A lithium mining entity, Li3 Lithium Corp. involved in prospecting globally strategic lithium mineral, has announced significant progress in its ongoing exploration program at the Mutare Lithium Project. The company has discovered lithium deposits spanning over a 1.2-kilometre area at the Nels Luck pegmatite target, indicating the presence of significant lithium resources in that specific location.
Li3 Lithium holds a 50 percent ownership interest in the project, with the remaining 50 percent owned by Premier African Minerals Limited, which operates the Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Mine in Zimbabwe.
The analysis of samples taken from 842 channel samples collected from trenches during the initial phase of the 2023 exploration program to determine the quantity and quality of minerals present suggest presence of the mineral. The samples were sent for analysis in June and July. François Auclair, the CEO and president of Li3 Lithium, expressed optimism about the results, stating that the trenching program confirmed substantial lithium mineralization at the Mutare Lithium Project. Auclair said:
The trenching program conducted by Li3 Lithium has confirmed wide, well-developed pegmatite lithium mineralization at the Mutare Lithium Project, which remains open at depth and along strike.
Initial assay results from the first-half of the 2023 trenching and surface sampling programs are promising given that the Nels Luck area of the Mutare Lithium Project is just 15km from the world-class Sabi Star Lithium Tantalum Mine.
A phase one diamond drilling program, up to 5,000 meters targeting the Nels Luck area, is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks as we begin to define the grade, thickness, and spatial continuity of the pegmatite trends.
A phase one diamond drilling program is scheduled to commence in the near future to further evaluate the pegmatite trends.
The Mutare Lithium Project, situated in eastern Zimbabwe’s Mutare Greenstone Belt, is adjacent to the Sabi Star Lithium Tantalum Mine. The area is considered highly prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites. Zimbabwe possesses abundant lithium reserves and ranks sixth in the world, prompting the government to address smuggling issues that have resulted in significant lost mining earnings. Various lithium players, including Arcadia Mine, Zulu Lithium Mine, Bikita Minerals, and the upcoming Kamativi Mine, operate within Zimbabwe.