Premier targets gold potential within Zulu lithium EPO
Diversified mining and exploration junior, Premier African Minerals Limited’s exploration within its extended Exclusive Prospecting Order (EPO) is ongoing, with the miner targeting gold potential of the area, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Mr George Roach has said.
By Anerudo Mapuranga
Through Zulu Update, the company statement released yesterday provide an update on progress at Premier’s Zulu Lithium and Tantalum project and the first preliminary grade estimates using a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (“LIBS”) system, Roach highlighted that, Preliminary results from ZDD-52 (RNS 2 September 2021) for 13.39 M continuous mineralized section is 1.37% Li2O average grade across the entire width; highest grade between 54.32 M and 55.32 M is 2.16% and lowest grade between 44.13 M and 45.13 M is 1%, 15 holes now complete with approximately 2,735 M drilled to date. Two rigs, with a night shift component now operating with one focused on geotechnical requirements for the Feasibility Study (“DFS”) currently underway.
Roach went on to say that the company was looking forward to exploring for gold within its tenets which has historical dumps in the region of the flooded shaft located within the EPO.
“The preliminary results above are the first obtained from use of our LIBS system at site. The results are preliminary and subject to confirmation by independent certified laboratory analysis using industry-accepted analytical methods for Lithium. Use of the LIBS system has only been possible through the fully compliant sample preparation set up at Zulu and is expected to expedite results and provide guidance to our resource development and ongoing drilling program. The LIBS system in use at Zulu has been calibrated using certified reference material and provides a high level of confidence in the results obtained.
“It is particularly pleasing that this intersection is from an area not previously included in our existing resource statement but was forecast as an exploration target. More encouraging and most pleasing is the apparent consistent average grade across what is a wide intersection. Our team at Zulu are heavily engaged in core cutting and sample preparation for the many wide intersections encountered in the completed holes and we are hugely excited to see these results and look forward to consistent reporting and early confirmation from independent laboratories, allowing for potential upgrading of the overall resource tonnage.
“Exploration activity is ongoing over the extended Exclusive Prospecting Order Area (“EPO”) and will now also extend to look at the gold potential in the region of the flooded shaft located within the EPO. Historic dumps at site hold potential to be assessed as much as a proper examination of the existing developments when we are able to dewater the mine.” Roach said.