Askari set to expand Pilbara lithium footprint

Askari Metals is building a contiguous, district-scale lithium tenure spanning 1711 square kilometres in Western Australia’s East Pilbara region, 100km east/north-east of Pilbara Minerals’ massive 4.75 million tonne Pilgangoora lithium-oxide resource.

The infrastructure-rich area is highly prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT)-bearing pegmatites and the company has three exploration licence approvals imminent. It has signed heritage agreements and pastoral and access deeds at all nine of its licence applications and management is now poised to activate a follow-up lithium exploration campaign.

Askari acquired its favourably-located Yarrie lithium project in January last year. It says the Native Title advertising period has concluded for its three core licences. Native Title requirements for two more are expected to be wound up early next year, while four others have also been referred for a four-month advertising period.

The company says it has maintained consistent communication with relevant stakeholders, Native Title parties, pastoralists and other licence

holders in a build to build the project’s momentum. It describes Yarrie as a “prize asset”.

We are encouraged by the fact that several of the exploration licences for the Yarrie Lithium Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region will soon be granted, enabling Askari to mobilise exploration teams to the field to follow-up high-priority targets identified from previous campaigns. The company has been working to receive full grants for all nine exploration licences and has executed the necessary agreements and deeds across the project area so exploration can begin as soon as practicable.

The company undertook an initial phase-one field campaign last year, combining stream-sediment, soil and rock-chip sampling to follow-up Aster-based hyperspectral survey anomalies. It identified 11 lithium and LCT-type pathfinder mineralisation target areas, with five considered high–priority.

Management says follow-up close-spaced, grid-located soil sampling and air-core (AC) drilling on the priority targets are expected to form the basis for a phase-two exploration program to generate drill targets.

Elsewhere, at Askari’s flagship Uis lithium project in Namibia where a 112m drill intersection of spodumene-bearing pegmatite is recorded, trenching and channel sampling are a prelude to the resumption of a diamond drilling campaign aimed at testing depth extensions and sample unoxidised mineralisation.

The company is motoring ahead with its Pilbara and Namibian lithium exploration search and the New Year should throw-up a slew of worthy drill-ready exploration targets.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au