London-listed exploration company Galileo Resources says the reconnaissance mapping and sampling programme on its 29%-owned Kamativi lithium project, in Zimbabwe, has identified four target zones with potential for pegmatite-hosted lithium, tin and tantalum.

The target zones lie along strike extensions or on parallel structures to the defunct Kamativi tin mine, which produced tin and tantalum between 1936 and 1994. 

The mine had an indicated mineral resource of lithium in tailings of 26-million tonnes grading 0.58% lithium oxide, which was not targeted for production at the time.

About 1 600 samples from the mapping and sampling programme have been sent to an assay laboratory and will be investigated for its potential for follow-up work, which may include drilling.

Galileo CEO and chairperson Colin Bird says the company has meticulously sampled the pegmatites over four target zones across the Kamativi lithium project licence area, which spans 520 km2 in western Zimbabwe, with the mission of identifying lithium occurrences, as well as testing the significant potential for tin and tantalum.

“We await the results of laboratory analysis and, if appropriate, we will aim to progress confirmed prospects to drill testing stage. We also have a substantial number of additional samples in storage for analyses, depending on the results of the current batch,” Bird confirms.