Patriot triples length of Dove pegmatite as it prepare US lithium assets for maiden drill program in 2023

Patriot Lithium could be on to a good thing at its Wickenburg project in Arizona, revealing that first pass field work had tripled the strike length of a major pegmatite at the North American battery metals project.

The news sets up the Patriot Lithium (ASX:PAT) for a drilling blitz in the second half of 2023, with soil and rock chip samples underway and results expected in 10-12 weeks.

Three pegmatites have now been mapped at the Dove pegmatite target at Wickenburg since its discovery along with the Mammoth pegmatite target, revealed to the market last month.

Three pegmatites have now been mapped at Dove, all with potential for spodumene mineralisation, with Dove West and East trackable at surface for 440m and 430m respectively, 90-120m apart.

Each peg has an apparent maximum width of around 15m with another small outcrop 80m east of Dove East potentially representing a fourth poorly exposed body of the Dove system.

Numerous clusters have been identified in the vicinity of Dove and Mammoth, over an area of at least 1km by 1.2km. And while many are poorly exposed at surface and some averaging widths less than 1m, that has not precluded major discoveries in the past.

Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley in WA, now one of the largest lithium deposits in the world and the basis for an $895 million underground mine opening next year, was narrow on surface, coalescing into thick spodumene zones at depth.

Exciting target

All up, Dove is presenting as an “exciting target”, Patriot says, matching historical description of an extensive pegmatite dyke with spodumene and lepidolite mineralisation.

Gem variety spodumene bearing minerals have already been identified in field work, including pink kunzite, lepidolite, green beryl and dark green tourmaline.

Patriot says it provided further evidence for a spodumene rich pegmatite system, with the company planning to select primary drill targets and obtain approvals for a second half maiden drill program once sampling results have been received.

“The early on-ground success at Wickenburg is promising and we are extremely pleased with the progress towards commencement of our maiden drill program,” PAT executive director Matt Gauci said.

“Through the excellent work of our exploration team, the Dove target has now almost tripled in size, and spodumene minerals have been identified, indicating the potential presence of a lithium deposit.

“We have moved quickly since listing in December 2022, building the exploration team and commencing first pass field work, and are now looking forward to defining and drill testing priority targets at Wickenburg.”

There is more exploration work expected to begin after winter winds down at Patriot’s projects further north in South Dakota, Wyoming and Ontario, Canada.

“Beyond the Wickenburg Project, once the winter snow clears, we will be commencing key reconnaissance programs across our Black Hills Projects in South Dakota and Wyoming and Ontario Projects in Canada,” Gauci said.

“Like Wickenburg, we have several reconnaissance targets to assess prior to selecting drill targets. We are eager to follow up with drilling programs on these exciting lithium projects as soon as possible.

“2023 is shaping up to be a busy and exciting year for Patriot and its shareholders, as we add value to our exciting North American lithium project portfolio.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Patriot Lithium (ASX:PAT), 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.