NW Leinster Lithium Project - Ireland
January 2023 Catalysts
Global Battery Metals Reports High Grade Lithium Assays Returned; Surface Samples Up to 3.75% Li2O From NW Leinster Lithium Project
Highlights Include:
- Of the 66 total surface samples analyzed, assay results show that 47 returned grades above 1% Li2O – with grades as high as 3.75% and 3.63% (source: ALS Laboratories, Loughrea, Ireland)
- Knockeen and Carriglead Prospects are reported at:
- Knockeen: Out of a total of 56 samples, 41 samples graded above 1% Li2O, of which 20 graded above 2% Li2O and of which two graded above 3% Li2O (Sample AES 63003 (3.63% Li2O) and Sample AES 63033 (3.75% Li2O))
- Carriglead: out of a total of 10 samples, six samples graded above 1% Li2O, of which one sample analysed above 2% Li2O (Sample AES63504 (2.09% Li2O))
- The program of intensive prospecting has consolidated the extent of the spodumene pegmatite boulder train at surface and significantly enhanced the resolution of the dispersion zone
- The known extent of the boulder train is now over 1km in length from NE to SW, 0.5km from NW to SE and is still open in all directions at Knockeen
Reasons for Acquisition
- Significantly higher grades than nearby Ganfeng/ILC in stream sediments, similar grades in soil samples. Stream sediment assays mostly in the 125-1000ppm range vs 60-120ppm range for Ganfeng/ILC assays.
- Visible spodumene in several areas and visible spodumene crystals in one prospective area that appears to be at least a few hundred metres long.
- Ganfeng investing significantly nearby in a highly prospective JV with ILC
- Geopolitical - excellent in Ireland
- Amenable weather for year round development
- Land base much larger than ILC
Options - North Leinster Lithium Project
- Option 1 - To earn 17.5% - spend EUR88,000 by Oct 2022 and up to EUR7,500 for licence fees etc. The vendor has undertaken to speak to regulator to waive/extend the time frame for these payments. There are no payments to the vendor at this stage
- Option 2 - To earn 37.5% to get to 55%, within 2 years of the above or 4 years from Oct 2020, spend EUR500,000 on the property and pay EUR50,000 to vendor (90% can be paid in stock at GBML’s discretion)
- Option 3 – to earn 35% to get 90% - spend EUR1,000,000 and pay EUR200,000 (90% can be stock, at GBML’s discretion) with in two years of above, or 6.5 years from now
- Project subject to a 2% royalty, 1% can be bought back for EUR1,000,000
Work and Results to Date
Field Exploration Program Update
PLA 1597 forms part of the Company’s Property exploration block, which is operated under an exclusive Option and Earn-in agreement with Technology Minerals Plc (LSE: TM1), the first-listed UK company focused on creating a sustainable circular economy for battery metals, and its wholly owned subsidiary LRH Resources Limited (“LRH”).
The current phase of detailed exploration work is centred on an area where a forty-year-old historical company report1 described a trench excavated at Knockeen Townlands on PLA 1597 (Figure 1) which, uncovered in bedrock, exposed a 1.8m wide spodumene-bearing pegmatite vein. However no detailed laboratory assays or geological maps of the trench were reported at that time. Historical prospecting around the trench also reported the occurrence of up to 10 large boulders of spodumene bearing pegmatite at surface.
The current exploration program carried out under LRH management by Aurum Exploration Services Limited included an initial reconnaissance visit in July 2022 totalling six samples. This was followed by a more detailed prospecting and lithogeochemical survey on two areas at Knockeen and Carriglead Townlands in December 2022 and totalling 66 samples (Table 1 and Table 2).
In December 2022 an extensive prospecting and lithogeochemistry survey was completed covering the two areas identified during the reconnaissance program. A total of 56 samples were collected at Knockeen and 10 at Carriglead. The results were highly encouraging with coherent boulder trains of spodumene bearing lithium pegmatites mapped out across the prospects.
