admin
Oliver Kazunga
Senior Business Reporter
UNITED Kingdom-headquartered mining group, Galileo Resources says it is encouraged by the assay results obtained from Phase 1 drilling programme completed recently at its Kamativi Lithium-Tin Mine in Matabeleland North Province.
The Alternative Investment Market (AIM)-listed entity started exploration at the Kamativi asset and its gold project in Bubi near Bulawayo last year.
The Kamativi Lithium project is adjacent to the defunct Kamativi Tin Mine, which contains a significant lithium resource in tailings, mainly in the form of spodumene, which is the most sought-after lithium mineral globally.
In an update released this week, Galileo which is also engaged in the exploration and development of copper, rare earth aggregates, iron ore and manganese, said it was thrilled by the Phase 1 drill assay results received for the Kamativi Lithium-Tin project.
Samples from which the full assay results have been obtained were collected over an area of about one kilometre by 0,5km under the 10-hole Phase 1 angled drilling programme.
The group’s chairman and chief executive officer Mr Colin Bird said this was their initial reconnaissance drilling programme which has yielded encouraging results peaking at 1,03 percent lithium oxide (Li2O) over four metres.
“An unusual feature of this discovery is the spread of highly anomalous lithium through the mica schist host rock as opposed to being solely contained within the pegmatite.
“We have no doubt that discordant pegmatites are the drivers to lithium content and our mapping programmes have located more discordant pegmatites than previously recognised,” he said.
“On the basis that the nearby Kamativi mine was a long-producing tin operation it comes as no surprise that we also see anomalous tin associated with these discordant pegmatites, in some cases coincident with lithium.
“We are pleased with the outcome of the reconnaissance drilling programme and our ongoing field work.”
Outside Zimbabwe, Galileo’s projects include the Kalahari copper belt project in Botswana, Ferber Project, Kashitu Project and Star Zinc Project as well as the Glenover rare earth project and Concordia Copper Project.
Mr Bird said they intend to undertake further drilling for lithium and tin at Kamativi based on the Phase 1 drilling outcome and results of the mapping work.
Further exploration will focus specifically on cross-cutting pegmatite/aplite dykes as well as the source of the widespread lithium occurrences both within the current Target 1 and at four other identified target zones on the asset.
“In addition to the lithium/tin exploration, the company has also undertaken exploration over targets in the vicinity of the historic Gwaii Copper Mine in the southern part of the licence, where new soil anomalies have been identified. These will be followed up concurrently with the lithium/tin programme,” he said.
Presently, lithium is one of the most sought-after minerals given its centrality in the manufacture of lithium batteries used in electrical vehicles.
Demand for the base metal is expected to grow exponentially across the globe as the world transitions to EVs which are part of key initiatives on the international market aimed at steering away from steering away from sources of non-renewable energies to reduce emissions that drive pollution hazardous to the environment.
Zimbabwe is considered the sixth largest producer of lithium and is expected to benefit significantly from the growing demand for the base metal and EVs despite the current slump of commodity prices on the international market.
Online Reporter