Voltaic Strategic Resources Ltd (ASX: VSR) has started a 3,000m ‘Phase 2’ drilling campaign at its Ti Tree Lithium Project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region after drilling intercepted up to 58m of continuous pegmatites from surface in May.
The company’s primary aim is to define the extents and along-strike continuity of Andrada’s wide pegmatites, and to test additional ‘first-pass’ targets at ‘Andrada’ and the nearby Morpheus prospect, around 2km to the north-east (see Figures 2-5). Figure 1. Phase 2 drilling underway at Andrada prospect, Ti Tree project.
Both targets are located within the “Volta Corridor” – a major belt of lithium-bearing pegmatites hosting Delta Lithium’s (ASX: DLI) Yinnietharra Lithium Project where a 90,000m drill programme is underway.
Voltaic’s drilling to date has only tested the top ~29m vertical depth from surface and several of the large pegmatites identified remain open at depth and without any bounding lithological contacts. Deeper drilling into fresher / less oxidized zones should assist with identifying lithological contacts and provide enhanced geochemical vectoring data down-dip as we transition beyond water table and oxidation boundaries (see Figures. 6‒8). Based on regional drilling data along the Volta’ corridor, the pegmatites in some instances are observed to be unmineralized for several hundred meters before fractionating into mineralised LCT zones, and this is likely due to depletion or structural controls.
These factors control the physical dimension of pegmatites, their repetition, continuity etc. When combined with the pending assay data from ‘Phase 1’, this campaign will provide valuable structural and lithological data to guide subsequent deeper drilling into the most prospective modelled parts of the LCT system at Ti Tree. Ti Tree project tenement map. Neighbour Delta Lithium’s Yinnietharra tenure also shown.
Voltaic chief executive Mr Michael Walshe said “Phase 1 drilling success combined with the company’s recent Placement which raised A$7.1M and was strongly supported by existing and new shareholders, had expedited the Phase 2 campaign.”
“Significant width (up to 58m) pegmatites were intersected from surface at the Andrada prospect at targets LCT6 and LCT12 (see Figure 3) in Phase 1, where we drilled a modest 15 shallow holes for 894m.” Mr Walshe said.
