QX Resources Limited has announced that drilling has begun at the company’s Turner River hard rock lithium project.
Located just 15km to the southeast of Mineral Resources’ Wodgina lithium mine, which is situated within the Pilbara lithium province of Western Australia, QXR’s Turner River hard rock lithium project has commenced a maiden 1,500 metre RC drilling programme. The project is poised to become a premier supplier of precious lithium that will help to fuel the green transition.
QXR’s technical consultants, Resource Potentials, have extensive experience in the Pilbara lithium region and at nearby operating mines and have overseen the Turner River hard rock lithium project’s RC drilling programme. Government approvals for drilling were obtained, an access track and drill pads were cleared, and the RC drilling rig arrived at the site to initiate the project.
The aim of QXR’s Turner River project
The RC drilling targets the potential for either lithium mica and spodumene-bearing pegmatites or a new style of large tonnage hard rock lithium deposit hosted near the top of a large granite body rich in lithium micas (lepidolite). A similar example is demonstrated at the Cinovec deposit in the Czech Republic (Figure 4).
Both of the target styles of lithium mineralisation are believed to extend under thin regolith cover at the Carbonate Hill prospect within the Turner River Project exploration licences (E45/6042, E45/6065). Comparable lithium deposits have been discovered in Western Australia and other countries but are not yet defined as major lithium projects in Australia.
QXR is planning to perform an airborne geophysical survey to acquire subsurface information to help assess extensions of lithium micas minerals at depth over a 3km x 1km target area and over the project licence areas. Current drilling is planned over an area of 400m x 300m in four drill ‘fences’ of angled holes (Figures 1, 3). Recent rock chip samples of 1.6% Li2O, 1.1% Li2O and 4.9% Li2O were obtained from a large, coarse-grained sub-crop of lepidolite – a highly sought-after lithium-rich mica.
QXR has been advised of encouraging indications of significant areas of potential lithium-bearing pegmatites observed in drill pads and drill chips that extend beyond those previously reported. Six holes have been completed (564m), in which pegmatites and potential lithium-rich micas have been intersected.
Managing Director Steve Promnitz commented: “QXR is pursuing a new style of large tonnage lithium project which is yet to be identified in Australia. We consider that the initial indications at Turner River show the potential for a large area of significant lithium mica mineralisation hosted in the tops of large Split Rock Supersuite granites extending under cover. This type of lithium mica mineralisation is sought after by some end users in the battery minerals sector. Observing considerable lithium micas and spodumene in drill pads and drill chips is an excellent sign as it indicates the potential for a much larger target than previously sampled at surface.”
