Recharge Metals (ASX: REC) has completed a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and high-resolution aerial imagery survey over the wholly-owned Express lithium project in the prolific James Bay Region of Québec in Canada.
The survey was designed to produce topography and photography of the project area to enable accurate landform analysis and detailed desktop exploration of outcropping pegmatites and geological features.
It aimed to deliver a digital elevation model (DEM) on a square metre grid scale with 20 centimetre vertical resolution and an overlying image with less than 20cm pixel resolution, with a view to identify undiscovered or hidden pegmatites beneath vegetation.
These pegmatites can be more resistant to weathering than other lithologies, presenting as topographic highs which are able to be detected by LiDAR.
LiDAR results
Recharge managing director Felicity Repacholi-Muir said the company looked forward to the LiDAR results.
“The completed LiDAR survey is a key tool for revealing unknown pegmatite targets for evaluation and validating those that we have already identified,” she said.
“We look forward to sharing the results from the survey when the data has been processed.”
Exploration tool
LiDAR techniques have been historically used within the James Bay region as an exploration tool for the discovery of lithium-bearing pegmatites.
Four high-priority target areas containing widespread outcrop were previously identified at Express by Dahrouge Geological Consulting, covering areas with the greatest proportion of interpreted outcrop and the largest concentration of interpreted pegmatite targets.
Dahrouge is a related party of Express vendor DG Resource Management which identified, acquired and vended the Corvette lithium property (also in James Bay) to Patriot Battery Metals (ASX: PMT).
Earlier this month, Patriot reached a $124 million funding and equity earn-in agreement with resources giant Albemarle which will allow it to move ahead with development of Corvette.
Strategic location
The Express lithium project covers 73.5 square kilometres in the heart of James Bay and is host to several known pegmatite outcrops.
It is strategically located 12 kilometres southeast of the James Bay deposit owned by Allkem (ASX: AKE) and containing 110.2 million tonnes at 1.30% lithium oxide); and 15km northeast of the Pontax deposit (Cygnus Metals, ASX: CY5) with 10.1Mt at 1.04% lithium oxide.