December 2022 Sampling Program Highlights
Sample_ID | Program | Li_ppm | Li2O%* |
AES63003 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 17,410 | 3.75 |
AES63033 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 16,860 | 3.63 |
AES63519 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 13,160 | 2.83 |
AES63015 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 13,050 | 2.81 |
AES63029 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 12,920 | 2.78 |
AES63042 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 12,580 | 2.71 |
AES63014 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 12,200 | 2.63 |
AES63021 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 12,040 | 2.59 |
AES63018 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 11,980 | 2.58 |
AES63011 | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 11,820 | 2.54 |
Table 1: Highlight results from the prospecting program (December 2022)
* Li2O % = Li ppm % (x 2.153)
Prospect | Program | No |
Carriglead | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 2 |
Knockeen | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 4 |
Prospect | DD Sampling July 2022 | No |
Carriglead | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 10 |
Knockeen | Follow Up Sampling Dec 2022 | 56 |
Prospect | Program | No |
Carriglead | Total | 12 |
Knockeen | Total | 60 |
Table 2: Results from reconnaissance prospecting (July 2022 and December 2022)
Reconnaissance July 2022
Two areas at Knockeen and Carriglead Townlands were targeted with an initial reconnaissance visit in July 2022, during which six samples - four at Knockeen and two at Carriglead - were collected. Analytical results confirmed the presence of the historically reported spodumene pegmatite boulder train and returned very significant grades of Li2O in all the samples. These results have been reported previously but are reproduced here for continuity (Table 3).
Sample_ID | Program | Li_ppm | Li2O_%* | Prospect |
210724CL05 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 13,700 | 2.95 | Knockeen |
210724CL03 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 11,200 | 2.41 | Knockeen |
210724CL04 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 11,000 | 2.37 | Knockeen |
210724CL02 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 3,240 | 0.70 | Knockeen |
AES61138 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 7,470 | 1.61 | Carriglead |
AES61137 | Recon Sampling July 2022 | 3,550 | 0.76 | Carriglead |
Table 3: Results from reconnaissance prospecting (July 2022)
* Li2O % = Li ppm % (x 2.153)
The Company has completed three drill holes of a six-hole drilling program on the Aughavanagh target area of the NW Leinster property for a total of 625.5 metres. The target area occurs at the mapped contact between multi-phase sheeted Devonian granites and the contact metamorphosed metasediments of the Ordovician-aged Ribband Group. This area therefore presents an analogous target to the Aclare and Moylisha prospects 40km to the south-west on the Avalonia project being drilled by the Ganfeng-International Lithium Corp. JV.
All three initial drill holes intersected several different phases of well-developed pegmatite veins with Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT) geochemical signatures, though lithium assays received from these pegmatites were not significant. Lithium was, however, shown by LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) analysis to be elevated Individual biotites within granites in sections of hole 3 (the most northerly) returned Li values of between 1500ppm Li and 2638ppm, indicating passage of mineral rich fluids with potential proximity to an LCT pegmatites, or to an albitised pegmatite which liberated the lithium from a lithium-bearing pegmatite.
The drilling of the remaining three holes of programme will resume after target refinement and vectoring studies utilising geochemical and petrological information from the drilling and planned complementary mapping, prospecting and deep overburden sampling at Aughavanagh.
Additional Regional NW Leinster Block Claims Applied For
An application for a prospecting license for an area which adjoins and is immediately south of Ganfeng-ILC’s Avalonia project has been made.
A recent historical data review and literature search undertaken by LRH Resources, our partner on the project, resulted in the identification of six new prospects outside the current NW Leinster block with spodumene-bearing (lithium) pegmatite boulder concentrations. One of these was ground-truthed and float samples taken returned a maximum value of 2.95% Li2O (Table 1) verifying historical prospecting. A previous operator’s trench log records reported a 1.8m spodumene-pegmatite vein under the area of this highest sample, however, no other information, including assays, are available in the Geological Survey Open File archive.
Table 1 – Float Samples from Prospect Outside NW Leinster Block
Sample |
Li (ppm) |
Li2O eq (%)* |
---|---|---|
210724CL02 |
3240 |
0.70 |
210724CL03 |
11200 |
2.41 |
210724CL04 |
11000 |
2.37 |
210724CL05 |
13700 |
2.95 |
* Li2O % = Li ppm % (x 2.153)
An application for the relevant prospecting licence covering this area, PLA1597, which adjoins and is immediately south of the Ganfeng-ILC’s Avalonia Project, has been made by LRH Resources and will be operated under the current Agreement between GBML and LRH Resources.
Whilst target refinement work at Aughavanagh is completed, this new area, as well as five other regional targets on the NW Leinster Lithium block identified in 2018 by LRH Resources, will be further investigated. The five regional targets were initially identified by analysis of legacy, low-density soil/stream sediment sampling data and perspectivity was confirmed by LRH Resources reconnaissance prospecting at:
- Sorrell (1.65% Li2O in spodumene-bearing pegmatite float),
- Scurlocks (0.65% Li2O in aplite float),
- Knocknaboley (820ppm Li in aplite float),
- Tonygarrow (0.99% Li2O % in spodumene-bearing pegmatite float) and,
- Glencullen.
None of these areas have been explored by LRH-GBML to date and detailed prospecting and mapping is planned for each area.