Lithium hunter Torque sends second rig to drill potential Bald Hill pegmatite extensions

TOR mobilising second rig to New Dawn project, just 600m along strike from Bald Hill lithium mine
Company confident drill-proven pegmatites could be extension of the producing mine
Two rigs will now drill pegmatite bodies simultaneously

Torque Metals has accelerated its inaugural reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at its New Dawn lithium project in WA, mobilising a second rig to site.

The company picked up the Penzance tenements in the Tier-1 WA Goldfields mining district last month, with the current focus on New Dawn, which is, 600m along strike from the established Bald Hill mine. 

New Dawn lithium consists of two mining licences that were historically explored for tantalum, which culminated in a resource of 1.04Mt at 160ppm Ta2O5 down to 30m below surface – but the asset was never explored for lithium.

Early exploration conducted by Torque Metals (ASX:TOR) in August identified multiple outcropping pegmatites and rock chip samples grading up to an eye-watering 6% Li2O.

The company now interprets that its drill-proven pegmatite bodies at New Dawn are a westerly continuation of those mined at Bald Hill.

This drilling program is designed to extend multiple vertically stacked pegmatites which, if mineralised, will demonstrate potential for significant scale of lithium bearing spodumene at New Dawn.

Pegmatites could be continuation of Bald Hill

All four RC holes drilled to date have intersected multiple, deeper vertically stacked pegmatites, and the two rigs will now test multiple pegmatite targets simultaneously.

“Initial diamond drilling results demonstrated positive lithium and tantalum grades that parallel the early stages of exploration recorded at the adjacent Bald Hill mine,” MD Cristian Moreno said.

“One of the emerging, standout features of the New Dawn lithium project is the presence of multiple, vertically stacked pegmatites, these geological formations holding the key to potentially proving up significant pegmatite volumes.

“Much like the Bald Hill mine, New Dawn’s vertically stacked pegmatites are potential hosts for spodumene lithium mineralisation.”

Moreno said it’s worth noting similarities with the transformation of Bald Hill by Tawana Resources.

“In its early stages, the transition from a tantalum mine to a lithium mine saw thin, low-grade intercepts near surface,” he said.

“Deeper drilling uncovered the true potential of the site, yielding impressive lithium grades.

“At New Dawn, geological logging and inspections of core under UV light identified the presence of spodumene crystals.”

Pic: Torque’s interpreted model of pegmatite lithium tantalum bodies. Source: TOR.

Two rigs on site and assays pending

Assay results are imminent for three diamond holes already drilled at the project, and assay results from the RC drill holes are expected in mid-November.

“With two drilling rigs now active at New Dawn, the pace and intensity of the exploration effort has been significantly accelerated,” Moreno said.

“Torque’s move to speed up its due diligence assessment reflects the company’s growing confidence in the project’s promise.”

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Torque Metals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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