4 things you need to know about lithium pegmatites – by Denedikt Steiner (Mining IR – December 11, 2018)

https://miningir.com/

Have you recently entered the lithium and battery metals space? Have you invested in a lithium pegmatite project and are wondering if your project is superior to those of your competitors?

In light of the recent ‘lithium boom’, I was asked by several interested parties what I consider the most important aspects in locating lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites and associated tin (Sn) mineralisation. Whilst geological parameters are the obvious ones to discuss first, I believe that overall tonnage, geomechanics and mineral processing, are of equal importance, particularly at early reconnaissance and drilling/ evaluation stages.

The following ‘Quick Tour’ through LCT pegmatites is therefore aimed at potential investors and technical staff new to the subject.

1. Bulk Tonnage, Geomechanics and Mine Life: A sometimes overlooked first factor to determine the feasibility of mining a LCT pegmatite is bulk tonnage and the ability to cheaply mine the ore using open pit equipment and infrastructure. LCT pegmatites are shallow, zoned and narrow (10-15m) geological bodies (Figure 1) commonly extending for several kilometres whose full thickness is mined (no selective mining and sampling recommended).

For the rest of this article: https://miningir.com/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-lithium-pegmatites/