Venus Metals has discovered pegmatite-hosted lithium-caesium-tantalum mineralisation during first-pass drilling at the Beryl prospect within its Youanmi project in Western Australia.
A maiden shallow reverse circulation drilling program across Beryl has intercepted the lithium mineralisation, which remains open at depth and along strike.
Beryl lies within Venus’ Manindi North tenement along the Youanmi greenstone belt.
Previous explorers across this belt include CRA, Lithium Australia, Lepidico and Scorpion Minerals.
These explorers have defined a northerly trending zone of lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites that cover about 12km of strike along the western margin of the Youanmi intrusion.
Previous sampling returns lithium
Previous sampling at the northern portion of the tenement identified lithium anomalies.
The company revealed it had collected 158 soil samples across a beryl occurrence noted in this part of the tenement.
Additionally, three rock chips were collected from sub-cropping pegmatite and returned up to 2.11% lithium.
The results indicated three northeast trending lithium anomalies, with the northern one centred on the beryl occurrence (Beryl prospect) and a second one about 50m to the south (Central prospect).
Venus followed this up with six RC holes for 366m along a 300m north-south traverse in the tenement to test the north-northeast trending anomalies.
The program kicked-off in February.
One hole intersected lepidolite-bearing pegmatite including 2m at 0.33% lithium from 9m.
According to Venus, results from these drill holes likely indicate an easterly dipping lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite that trends north-northwest. Rock chips across this pegmatite returned up to 2.44% lithium.
Over at the Central prospect, Venus also intercepted lithium with best results of 3m at 0.49% lithium from 1m, including 1m at 1.14% lithium from 2m; and 2m at 0.89% lithium from 15m.
The company plans to undertake more RC drilling to explore the north-northwest trending pegmatite at Beryl.
Further drilling will also be carried out to explore for lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites down dip form historical intersections at the Manindi Central and Manindi North prospects along strike.
