It’s been seven years since setting out on this project but now Krakatoa Resources is building a story of key critical minerals at the King Tamba project in Western Australia.

The company’s specialty minerals project, located in the Murchison mineral province 80km northwest of Mount Magnet, has been explored since 1960 and was mined for tantalum over a brief period 20 years ago.

Krakatoa has been targeting pegmatites outside the historical Dalgaranga mine.

Up to 4.3% lithium

Soil geochemical sampling has returned peak values of 4.3% lithium oxide, 1.7% rubidium oxide and 0.5% caesium.

Multiple rock chip results returned results greater than 2% lithium.

The geochemistry program has enabled Krakatoa to identify an 800m mineralised zone enriched in lithium-rubidium-caesium, with elevated tantalum-niobium.

The zone is open to north and south.

New zone drill-ready

The company says the newly identified Wilsons prospect outcrops over 250m and is drill-ready, with planning under way for a reverse circulation drill program.

Drilling sites have been prepared and discussions have begun with drilling contractors.

Krakatoa says the Wilsons prospect hosts a series of pegmatite exposures to the south-west of the historic tantalum processing plant.

“Our recent geological mapping identified a continuous outcrop/subcrop spanning approximately 250m with coarse micaceous pegmatite and apparent greisen-style alteration in places,” the company stated.

Other areas being investigated

Chief executive officer Mark Major says the company has established the presence of a “high-tenor” multi-element soil anomaly that is present across multiple sample lines.

The Wilsons prospect sits in line with the soil anomaly and is flanked by them.

“The area is surprisingly just a few hundred metres south of the historical mine zone,” he added.

Krakatoa has now begun mineralogy and lithium deportment studies to determine which minerals are hosting the elevated lithium found in the rock chip samples.

Past tantalum mining

Drilling of the project area began in 1906 and then in 2001 the former Tantalum Australia began mining at Dalgaranga, producing a total 6.434kg of tantalum.

The mine and pilot plant operation were closed by 2003.

Krakatoa Resources in 2016 acquired the ground containing the remnant mining area and was targeting tin and lithium as well as tantalum.

More ground was added in 2017 and 2021.