FRONTIER INTERSECTS 144 M OF HIGH GRADE LITHIUM AVERAGING 1.72% Li2O WITH SIGNIFICANT CESIUM AND TANTALUM ZONES AT SPARK
TSX.V RELEASE | July 25, 2022 | TSX.V:FL; FRA:HL2; OTCQX: LITOF
Sudbury, Ontario, – Frontier Lithium is pleased to announce the results for four of the drill holes completed during the Phase XII drill program on the Spark pegmatite. Phase XII drill program that began in May 2022 and is currently in progress. The initial drill holes were designed to quickly convert inferred material to the indicated category for the planned open pit. The Spark pegmatite is one of the two delineated premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposits on the PAK Lithium Project.
Highlights
- Phase XII in-fill and delineation drilling with two drill rigs is currently being conducted, whereby, the Company has completed 7,000m of drilling in 22 holes at the time of this press release.
- DDH PL-057-22 intersected 10m of 2.54% Cs2O (assumed to be pollucite) within a high-grade (3.14% Li2O) spodumene zone from 149.5 to 159.5m.
- A highly enriched 15m tantalum-rubidium zone was intersected beneath the Cs zone from 157.5 to 172.5m grading 1,335 ppm Ta2O5 and 0.9% Rb2O and remains open at depth.
- Hole was collared in pegmatite intersecting 110.7m averaging 1.76% Li2O.
- DDH PL-058-22 intersected 239.4m of pegmatite from 58.1 to 297.4 m grading 1.3% Li2O with 16 to 18m zones just over 2% Li2O
- DDH PL-063-22 was collared in pegmatite intersecting 144m averaging 1.72% Li2O.
- Hole ended at 248.5m with 68.5m of pegmatite averaging 1.58% Li2O.
- DDH PL-064-22 intersected 132.9m of pegmatite from 114.1 to 247.0m grading 1.33% Li2O;
- Includes 7m of elevated Sn (440 ppm SnO2) and Rb (0.51% Rb2O) from 114 to 121m.
- Also includes elevated Ta (959 ppm Ta2O5) and Nb (602 ppm Nb2O5) from 170 to180m.
“The exciting presence of the cesium mineral pollucite in the lithium zone intersected in DDH PL-057-22 suggests the Spark pegmatite is well evolved mineralogically, and may be approaching the degree of fractionation attained by the prolific Tanco pegmatite(1) at Bernic Lake, Manitoba where high-grade pollucite zones occur.” states Garth Drever, V.P. Exploration. “High fractionation could result in furthering the potential by-products beyond Lithium and Tantalum. During the remainder of the Phase XII drilling we intend to investigate this new pegmatite zone to the north and west with significant Li, Cs, Ta and Rb content”.
The initial objective for the Phase XII drill program was to focus on converting the Inferred resource lithium bearing material within the central portion of the Spark deposit at depth. DDH’s PL-57, 58, 63 and 64 were all terminated in pegmatite due to PFS time constraints requiring quick upgrading of some of the existing inferred resource. The holes will be extended later in the program. With this objective in mind, most May and June drill holes are steeply dipping (>-65) and designed to infill the Inferred area to a vertical depth of around 300-320m. These holes will be included in the upgraded Measured-Indicated Resource for Spark that will become part of the Prefeasibility Study (PFS) targeted for completion by the end of 2022.
Figure 1 is a location map showing the project area including Frontier’s land tenure and location of the three lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatites and includes a plan map of the Spark pegmatite with drill hole traces highlighting the Phase XII drilling reported in this release.
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Figure 1 Compilation Map showing the project area and a plan map of the Spark Deposit
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Currently Frontier has two drill rigs completing in-fill and delineation drilling defining the eastern part of the Spark deposit and defining the western extensions of the deposit. Several of the initial Phase XII holes that were terminated in mineralization will be extended. At the time of this press release Frontier had completed over 7,000m in 22 holes. Laboratory analysis were only complete for the four holes reported.
