Grid Metals Corp (TSXV:GRDM)(OTCQB:MSMGF) announced the results for the initial six holes of an ongoing exploration and resource delineation drilling program at its Donner Lake Lithium Property, located in the Bird River Greenstone Belt of southeastern Manitoba, 150 kilometers from Winnipeg. The holes targeted the Main Dyke pegmatite and included intersections of 9.5 metres of 1.4% Li2O, 4.3 metres of 1.6% Li2O and 3.4 metres of 1.7% Li2O. Drilling has now covered a strike length exceeding 800 metres and to a vertical depth of up to 250 metres. Donner Lake is a 75% / 25% joint venture with Lithium Royalty Corp.
Highlights
- 29 drill holes completed to date at approximately 70 to 90 m step out spacing to a ~ 250m vertical depth on the Main Dyke and along over 800 m of strike length.
- Spodumene has been noted in all 29 drill holes completed to date.
- The Main Dyke is showing excellent continuity of visible spodumene content and lithium grades and is maintaining a near vertical orientation.
- Drilling is also locally encountering one or more spodumene-rich pegmatites in the immediate hangingwall and footwall to the Main Dyke, such that the Main Dyke is now interpreted as a system of mineralogically similar LCT-type pegmatite bodies.
Robin Dunbar, President and CEO of Grid Metals commented,
“the current phase of exploration is off to an excellent start. Our focus in the current program is delineate the Main and Northwest dykes in order to establish an initial resource at the project. We will also be testing new exploration targets in the project area. We are looking to establish a “low footprint/high ESG credential” resource amenable to toll milling at the operating Tanco Mine – Canada’ only lithium producing mine which is located 35 km to the south of Donner Lake.”
Results to Date
To date a total of 29 drill holes have now been completed and six of those holes are reported here. Assays are pending for the other drill holes. The new drilling combined with the shallow holes completed in 2018 and previously reported by the Company covers more than 800 m strike length of the Main Dyke to an average vertical depth of approximately 200 – 250 meters.
An important initial result from the resource drilling along the Main Dyke trend is the recognition of multiple, sub-parallel pegmatite dykes. Drilling to date has intersected three distinct lithium-enriched pegmatites including the Upper Main Dyke, which ranges from 1.00 to 9.93 m width, the Main Dyke, which ranges from 1.00 to 7.58 m in width, and the Lower Main Dyke, which ranges from 1.08 to 3.71 m in width. Note that these widths represent the measured core length of the dykes and do not represent true widths.
Drilling Plans
Two rigs are currently drilling at the Property and will focus on the following objectives:
- Completing the initial phase of resource delineation
- Exploration drilling along the interpreted strike extensions of both the Main and Northwest dykes
- Initial testing of selected, historic lithogeochemical anomalies (see discussion, below) on the property and,
- Exploration drilling of other mapped lithium-bearing pegmatites that were identified in the 2022 field program, including the Southwest Dykes
The Company anticipates completing in excess of an additional 10,000 metres in the current drill campaign
Lithogeochemical Program
Most of the currently proposed exploration drill holes (see plan view map, above) are designed to test the southwest extension of the Main Dyke system, which is in part modeled from the results of a 1980’s lithogeochemical survey conducted by the Tantalum Mining Corporation (Tanco) [MB assessment report file #92397]. As shown there is a good correlation of the contoured lithium lithogeochemical anomalies and the known strike extent of the Main Dyke. Lithium enrichment in the host rocks to LCT-type pegmatites is interpreted to occur during pegmatite emplacement and involves metasomatic alteration that can extend for tens of metres to >100 metres away from the dyke margins.
Lithogeochemistry is a preferred exploration tool for rare element-enriched pegmatites. Accordingly, Grid completed a much larger lithogeochemical survey at the Property during summer and fall of 2022. The results from that survey are currently being evaluated and will be used to help guide future exploration at the Property over an expanded area.
Summary of the Donner Lake Lithium Property
The property is currently a 75% Grid / 25% Lithium Royalty Corp joint venture.
Grid has signed an MOU with Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada Limited ( Tanco ) with the purpose of establishing a toll milling operation (i.e., Grid mineralized material to be processed at the Tanco Mine).
A metallurgical study is in process on samples from both the Main Dyke and Northwest Dyke.
Year 1 baseline environmental field data collection has been completed.
An Advanced Exploration Permit from the Manitoba government to enable bulk samples to be collected is expected be submitted during this quarter.
A drone magnetic survey is currently being flown over the Donner Lake Property to assist in generating new exploration targets.
Continuous engagement is occurring with the Sagkeeng First Nation on whose traditional lands the project is situated on.
QAQC
The exploration program at Donner Lake is being supervised by Carey Galeschuk, P.Geo., who is an experienced lithium geologist with nearly three decades of exploration experience in the Bird River Belt with Grid Metals, Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada and other companies.
Grid Metals applies best practice quality assurance and quality control (“QAQC”) protocols on all it’s exploration programs. For the Donner Lake Lithium Project drilling program, core was logged and sampled at the Company’s core facility located on the Makwa Property.
Generally, 1.0 metre sample lengths were used. Samples were bagged and tagged and then transported by secure carrier to the Actlabs (Thunder Bay) laboratory for sample preparation and analysis for lithium, cesium, tantalum and selected major and trace element abundances using a sodium peroxide fusion total digestion method followed by ICP-OES and ICP-MS analysis. The Company is using two lithium + rare metal certified reference materials (“CRMs”) and an analytical blank for the program to monitor analytical accuracy and check for cross contamination between samples.
Mr. Galeschuk has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release with respect to NI 43-101 reporting guidelines.
