- Yolanda Torrisi
- +61 412 261 870
- yolanda@yolandatorrisi.com
- Nina van Wyk
- +27 82 926 3882
- nina@africanminingnetwork.com
Six Sigma Metals has completed a reverse circulation drilling program at the Bonnyvale prospect of its Shamva Lithium Project in Zimbabwe. All holes in the high-priority prospect intersected pegmatite dykes and confirmed that lithium mineralisation continues at depth below surface outcrops and old workings.
Lithium minerals including spodumene and lepidolite were identified in all pegmatite drill intersections.
The program was part of Six Sigma's due diligence assessment of the project.
It was conducted as a first pass to test the morphology, thickness and depth extent of the Bonnyvale pegmatite dykes and targeted a small area of the Bonnyvale pegmatite field where outcropping pegmatite dykes containing historic mine workings are mapped.
Rock sampling across the Bonnyvale pegmatite field has previously returned high-grade lithium mineralisation, including 61 surface rock samples that had lithium grades at over 2% Li2O.
The 5-hole drilling program has provided the company with important information about the geometry and thickness of pegmatite dykes at Bonnyvale.
Once assay results are received the company will have further valuable information regarding the continuity and tenor of lithium mineralisation within the dykes below surface outcrops. Results are expected this month.
The thickest single dyke has an interpreted true thickness of between 10 and 12 metres while there were down-hole pegmatite drill intersections of up to 9 metres, 14 metres and 36 metres.
Pegmatites occur as either thick dykes or narrow, sheeted dykes and pegmatites extend to at least 60 metres depth vertically below the surface.
Company directors are confident, based on the spread of mineralised rock samples, that the discovery of further pegmatite dykes related to surface mineralisation is likely at Bonnyvale.
In addition to Bonnyvale, the Shamva project consists of a further four prospect areas containing significant occurrences of outcropping pegmatite that remain to be drill tested.
The Bonnyvale samples are being prepared for transport to an independent laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa.