.5% Li2O.
It will give the explorer — backed to the hilt by Chilean lithium giant SQM due to the prospectivity and underexplored nature of its Pilbara pegmatites — access to some of the best prospects identified to date at Andover.
Track and drill establishment has already begun with two RC rigs being mobilised to site.
Azure Minerals (ASX:AZS) will focus its diamond and RC drilling efforts on the newly accessible targets including AP0005, AP0006, AP0009, AP0010, AP0011 and AP0012.
Azure MD Tony Rovira said the receipt of the heritage clearances at the project, owned 60-40 with minority partner Creasy Group, the private investment vehicle of the world’s most famous prospector Mark Creasy, came after engagement with TOs and the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation.
“Receipt of the heritage clearances allows us to access the high priority lithium targets at the Andover Project,” he said.
“With the recent approval by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety of the Programme of Work applications we now have in place all the environmental and heritage approvals required for the next stage of drilling at Andover.
“With two diamond core rigs already operating on site and two Reverse Circulation drill rigs being mobilised, this is an exciting phase of our lithium-focused drilling campaign.
“The traditional owners of Andover and the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation were instrumental in completing the heritage surveys and I thank them for their help and cooperation.”
The receipt of the heritage and PoW approvals will enable Azure to significantly expand its lithium exploration activities at Andover, the company said.
DMIRS – the WA mines department – has given approval for drilling over 45.81ha within exploration licence E47-2481.
More heritage surveys are planned in the second half of 2023, with the strong relationship between AZS and the Ngarluma People having led to the completion of six surveys so far.
Drilling is currently taking place of AP0011 and AP0012, where rock chips have returned samples like 3.96% Li2O and 3.88% Li2O respectively.
Azure will then move on to prospects AP0005, AP0006, AP0009 and AP0010 in the coming months along with drilling to the west and east of current drilling at AP0011 and 0012 to find continuations of where spodumene rich pegmatites were intersected in early drilling.
Results in surface samples at AP0005 and AP0009 have included assays of up to 4.44% Li2O and 3.77% Li2O respectively.
Andover was signposted as a project to watch at the start of 2023 when SQM sounded a warning alarm for the wave of M & A to come in the WA lithium sector by investing $20m for a 19.99% stake in the explorer.
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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