Reach locks in lithium at emerging Gascoyne hotspot

Reach Resources has confirmed the presence of lithium at its Morrissey Hill and Wabli Creek projects following a successful sampling program across its tenements in Western Australia's emerging Gascoyne region.

Samples from the company's Bonzer prospect that forms part of Morrissey Hill returned significant results, including one assay showing 2.3 per cent lithium oxide in addition to 4295 parts per million caesium, 705.8ppm tantalum oxide and 7978ppm rubidium. Other solid assays from Bonzer include 1.4 per cent lithium oxide, 2873ppm caesium, 714.4ppm tantalum oxide and 4891ppm rubidium, while another sample returned 1.3 per cent lithium oxide, 2205ppm caesium, 243.4ppm tantalum oxide and 4108ppm rubidium.

Management says the assays identify Bonzer as a clear drill target, with consistent lithium grades from a big pegmatite about 1.5km long.

Reach is reporting further positive samples from its Malibu prospect, also part of Morrissey Hill and south-east of Bonzer, with assay highlights showing 6524ppm lithium oxide, 505ppm caesium, 81.1ppm tantalum oxide and 1462ppm rubidium. Additional results include one sample showing 3547ppm lithium oxide, 190ppm caesium, 153.8ppm tantalum oxide and 1293ppm rubidium. Malibu contains pegmatite outcrops in a strike length of at least 500m and just 3km from Bonzer.

Michael Philipps

As outlined by Bulls N’ Bears last week, Morrissey Hill sits directly between two exploration heavyweights in Minerals 260 and Delta Lithium, which was formerly known as Red Dirt Metals. Delta's Yinnetharra project sits to the north of Reach and has returned intercepts including 29m at 1.4 per cent lithium oxide and even a 90m hit going 0.95 per cent lithium oxide.

Testing at Wabli Creek, which sits to the south of Morrissey Hill, highlighted significant results at Reach's Single Fin prospect, with one assay returning 3177ppm lithium oxide, 302ppm caesium and 1961ppm rubidium. A second sample recorded assays of 2762ppm lithium oxide, 211ppm caesium, 128ppm tantalum oxide and 1597ppm rubidium.

Without putting too fine a point on it, the more time we spend on the ground the more lithium pegmatites we are finding and the greater the potential for success in the upcoming drilling programs. The Future is within Reach.

Due to time constraints, only limited exploration was conducted at the company's Camel Hill project. However, a recent site visit highlighted the presence of extensive pegmatite swarms that will be tested by an ongoing sampling program. Camel Hill sits to the south-east of Morrissey Hill and boasts historical rock-chip samples with total rare earths oxide results of up to 1357ppm. Of particular interest is a 3.5km rare earths soil anomaly that remains untested by drilling. Camel Hill also sits to the south of Delta's tenements in the area.

The company's latest assay results have confirmed its first large lithium-bearing pegmatite swarm on ground at Morrissey Hill and will be the priority target for an upcoming maiden drill program scheduled for the third quarter of this year.

Reach is now awaiting more rare earths results from its latest sampling campaign, with Wabli Creek showing previous traces of heavy rare earths including 7226ppm yttrium oxide, 3430ppm dysprosium oxide, 4880ppm ytterbium oxide, 2760ppm erbium oxide, in addition to 450ppm terbium oxide.

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