Specialty metals explorer and developer Pan Asia Metals (ASX: PAM) has announced an inaugural mineral resource estimate for its wholly-owned Reung Kiet lithium project in southern Thailand.
The estimate stands at 10.4 million tonnes grading 0.44% lithium oxide, 0.04% tin, 0.009% tantalum pentoxide, 0.16% rubidium and 0.02% caesium for approximately 113,000 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent.
Managing director Paul Lock said it was the outcome of an 18-month diamond drilling campaign.
“This mineral resource is based on our ongoing drilling at Reung Kiet and we have an additional minimum 20 holes planned of infill and extensional work which should enable an upgrade to the estimate later this year,” he said.
“We expect any upgrades will see an increase to the resource tonnage and the conversion from inferred to indicated category and possibly measured.”
Increasing the grade
Mr Lock said there was potential to increase the project’s run-of-mine grade.
“This is a function of our geology, being largely a pegmatite dyke-vein swarm, and the block model used to define the resource,” he said.
“The model we are working with means we capture low grade or waste siltstone in the block, which will see the average grade of the mineral resource diluted, as much of the lithium mineralisation is contained within the pegmatite.”
A process of ore sorting which rejects the siltstone is being used on similar projects worldwide and will form part of Pan Asia’s scoping study for the Reung Kiet development.
“If that process is successful, we will see an uplift in the head grade to the beneficiation plant which means we will be processing a higher grade ore than what is reflected in our resource estimate,” Mr Lock said.
Historical project
Reung Kiet is a historical hard-rock lithium project with pegmatites chiefly composed of quartz, albite, lepidolite and muscovite and minor cassiterite and tantalite as well as other accessory minerals, including some rare earths.
Open pit mining in the 1970s extracted tin and tantalum from the weathered pegmatites and was focused primarily on the northern half of the mineral resource trend.
The inaugural mineral resource estimate for Reung Kiet is based on 46 diamond drill holes completed during Pan Asia’s 18-month campaign.
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