Another significant Lithium deposit discovery anno...

Another significant Lithium deposit discovery announced

Zim Now Writer

Li3 Lithium Corp. has announced significant progress in its ongoing exploration programme at the Mutare Lithium Project following the discovery of lithium deposits spanning over a 1.2-kilometre area at the Nels Luck pegmatite target.

The results indicate the presence of significant lithium resources in that specific location.

Li3 Lithium holds a 50 percent ownership in the project, with the remaining 50 percent owned by Premier African Minerals Limited, which operates the Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Mine in the country.

The analysis of samples taken from 842 channel samples collected from trenches during the initial phase of the 2023 exploration programme to determine the quantity and quality of minerals present suggest presence of the mineral. The samples were sent for analysis in June and July.

François Auclair, the CEO and president of Li3 Lithium, expressed optimism about the results, stating that the trenching programme confirmed substantial lithium mineralisation at the Mutare Lithium Project.

“The trenching program conducted by Li3 Lithium has confirmed wide, well-developed pegmatite lithium mineralisation at the Mutare Lithium Project, which remains open at depth and along strike.

“Initial assay results from the first-half of the 2023 trenching and surface sampling programmes are promising given that the Nels Luck area of the Mutare Lithium Project is just 15km from the world-class Sabi Star Lithium Tantalum Mine.

“A phase one diamond drilling programme, up to 5 000 metres, targeting the Nels Luck area, is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks as we begin to define the grade, thickness, and spatial continuity of the pegmatite trends.

“A phase one diamond drilling program is scheduled to commence in the near future to further evaluate the pegmatite trends,” Auclair said.

Situated in eastern Zimbabwe’s Mutare Greenstone Belt, the Mutare Lithium Project is adjacent to the Sabi Star Lithium Tantalum Mine, an area which is considered highly prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites.

Zimbabwe ranked sixth in the world in lithium resources and given renewed interest in the mineral, government has been pushed into addressing smuggling issues that have resulted in significant lost mining earnings.

Already, Zimbabwe has a number of players in the lithium sub-sector, and these include Arcadia Mine, Zulu Lithium Mine, Bikita Minerals, and the upcoming Kamativi Mine.