eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
Australian Securities Exchange-listed resources group, Six Sigma Metals Ltd, says has discovered high-grade lithium in drilling programme at its Shamva Lithium Project in Zimbabwe.
The drilling was undertaken at the high – priority Bonnyvale prospect and confirmed high-grade lithium mineralisation in spodumene-rich zones continuing at depth below surface outcrops and old workings. Highlighted assay results from two holes include: 8 metres at 3,08 percent lithium from 1 metre, including 5 metres at 4,38 percent from 2 metres; and 32 metres at 1,42 percent from surface, including 12 metres at 2,45 percent from 18 metres and 5 metres at 3, 83 percent from 19 metres.
The programme was designed to test the continuity of lithium mineralisation as part of Six Sigma’s due diligence assessment of the project. Sample analysis of the Loch Ness prospect in Shamva’s northwest also revealed encouraging results with all samples from the north of the prospect in a range of 1,5-2,89 percent lithium and samples collected from the south of Loch Ness returned numerous grades over 2 percent to a maximum of 4,71 percent and 4,82 percent lithium.
Said Six Sigma non-executive director Steve Groves: “Mapping and surface rock sampling have shown us that at least 5 large areas containing extensive lithium mineralisation at surface from multiple pegmatite dyke outcrops exist across the entire project area.
‘‘Every one of the areas sampled to date has shown high-grade lithium with up to over 4 percent across multiple sample sites. The due diligence program included a small program of RC drilling to test one of the outcropping pegmatite dykes at the Bonnyvale area.
“This program was very successful in intersecting thick zones of high-grade mineralisation to at least 30 metres below surface and achieved everything it was designed to do.”
The Southern Africa-focused mining firm expects to discover further pegmatite dykes related to surface mineralisation at Bonnyvale in future drills.
High-grade lithium was consistent across the results, with 7 samples returning over 4 percent lithium.
The intersections were from a single dyke which has an interpreted true thickness of between 10-12 metres and represents a tiny portion of the Bonnyvale area.
Drilled pegmatite is outcropping and can be mapped at surface for a strike length of at least 250 metres. Previous rock sampling at Bonnyvale revealed a large area of around 550 by 160 metres, containing a broad spread of lithium mineralised samples.
