REG-ECR Minerals plc Lithium-Tantalum-Niobium Stream Anomalies Identified at Lolworth, Queensland
23/12/2022 07:15
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Lithium-Tantalum-Niobium Stream Anomalies Identified at Lolworth, Queensland
ECR MINERALS plc
(“ECR Minerals”, “ECR” or the “Company”)
Lithium-Tantalum-Niobium Stream Anomalies Identified at Lolworth, Queensland
ECR Minerals plc (LON: ECR), the exploration and development company focused
on gold in Australia, is pleased to announce encouraging Lithium, Tantalum and
Niobium anomalies identified within the first round of results from the recent
stream sediment sampling campaign undertaken at the Lolworth Range project,
North Queensland, Australia.
ECR Minerals plc has 100% ownership of three exploration tenements (EPM27901,
EPM27902 and EPM27903), which covers the Lolworth Range, located 120km west of
the famous gold district of Charters Towers. The project is being explored by
ECR’s Australian wholly owned subsidiary Lux Exploration Pty Ltd
(“LUX”).
HIGHLIGHTS
* Encouraging Anomalous Lithium (Li), Tantalum (Ta) and Niobium (Nb) results
recognised in the first batch of stream samples to date.
* Li-Ta-Nb anomalies are present in streams draining from a common area.
* Still awaiting results from a further 212 stream sediment samples.
* Multiple un-sampled pegmatites observed throughout the tenements.
ECR CEO Andrew Haythorpe commented: “In our recent interview I stated how
the early results from our 2022 Lolworth campaign were way in excess of my
expectations. In addition to the visible gold reported across a number of
samples, the fact that the first batch of stream samples contain significant
levels of Lithium, Tantalum and Niobium is significant for ECR as an
exploration company, as it adds a new dimension to our shareholder and
investor proposition. It is still early days, but this first set of sample
results is an exciting development for our Company.”
“I reiterate my statement from the recent interview: I believe we have laid
some great foundations for our shareholders in 2022, and our Board are excited
by the potential for further discoveries across our projects in 2023.”
The location of Lithium, Tantalum and Niobium anomalies within ECR’s
Lolworth tenements are shown on the plan located here:
Figure 1: https://www.ecrminerals.com/images/2022/Fig1_Li-Ta-Nb-LUX_221222.png
MULTI-ELEMENT ANALYSIS
ECR reported multiple gold anomalies from the first round of stream sediment
results on December 12 2022 (see RNS here
(https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/ecr_minerals_plc/news/rns/story/ry502kw)
). In addition to assaying for gold, ECR undertook a 4-acid digest, ME-ICP
analysis of these samples.
ME-ICP results show a number of the samples are high in Lithium (Li), Niobium
(Ni) and Tantalum (Ta). 30 samples have a Lithium content greater than 1000
ppm (0.1%). 15 samples have a Niobium content greater than 500 ppm (0.05%) and
7 samples are greater than 300 ppm (0.03%) in Tantalum. All results have been
statistically analysed, standardised and ranked into groups accordingly by a
‘standard deviation range’ from the average in the keys on the spatially
plotted maps in Figure 1 (See above).
Li-Ta-Nb ANOMALOUS LOCATIONS
Figure 1 above shows clustered high Lithium to be concentrated within what is
known as Gorge Creek. In particular, concentrations are particular present in
drainages falling in from the east side of Gorge Creek.
Tantalum and Niobium minerals (such as Columbite-Tantalite) are often found
together. Figure 1 above shows this to be the case with the main
concentrations located in drainages related to a north flowing tributary to
Glen Creek. Tantalum is also present in some of the drainages that contain
Lithium within the Gorge Creek area.
The presence of Ta and Nb in the first batch of stream samples is significant,
in that anomalous Ta and Nb is within watercourses that are draining the same
mountain ridges where the Li-bearing watercourses are also sourced. Primary
Li-Ta-Nb mineralisation is often sourced from LCT (lithium-Caesium-Tantalum)
pegmatites. During the recent stream sampling campaign, pegmatitic rocks were
seen and although it has not yet been established whether these pegmatite
rocks contain Lithium, Tantalum or Niobium, the ECR Board have taken the
decision to sample these pegmatites in next year’s exploration campaign.
This sampling will be followed up alongside the reported gold anomalies.
TABLE 1: Stream Sampling results to date for Lithium (Li), Tantalum (Ta) and
Niobium (Nb), arranged by decreasing Lithium values.
