Lithium exploration and project development company Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) has received “highly encouraging” results from a mobile metal ion (MMI) soil geochemistry program at the Northern Prospects of its flagship Mavis Lake project in Canada.
MMI analysis is known to generate few false anomalies and supports the detection of buried mineralisation with low background values (low noise) and very low detection limits.
Completed late last year, the program saw the collection of 1,365 samples with a view to developing and refining future drill targets beneath the glaciolacustrine clay-rich overburden in the area.
It returned anomalous values of lithium, caesium and rubidium interpreted to be linked to the Tot pegmatite system and other undiscovered lithium-caesium-tantalum-type pegmatites covered by overburden.
Key mineralisation trends
The results demonstrated key mineralisation trends extending from exposed outcrops that had previously returned grades of up to 4.58% lithium oxide from rock chip samples.
They also identified a lithium anomaly extending over a 1.25-kilometre strike length along the Tot trend.
The untapped potential of the Northern Prospects is expected to be unlocked using the same exploration approach applied at the Mavis Lake Main Zone, where Critical has delineated a maiden mineral resource of 8 million tonnes grading 1.07% lithium oxide with significant growth potential.
Exploration upside
Managing director Alex Cheeseman said the results reinforce the company’s belief in the Northern Prospects’ exploration potential.
“The correlation of high lithium, caesium and rubidium concentrations from soils originating from the Tot outcrop provides high confidence that the system extends under cover,” he said.
“We believe that ongoing systematic exploration and ultimately future drill testing of the Northern Prospects holds significant promise for expanding the resource base of the Mavis Lake project.”
He said ongoing work would continue to build confidence in future drill targets, allowing the company to invest in targeted drilling programs to achieve efficient resource growth.
“We expect to further build-out the exploration and resource growth pipeline at Mavis Lake to firmly cement it as a major deposit within this prolific region,” he said.
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