Freshly rebranded Bayan Mining and Minerals has identified high-value gallium potential in assay results from a rock chip and soil sampling program at its Tango lithium and Barbara projects in Canada.
Last week Bayan announced it had received approval for a change of company name from Balkan Mining and Minerals.
The company has ushered in that change of name with recent field work providing significant evaluations, showing elevated values of both gallium and lithium to further highlight the promising potential of these projects.
Canadian portfolio
“These outstanding gallium and lithium assay results from our Tango project underscore the potential of our Canadian portfolio to contribute to the global demand for critical minerals,” executive director Fadi Diab said.
“The recent developments surrounding China’s export ban on gallium have highlighted the importance of securing alternative sources for this indispensable material.”
Mr Diab said the new assay results highlighted elevated levels of gallium and lithium oxide in several samples, including gallium oxide grades ranging up to 72.32 grams per tonne, with several samples showing concentrations above 50g/t.
Lithium oxide grades were also significant, with the highest value recorded at 6.85% and multiple samples exceeding 3%.
Mineralisation potential
Mr Diab added that the results provide further insights into the mineralisation potential of spodumene-bearing pegmatites within the project areas, with the co-occurrence of elevated gallium and lithium values suggesting potential for a dual mineralisation system.
Notably, the results have indicated a consistent presence of gallium and lithium across the sampled area.
Further analysis will focus on defining the spatial distribution of gallium and lithium across these areas to guide the next phase of exploration.
Future work plans
Bayan will now use the information to refine exploration strategies and prioritise targets for future work.
The evaluation aims to delineate the key zones of enrichment and potential areas for further exploration.
The company is currently reviewing and analysing all available historical exploration results to better understand the presence and distribution of gallium and lithium across its sizeable portfolio of highly prospective Ontario projects.
Its assets include the Gorge, Tango, Arrel and Barbara exploration projects covering 120 square kilometres in the Thunder Bay North mining district.
Gallium importance
Due to its unique properties, gallium is considered indispensable in modern technology, particularly in the production of semiconductors and optoelectronic devices.
Gallium-based compounds are essential for cutting-edge technologies including advanced communications, power amplifiers and next-generation solar panels.
The US and Canada rely on gallium for critical industries including defence, telecommunications and renewable energy and its applications in semiconductors and advanced circuitry are vital for technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, radar systems and photovoltaics.
As gallium-based chips begin to outperform those using silicon, securing a stable supply of the element is essential for maintaining technological leadership and innovation.