SampleID Easting (GDA94-Z55) Northing (GDA94-Z55) Li Nb Ta
ppm ppm ppm
LWSS153 314177 7750104 11300 16 10
LWSS263 315668 7749611 10400 17 30
LWSS260 314761 7749497 7640 21 50
LWSS265 315862 7749728 7500 21 250
LWSS299 312481 7752372 7030 19 30
LWSS262 315110 7749620 6990 21 20
LWSS310 307401 7750946 6370 37 30
LWSS304 312678 7751527 4730 19 40
LWSS211 313613 7751298 4720 17 20
LWSS311 306543 7750203 4650 22 30
LWSS155 315871 7750430 4540 12 200
LWSS264 316057 7749541 4470 12 10
LWSS149 314050 7749308 3800 16 120
LWSS267 313740 7747905 3690 28 110
LWSS157 315638 7750751 3640 10 80
LWSS148 314497 7750420 3630 18 60
LWSS198 308766 7749452 3390 21 20
LWSS212 313254 7751090 3180 21 10
LWSS259 314827 7749266 3000 27 100
LWSS159 315634 7750949 2790 15 150
LWSS213 314792 7751560 2790 7 10
LWSS266 314210 7748585 2630 43 170
LWSS147 314728 7750217 2550 10 10
LWSS261 315704 7749178 2540 19 20
LWSS214 315085 7751833 2430 12 680
LWSS215 314111 7751469 2150 24 30
LWSS151 313877 7749836 1800 21 60
LWSS156 315934 7750591 1725 14 10
LWSS199 309150 7750178 1265 23 10
LWSS154 313066 7750055 1205 16 20
LWSS158 315522 7750861 954 20 230
LWSS302 311523 7749673 686 18 10
LWSS300 312627 7751525 679 18 10
LWSS303 312124 7749962 671 27 50
LWSS150 313877 7749442 567 20 50
LWSS016 315186 7757739 20 2000 1230
LWSS161 314025 7751352 20 21 10
LWSS001 313692 7754116 10 1450 480
LWSS004 313731 7755304 10 1150 430
LWSS010 314122 7755631 10 1345 390
LWSS012 314429 7756692 10 1435 340
LWSS013 314749 7757292 10 1020 310
LWSS014 315088 7757059 10 662 280
LWSS015 315398 7757471 10 691 240
LWSS019 315000 7758786 10 701 230
LWSS020 314845 7759325 10 555 230
LWSS021 314880 7759692 10 896 220
LWSS022 315123 7759928 10 796 220
LWSS023 315423 7759960 10 698 190
LWSS047 316619 7762170 10 589 180
LWSS048 316799 7762572 10 600 150
LWSS049 316520 7763146 10 411 140
LWSS050 317024 7762572 10 332 120
LWSS051 317701 7762773 10 344 120
LWSS052 317687 7762589 10 433 120
LWSS053 320247 7759063 10 394 100
LWSS054 320614 7759154 10 280 100
LWSS055 320485 7759341 10 232 90
LWSS056 322200 7758347 10 338 80
LWSS057 322298 7759119 10 357 80
LWSS058 322401 7759109 10 315 70
LWSS077 298690 7758966 10 203 50
LWSS078 299057 7758698 10 179 50
LWSS079 297703 7759449 10 153 50
LWSS080 296668 7758625 10 146 50
LWSS081 296770 7758311 10 163 50
LWSS082 296660 7761733 10 148 50
LWSS083 297026 7761835 10 210 50
LWSS084 296931 7761606 10 132 40
LWSS085 296445 7761243 10 77 40
LWSS086 296497 7760905 10 157 40
LWSS087 298260 7760330 10 106 40
LWSS088 297121 7760196 10 168 40
LWSS089 298907 7761224 10 168 40
LWSS090 298814 7761280 10 78 30
LWSS091 299379 7761447 10 105 30
LWSS092 299499 7761370 10 79 20
LWSS093 298823 7760665 10 94 20
LWSS094 299023 7760941 10 110 20
LWSS095 299113 7758233 10 26 10
LWSS096 299042 7758162 10 26 10
LWSS097 297749 7758092 10 56 10
LWSS098 297587 7757887 10 31 10
LWSS099 297343 7758123 10 19 10
LWSS100 297855 7756964 10 44 10
LWSS101 298880 7756788 10 42 10
LWSS103 298827 7756012 10 37 10
LWSS104 298923 7755998 10 89 10
LWSS105 298380 7756231 10 7 10
LWSS106 297597 7756893 10 12 10
LWSS107 295140 7758331 10 41 10
LWSS108 294982 7758582 10 19 10
LWSS109 294996 7757753 10 34 10
LWSS110 295174 7757482 10 5 10
LWSS112 294249 7760316 10 5 10
LWSS113 294516 7759731 10 88 10
LWSS114 294601 7760538 10 36 10
LWSS115 300995 7758832 10 18 10
LWSS116 301122 7758691 10 5 10
LWSS117 301316 7758712 10 67 10
LWSS118 300925 7757017 10 78 10
LWSS119 301164 7757644 10 33 10
LWSS120 301614 7759087 10 21 10
LWSS121 302020 7761157 10 49 10
LWSS122 302221 7760593 10 14 10
LWSS123 302598 7760783 10 13 10
LWSS124 301584 7759673 10 26 10
