Allkem drills 1.7% Li2O over 125 metres at James Bay, Quebec
Allkem Ltd. [AKE-TSX, ASX; OROCF-OTC] provided an update on the exploration and resource definition drilling program at its James Bay project in Quebec, Canada.
Highlights: Discovery of an additional swarm of spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes located directly northwest of known mineralization.
Highlighted intercepts include 125 metres at 1.7% Li2O from 68 metres in drill hole JBL-23-048, and 72 metres at 1.89% Li2O from 11 metres in drill hole JBL-23-024. True thicknesses are estimated to be between 60% and 80% of downhole thicknesses.
Infill and delineation drilling in the eastern portion of the deposit has confirmed both continuity and lithium grade of spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes.
The winter diamond drilling program concluded on April 13, 2023, and consisted of Infill and Delineation drilling within the eastern portion of the deposit at depth to satisfy the drill spacing required for Indicated category Mineral Resources.
Exploration drilling targeting newly identified outcropping pegmatites to the east of the deposit, IP geophysical anomalies and deep “proof of concept” drilling targeting pegmatites at depths greater than 500 metres.
Systematic step-out drilling to the northwest of the known extents of the deposit targeting the extension of the deformation corridor that hosts the deposit.
A total of 130 drill holes were completed between the end of November 2022 and mid-April 2023 for an aggregate of 29,164 metres.
As of April 29, 2023, approximately 6,700 assays have been received from the drilling program, mostly relating to the infill and delineation drilling within known extents of the deposit. Approximately 2,400 assays remain pending in the laboratory and are expected to be received shortly.
Allkem managing director and CEO Martin Perez de Solay said, “The significant grade and thickness of these drill results is outstanding and the addition of a new zone of mineralization to the NW of the current resource provides scope for potential additions to resources and reserves as we further drill out this area.”
Based on the wide-spaced drilling, the current geological interpretation suggests that the individual dykes are oriented approximately north-south, with a -70-degree dip towards the west. The dykes vary between 4 and 30 metres thick (true thickness), with some dykes coalescing up to 85 metres true thickness in the core of the pegmatite swarm.
This NW Sector of the project is located under between 5 and 15 metres of glacial till, with no outcrop visible in this area of the project.
The NW Sector has been drilled to a nominal 80m x 80m drill spacing, which is expected to allow the inclusion of this new discovery into an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) planned for release mid-year 2023.
After the receipt of final assays Allkem intends to update the James Bay MRE incorporating all new drilling results. Work is already underway to update the geological model in preparation for the receipt of final assays.
Additional site activities are planned during the North American summer to better understand the geometry of the pegmatite dykes discovered in the NW Sector, including trials of downhole televiewer technology and mineralogical studies. In addition, a detailed aeromagnetic drone survey is planned to trace the extents of the pegmatites under glacial till cover, and to better understand the litho-structural setting of this new sector.
Over the past six months Allkem has progressively increased its tenement holdings in and around the James Bay project via the staking of new claims (29 claims equalling 1,531 hectares) and non-material acquisitions (131 claims for 6,913 hectares).