Cornish Lithium Ltd announced an initial JORC-compliant estimate for inferred resource at its Trelavour hard rock project in Cornwall.
REPORT
Mining Plus UK Ltd conducted the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the project which lies in a non-operational china clay pit in St Austell.
The total MRE is 1.7 million tonnes inferred resource at 0.24% lithium oxide for a total of 122.4 thousand tonnes of contained Li20.
Cornish Lithium said that the figure equated to 51.7Mt at 0.11% lithium with 56,870 tonnes of contained lithium metal and 302,700 tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent.
The resource also contains higher grade zones of which some are at surface.
CO-PRODUCTS
The company added that there were also significant levels of high value co-products including 51.7Mt at 0.11 % rubidium, 3.93% potassium and 66.1 g/t caesium.
This results in contained metals of 56,870t Rb, 2.0Mt K and 3,417t Cs.
The resource extends from surface, meaning a very low strip ratio, down to a maximum depth of 140 metres.
The MRE is based on data from the Trelavour drill programme completed during June 2021, which comprised 30 holes totalling 4,358m.
Cornish Lithium said that the resource was expected to support a mine life of 15 to 20 years.
The MRE will form part of the current scoping study due to be published during Q2 2022.
CARBON FOOTPRINT
Founder and chief executive Jeremy Wrathall added that the MRE was a significant milestone for the Trelavour project.
“This is the culmination of a significant amount of work from the project team and will be a key element of the Trelavour scoping study, which we expect to publish during Q2 2022.
“This project is also expected to make use of the existing infrastructure in close proximity to it, which will both reduce the cost of development together with further reducing the project’s carbon footprint and minimising other environmental impacts.”