Confirms First High-Grade Lithium Discovery in Newfoundland
Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SIC) (OTCQB: SICNF) and Benton Resources Inc. have confirmed the potential of the recently discovered swarm of Lithium-bearing pegmatite dikes on the Golden Hope Joint Venture Project in southwestern Newfoundland with the analyses of 35 of 58 follow-up samples.
The 35 grab and chip samples were collected over a one sq. km area over the swarm of poorly-exposed pegmatite and aplite dykes.
The follow-up sampling has confirmed that the pegmatites carry significant Lithium values, the first significant occurrence of Lithium documented in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Highlights:
- 31.4% of the samples gave values >1% Li2O
- Additional results are pending (23 samples) along a one km strike of pegmatites
- =Lithium, Beryllium, Cesium, Rubidium and Tantalum values were located two km to the west of the initial discovery
- Of the 35 samples, 11 gave values greater than 1% Li2O with three greater than 2% Li2O, and a high of 2.37% Li2O.
The dominant Lithium-bearing mineral appears to be spodumene (LiAl(SiO3)2) which occurs as clusters of elongated prismatic crystals up to five-cm-long in a grey-white matrix of glassy quartz and feldspar and a pale-green to white mica (see photo of sample 361716).
Multiple samples from the aplite dikes give highly-anomalous Cesium (17 ppm to 508 ppm Cs), Rubidium (226 ppm to 1310 ppm Rb) and Tantalum (five ppm to 179 ppm Ta), typical of evolved pegmatite swarms.
Samples 361715-718 were a series of 0.5 sq.m composite samples from the discovery outcrop that measures 10m x 3m and is 100% pegmatite. The dike margins are overburden covered and actual width of the dike is not known.
All other samples were taken over the broader mineralised area.
The Alliance also discovered high-grade Beryllium values with two grab samples grading >5000 ppm Be, with others ranging from 6 ppm to >5000 ppm Be, with associated anomalous Lithium, Cesium, Rubidium and Tantalum values.
These samples, mineralogy unknown, are located approximately two km to the west of the Li discovery, providing further evidence that it is an evolved pegmatite system.
Additional samples, taken up to 1,000 m along strike, have been submitted for analysis and are pending.
“We are very pleased to have unequivocally verified high-grade Lithium mineralisation at Golden Hope, the first such significant occurrence in Newfoundland,” Sokoman’s President and CEO, Tim Froude, said.
“While still early days, significant Lithium mineralization in similar geological settings, elsewhere in the greater Appalachian belt, bodes well for the potential of this discovery to be of significance to our shareholders.
{While continuing to explore the pegmatites for Li and associated elements, the claims were originally staked for gold and we are presently processing and merging our recently-flown airborne data with pre-existing data to highlight gold targets on the 750 sq km property.”
The Alliance has completed a 5,709 line-km Heliborne, High-Resolution, Aeromagnetic and Matrix Digital VLF-EM Survey, flown by Terraquest Ltd.
The survey will provide the structural/ lithological setting to help identify gold-bearing structure extensions, as well as any unrecognised structures including those potentially related to the Lithium-bearing pegmatites.
For further information please visit: https://sokomanmineralscorp.com/
