A Canadian resolution
March 29, 2023Wayne Richards’ agreeable persona could quickly render you ill-prepared for his resolute logic in developing a lithium mining project.
The dual-rolled Burley Minerals boss and former high-ranking BHP and Anaconda Nickel executive is beyond excited to begin drilling at his company’s recently acquired Chubb Lithium Project in Canada – a country yet to officially start producing in any serious way, despite accounting for around 2.5 per cent of the world’s known lithium deposits.
Wayne Richards at the entry point to target exploration areas just 2 km from the highway
Several lithium mining projects are underway, with Lithium Americas and Frontier Lithium hoping to begin production this year, flanked by Nemaska Lithium in 2025.
And Richards instinctively knows Chubb is equipped with the potential to be a company making project development.
Still, his team will be rigorously confirming what he feels in his gut, followed by careful consideration and planning, all going well at the pre-feasibility stage.
“We know that we could have up to 40 per cent lithium-bearing spodumene pegmatites in easy-to-access granitic interfaces at Chubb,” Richards says.
“This means it is potentially feasible to open pit mine comparatively high-grade lithium mineralisation with in-situ grades as high as 2.34 % Li2O.
“We will soon know the upgradability of the spodumene ore and its concentration/recovery upside potential via metallurgical test work.
“The test work will be coordinated to develop a preliminary processing and beneficiation plant design, ideally using only traditional and readily accessible low cost crushing/screening/cycloning and Dense Media Separation.”
In other words, Burley envisions a comparatively more straightforward, sustainable and cheaper-to-operate plant with lower CAPEX and power demand and higher Li recoveries.
“Our process can have less deleterious minerals in the 6% Li2O concentrate,” Richards contends.
“We want to understand the quantum and quality of the potential lithium deposits retained within the Chubb Lithium Project’s footprint.
“To do that, we will explore areas within our 35 Mineral Claims ( with known Lithium-bearing spodumene pegmatite outcropping), to better map, drill and perform metallurgical test work to fully document and interpret lithology, ore orientation, dip angles, and grade-width and quality at depth.”
A Journey of Understanding
Richards has a shopping list of wants before he even thinks about putting a mineral resource estimate into the market.
Top of the list is a detailed understanding of geological events and the deposition structure of the in-situ lithium-bearing spodumene.
The Chubb Lithium Project sits just 10 km from North America Lithium Mine and Processing Plant undergoing recommissioning by Sayona Mining and Piedmont Lithi. um JV
Likewise, he demands a complete comprehension of Chubb’s minerals, mineralisation and orientation of the ore.
“Key mineral logging and interpretation will provide these insights, with the ultimate intention of confidently developing a maiden resource estimate,” Richards says.
“A scoping study will follow, which is expected to ascertain the project’s critical economics based on our envisioned optimal processing solution and potentially higher-grade production throughput.”
A Two-Pronged Approach
The first phase of drilling will start in just a matter of days, and hopes are running high early indications stand correct and provide a further boost to the project’s already considerable upside.
Testwork will be focused on pushing out the extent of known mineralised areas on strike that remain overwhelmingly open at depth and in most directions at the surface.
Richards says his team is confident follow-up drilling will re-confirm the calibre of the high-grade zone within the Main Dyke, and will expand strike, plus increase the width, grade and depth in just the first two of many future target areas.
“We believe there are at least five spodumene-bearing dykes, maybe even more, based upon gravimetric analysis and ground magnetic data extending from the east to the west of the Main Dyke,” he says.
“We know the large crystal structure of the Main Dyke extends north and south, and part of the first phase of 5000 metres of infill drilling is to gain an even more accurate estimate of the size, grade and shape of the mineralised structures, ultimately in all directions.”
Meanwhile, Chubb’s promising northwest quadrant is showing more significant promise, with initial results from mapped pegmatites showing enormous potential for extension.
Work will start following the winter thaw in May 2023.
“The first phase of exploration drilling within the documented and previously drilled Main Dyke will provide comprehensive data without further infill and instep drilling in that area – supporting the modelling and geological quality to define an MRE,” Richards says.
“A recent review of the Diamond Core from the 2021 and 2022 historical drilling programmes has been re-logged in January 2023.
“With the data now captured and orientated to reflect key minerals expected to be encountered and their association within the ore body of mineralised zones.
The Phase 1 and future Phase 2 drilling program data can be expediently uplifted into our Expedio database and modelled in the Snowden geological model.
“With drilling just days away, and the fact that known lithium-bearing spodumene pegmatites are present, we can’t wait to commence our maiden drill programme to understand better the exploration and commercialisation potential of the Chubb Lithium Project.”
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