Scorpion’s lithium strikes confirms the rich potential of its Youanmi project

Scorpion Minerals’ Youanmi project in Western Australia highlights high-grade lithium mineralisation is present along at least 3km of strike.

Notable assays include 5m @ 1.37% Li2O from 22m, 9m grading 1.5% Li2O from 160m, 10m at 0.98% Li2O from 83m and 6m at 1.6% Li2O from 49m with a peak result of 2.84% Li2O in stacked lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites.

This is augmented by historical drilling that intersected lithium close to surface including 7m @ 1.38% Li2O from 0m, 8m @ 1.39% Li2O from 8m, 6m @ 1.61% Li2O from 22m, 7m @ 1.42% Li2O from 20m, and 6m @ 1.64% Li2O from 11m.

Finding more lithium is always welcome given that the battery mineral remains very much in demand.

The results also confirm that shallow east-dipping LCT pegmatites present along 1,000m of strike within the central corridor require immediate infill drilling.

“We are highly encouraged by the results of our RC drilling at Youanmi, which continues to demonstrate wide, high-grade intersections of lithium mineralisation,” chief executive officer Michael Fotios said.

“Importantly, these latest results indicate that mineralisation within the LCT pegmatites hangs together and remains open in all directions.

“We are particularly interested in the intersection of 9m at 1.5% Li2O in the northernmost section of the project area which remains open at depth and will be targeted in the next round of drilling.”

Youanmi project

The Youanmi project sits at the northern end of a 20km long corridor of LCT pegmatite intrusions that have delivered significant results for other explorers at the southern end of the trend.

It has been subject to limited promising historical lithium exploration such as geological mapping, rock chip sampling, airborne magnetic surveys and RC drilling.

Geological mapping had identified a 3km long zone of intermittent outcropping LCT pegmatites located about 1km east of a contact between a late-stage granite and the Youanmi Layered Mafic Complex.

Meanwhile, the previous RC drilling – 54 holes by Lithium Australia and nine by Scorpion Minerals (ASX:SCN) – in wide-spaced fences mostly along the southern half of the 3km long zone returned significant lithium intersections.

The company’s recent program of 14 holes totalling 2,158m has confirmed continuity and thickness of lithium mineralisation within multiple stacked shallow east dipping LCT pegmatites to a depth of at least 175m below surface.

Individual pegmatites are up to 1,000m long and surface exposures suggest widths from 5m to 15m.

Field reconnaissance and air photo interpretation has also identified multiple target areas that require follow up mapping, sampling and RC drill testing.

Busy days ahead

Over this and next quarter, Scorpion plans to carry out a range of exploration programs with follow up geological mapping and rock chip sampling already underway.

It plans to carry out infill RC drilling of existing targets down dip and along strike as well as RC drilling of parallel pegmatites to determine their extent and composition.

Other work includes high resolution airborne photography if required, auger soil geochemistry to identify additional pegmatites under shallow soil cover and initial diamond drill testing of existing targets at depth.

The company also intends to carry out airborne and/or ground EM surveys.

This article was developed in collaboration with Scorpion 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.