Table 1 details the drill holes with mineralized intersections while Table 2 summarizes all the Phase XII drill holes completed as of June 10th, 2022.
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Table 1: Details of Mineralized Intersections
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Table 2: Summary of Phase XII Drill Program (May to June10, 2022)
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(1) The original size of the Tanco pegmatite was 57,427,342 tonnes with a maximum thickness of 100m (Stilling, A., Cerny., P., and Vanstone, P.; 2006, The Tanco Pegmatite at Bernic Lake, Manitoba, The Canadian Mineralogist; Vol. 44 pp. 599-623). The bulk chemical composition for Li2O and Ta2O5 was 0.74% and 366ppm, respectively at Tanco. The Tanco Mine is located in southeastern Manitoba and was a lithium mineral concentrate producer from 1986 until operations were suspended in 2009 and produced tantalum mineral concentrate until March 2013.
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Due Diligence
All scientific and technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Garth Drever, P.Geo., the qualified person (QP) under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101. Under Frontier’s QA/QC procedures, all drilling was completed by Chenier Drilling Ltd. of Val Caron, ON using thin walled BTW drill rods (4.2 cm core diameter) and a Reflex ACT III oriented core system. Using the Reflex system, the drill core was oriented and marked as it was retrieved at the drill. The core was boxed and delivered to the Frontier core shack where it was examined, geologically logged, and marked for sampling. The core was photographed prior to sampling. Using a rock saw, the marked sample intervals were halved with one-half bagged for analysis. Sample blanks along with lithium, rubidium and cesium certified reference material was routinely inserted into the sample stream in accordance with industry recommended practices. Field duplicate samples were also taken in accordance with industry recommended practices. The samples were placed in poly sample bags and transported to Red Lake by float plane and then shipped to AGAT Laboratories Ltd. (AGAT) in Thunder Bay for sample preparation and to Mississauga, Ontario for processing and quantitative multi-element analysis. AGAT is an ISO accredited laboratory. The core is stored on site at the Pakeagama Lake exploration camp.
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About Frontier Lithium
Frontier Lithium is a preproduction business that is targeting to become a manufacturer of battery-quality lithium materials to support electric vehicle and battery supply chains in North America. Frontier is developing the PAK Lithium Project which contains one of North America's highest-grade, large-tonnage hard-rock lithium resources in the form of a rare low-iron spodumene. The project continues to have significant exploration upside with potential to increase the lithium resource. The Company is a pure-play lithium development opportunity with the largest land position in a premium lithium mineral district located in Northern Ontario.
About the PAK Lithium Project
The PAK Lithium Project contains North America’s highest grade lithium resource that is top three in size on the continent and is considered premium quality globally as a result of its rare low-iron spodumene. A 2021 preliminary economic assessment (National Instrument 43-101 technical report titled "Pak Property" by BBA E&C Inc., issued on April 5, 2021) delivered a fully integrated lithium operation from the resource to achieve downstream conversion plan for production of battery-quality lithium salts. The study resulted in an after-tax net present value (discounted at 8 per cent) of $974-million (U.S.) with a 21-per-cent internal rate of return. The Project encompasses close to 27,000 hectares at the south end of Ontario's Electric Avenue, the largest land package hosting premium lithium-bearing pegmatites in Ontario. The Project maintains a measured and indicated resource of 21.64 million tonnes (Mt) averaging 1.56 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) and inferred resource of 20.87 Mt averaging 1.42 per cent Li2O. The Project covers 65 kilometres of the Electric Avenue's length and remains largely unexplored; however, since 2013, the company has delineated two premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposits (PAK and Spark), located 2.3 kilometres apart. Considerable exploration upside is supported on the Project through two other spodumene-bearing discoveries: the Bolt pegmatite (located between the PAK and Spark deposits), as well as the Pennock pegmatite (25 kilometres northwest of PAK Deposit within the project claims).
Company Contact Information
Bora Ugurgel
Manager, Investor Relations
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.897.7622
F. +001 705.897.7618
Forward-looking statements
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's registered filings available at sedar.com.
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