iTech’s Lacroma Central is shaping up to be a significant new graphite asset

Thick 1.7km-long graphite mineralisation confirmed at Lacroma Central
Assay of 98m @ 6.5% TGC includes 30m @ 9.5%
Diamond drilling ongoing at Lacroma Central while RC rig has moved to Lacroma North

Special Report: Infill drilling at iTech’s Lacroma Central prospect has confirmed thick, continuous graphite mineralisation over a 1.7km strike length and show grades of up to 10% total graphite carbon (TGC).

Lacroma is just one of the highly prospective prospects on the Campoona Graphite Project held by critical minerals explorer iTech Minerals (ASX:ITM) on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and sits just north of Renascor Resources’ (ASX:RNU) giant Siviour graphite asset which has been given major project status for the proposed 16.8Mt @ 8.2% TGC deposit which aims to produce 140,000tpa for the next 40 years.

ITM and RNU’s graphite project locations in South Australia. Pic: Supplied (ITM)

Infill drilling results

ITM reports 159 drill holes have been completed in the Lacroma Central drilling area at intervals of between 100 and 200m and show graphite mineralisation varying between 10-85m true thickness across a 1.7km-long strike length.

Grades of up to 10% TGC were identified from assays from 14 outstanding holes are significant, especially hole 10 (LARC24-010) which shows a whopping 98m @ 6.5% TGC from 18m, including a 30m stretch @ 9.5% TGC.

“Having received the final drill results from the Lacroma Central resource drilling, iTech is pleased to have demonstrated continuous graphite mineralisation over 1.7km in length,” ITM managing director Mike Schwarz says.

“The latest infill results confirm the continuity of the thickest section of the graphite mineralisation, with intersections up to 98m.

“Lacroma Central is shaping up to be a significant new addition to the company’s graphite assets.”

The identified 1.7km-long mineralised strike length at the Lacroma Central prospect. Pic: Supplied (ITM)

Ongoing exploration work

Now that resource drilling has been completed, a diamond drill rig is spinning at Lacroma Central, with four of seven planned diamond holes already completed.

This program is aimed at collecting drill cores for quality control and geotechnical information required for the resource calculation.

ITM has moved the RC drill rig ~2km north to Lacroma North to test a second airborne electromagnetic anomaly twice the size of Lacroma Central.

Graphite mineralisation has been intersected there in historical drilling, yet was never assayed. So far, 27 holes have been completed at Lacroma North with up to six remaining.

Metallurgical test work on samples from Lacroma Central is progressing well, while comminution, feed assay, rougher kinetic flotation and cleaner flotation test work have been completed.

Initial assays from the cleaner flotation have been received and are being used to determine the feed required for optimisation and bulk flotation.

This article was developed in collaboration with iTech 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.