- Geochemical drilling review confirms Mount Ida lithium prospect as a fertile lithium-caesium-tantalum mineralised system
- Drilling intersected LCT pegmatites
- Juno prepares for next stage of exploration
Special Report: Juno Minerals appears to be sitting on a fertile lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralised system following a geochemical review of the results from its Phase 1 and 2 drilling programs at the Mount Ida lithium prospect.
Following the recently completed drilling at Mount Ida, Juno Minerals (ASX:JNO) undertook geochemical modelling of the results to determine its potential to be a significant lithium discovery.
This evaluation has confirmed Mount Ida plays host to a fertile lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralised system, with drilling having intersected LCT pegmatites.
Juno revealed earlier in March that low levels of lithium, tantalum and tin were recorded, but that no significant intersections of lithium were encountered.
Encouragingly, the geochemical review determined the lithium-rich LCT pegmatites lie outside of the current drilling and away from the granite pluton in a north easterly vector.
The geochemical modelling was done using a Prospectively Index and a Fertility Index.
The Prospectively Index is used to assess whether a target exhibits all the key LCT elements (lithium, beryllium, niobium, tantalum, thallium, tin) along with the granitic lithic elements (aluminium, potassium, rubidium, gallium) and greenstone lithic elements (magnesium, chromium).
Its purpose is to identify areas related to true pegmatites and filter out false anomalies due to scavenging in a near-surface environment.
The Fertility Index, meanwhile, informs position within the granite-pegmatite system, with the closer to unity representing better fertility.
Regionally, the Mount Ida fault in the prolific Yilgarn region of Western Australia, where Juno has a significant foothold, is attracting greater interest for its rare metal pegmatites.
The results of the geochemical modelling are extremely useful in guiding the next stage of exploration, which Juno is now evaluating.
Follow-up exploration will likely include soil sampling on a tight-spaced grid to the east of the Phase 2 drilling, to provide further geochemical information to the data set to target lithium-rich LCT pegmatites.
This article was developed in collaboration with Juno 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.