Phase 1 drilling has flagged pegmatites to depths of ~400m. Pic: via Getty Images.
Reach finds a heap of thick, stacked pegmatites at Morrissey Hill
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- Drilling intersected staked pegmatites from 1m to more than 30m
- Pegmatites occur in similar host rock to Delta Lithium’s nearby project
- Blind pegmatites present new target for future drill testing
- More diamond drilling is planned for October
Reach Resources has intersected multiple, thick, staked pegmatites in Phase 1 drilling at the Bonzer prospect, within the Morrissey Hill lithium project in the emerging Gascoyne lithium region in WA.
The company’s Morrissey Hill, Camel Hill and Wabli Creek projects are next door to Delta Lithium (ASX:DLI) Malinda project where multiple mineralised projects “with commercial scale opportunity and strikes exceeding 1600 metres length” have been confirmed.
The Morissey Hill project is also near Liontown spin-off and Tim Goyder-backed Minerals 260 (ASX:MI6) tenements.
In mid-may Reach Resources (ASX:RR1) picked up rock chips grading ~2.3% lithium at the Bonzer target, which is in the same system as Delta’s discovery.
Now the company says the pegmatites intercepted in the Phase 1 drilling occur in host rocks that are consistent with those which host Delta’s Malinda deposit – just 8km along strike to the east.
Soil sampling paying dividends
The company completed 21 holes for 2,656m, confirming multiple stacked pegmatites to depths of ~400m, with individual intercepts ranging from 1m to more than 30m in length.
CEO Jeremy Bower said the results are due to the extensive soil sampling campaign conducted earlier this year – which returned soil values in excess of 750ppm Li20 and rock chip values of up to 2.3% Li2O, 4295ppm caesium and 705.8ppm tantalum.
“The extensive soil sampling campaign conducted at Morrissey Hill prior to the commencement of drilling is paying dividends,” he said.
“We are very happy to confirm that the outcropping pegmatites are being repeated with substantial widths at depth within the right host rocks.
“In addition, diamond drill core is confirming blind pegmatites exist in the area, which is extremely promising and consistent with the geology at neighbouring Delta Lithium’s Malinda lithium project.”
Blind pegmatites occur where there are no pegmatite or anomalous assays present at surface.
Bower says this opens up a potential new target for future drill testing.
“We eagerly await assays in early to mid‐October,” he added.
More diamond drilling underway
As the area has never been drilled before, this initial drill program over one part of the prospective area, serves as a crucial data feed to understand the dip, plunge, extent and any structural controls of the pegmatites at depth.
This information will be used during the proposed Phase 2 drilling program which will be refined over the coming month as additional soil samples are reviewed and upon receipt of future assay results in October.
Reach plans to undertake the diamond drilling prior to the commencement of Yinnetharra Station’s annual cattle mustering program.
“We will get some extra metres drilled to what was previously planned before mustering commences and we head back to Perth,” Bower said.
This article was developed in collaboration with Reach Resources, 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.
