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Early reconnaissance for lithium – in areas where artisan workers had chiefly been seeking gemstones – has brought up rockchip grades higher than six percent for DY6 Metals (ASX:DY6) in Malawi.
The results were taken from eight samples in five different outcrop locations at the Mzimba South project, and included grades of 6.2 percent lithium in lepidolite.
DY6 has argued the results show potential for a major lithium discovery, particularly given the indication of LCT (lithium–caesium–tantalum) pegmatite-hosted mineralisation in the samples.
The company holds exclusive licenses over 710.5 square kilometres for the Mzimba project areas, and its exploration is the first targeting lithium in Malawi, although other low level mining work had been done there.
Artisanal workers had been excavating pegmatites for gemstones – including tourmaline, aquamarine and beryl – at the Mzimba South outcrop sites, with the exposed pegmatites revealed as being heavily kaolonised, with the lepidolite and quartz zones appearing less weathered.
DY6 CEO Lloyd Kaiser said these initial sampling results, plus the project’s significant licence area – largely untouched in terms of LCT pegmatites – provided strong indicators for the future.
“We are excited to have identified high grade lithium of over 6 percent received from Mzimba’s first pass reconnaissance visit,” he said.
“We believe this was the first real exploration for lithium in Malawi and given the extensive project areas and noted pegmatite workings by artisanal miners, we are just starting to scratch the surface here and looking forward to further sampling over the coming months and positive assay results from these programs.”
DY6 has progressed to rock chip sampling work – consisting of six samples from six outcrop locations – at Mzimba South and Central, with these being prepared for dispatch to SGS South Africa.
DY6 Metals is trading at 4c.