LWSS125 300997 7760547 10 42 10
LWSS160 314212 7751253 10 35 10
LWSS162 314191 7751930 10 25 10
LWSS163 314060 7752103 10 11 10
LWSS164 314120 7751648 10 41 10
LWSS184 321213 7753612 10 17 10
LWSS185 321160 7752942 10 21 10
LWSS186 321273 7752575 10 5 10
LWSS187 321527 7752498 10 9 10
LWSS188 321604 7752635 10 5 10
LWSS189 320156 7754105 10 56 10
LWSS190 319775 7753062 10 5 10
LWSS204 316062 7752448 10 5 10
LWSS205 315876 7752635 10 31 10
LWSS206 317254 7753680 10 30 10
LWSS207 316998 7753627 10 58 10
LWSS208 317012 7752528 10 72 10
LWSS209 317656 7751602 10 50 10
LWSS210 317846 7752778 10 34 10
REVIEW OF ANNOUNCEMENT BY QUALIFIED PERSON
This announcement has been reviewed by Adam Jones, Technical Director of
Exploration at ECR Minerals plc. Adam Jones is a professional geologist and is
a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG). He is a
qualified person as that term is defined by the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and
Gas Companies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
ECR Minerals plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7929 1010
David Tang, Non-Executive Chairman
Andrew Haythorpe, CEO
Email:
info@ecrminerals.com (mailto:info@ecrminerals.com)
Website: www.ecrminerals.com
(http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecrminerals.com%2F&esheet=51817334&newsitemid=20221223005042&newsitemid=20180605005810&lan=en-US&anchor=www.ecrminerals.com&index=1&md5=820ad49dc1fc2c84a0538453c017bc1b)
WH Ireland Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666
Nominated Adviser
Katy Mitchell / Andrew de Andrade
SI Capital Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1483 413500
Broker
Nick Emerson
Novum Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7399 9425
Broker
Jon Belliss
Brand Communications Tel: +44 (0) 7976 431608
Public & Investor Relations
Alan Green
ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC
ECR Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company. ECR’s wholly
owned Australian subsidiary Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd (“MGA”) has
100% ownership of the Bailieston and Creswick gold projects in central
Victoria, Australia, has six licence applications outstanding which includes
one licence application lodged in eastern Victoria. (Tambo gold project). MGA
is currently drilling at the Bailieston Blue Moon Project (EL5433) and
undertaking geochemical exploration on the Creswick (EL6148) project and has
an experienced exploration team with significant local knowledge in the
Victoria Goldfields and wider region.
ECR also owns 100% of an Australian subsidiary LUX Exploration Pty Ltd
(“LUX”) which has three approved exploration permits covering 946 km(2)
over a relatively unexplored area in Queensland, Australia.
Following the sale of the Avoca, Moormbool and Timor gold projects in
Victoria, Australia to Fosterville South Exploration Ltd (TSX-V: FSX) and the
subsequent spin-out of the Avoca and Timor projects to Leviathan Gold Ltd
(TSX-V: LVX), Mercator Gold Australia Pty Limited has the right to receive up
to A$2 million in payments subject to future resource estimation or production
from projects sold to Fosterville South Exploration Limited.
ECR holds a 70% interest in the Danglay gold project; an advanced exploration
project located in a prolific gold and copper mining district in the north of
the Philippines, which has a 43-101 compliant resource. ECR also holds a
royalty on the SLM gold project in La Rioja Province, Argentina and can
potentially receive up to US$2.7 million in aggregate across all licences
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