Locksley strikes more high-grade US antimony
Brought to you by BULLS AND BEARS
Craig Nolan
Locksley Resources’ latest batch of surface samples recovered significant antimony grades, with a peak value of 16.9 per cent, from the company’s flagship Desert Antimony Mine, part of the broader Mojave project in the US state of California.
Management believes the sample results are geologically significant and confirm the continuity of high-grade antimony mineral deposits along strike north of historic mining, as well as overlying historic underground workings.
The company recently conducted surface exposure mapping at the Desert Antimony Mine. The latest examples of excavation work completed in preparation for the ongoing drilling program on the project have been added to the kit bag to help identify priority targets and improve the geological model of the project.
Each sample, weighing between 2 kg and 3 kg, was carefully examined in the field to confirm mineralization consistent with that seen in historical underground work; along with visible stibnite (antimony sulfide) confirming the presence of antimony.
‘These results reflect our strong technical foundation and our focus on high-confidence targets.’
Ian Stockton, non-executive technical director of Locksley Resources
An impressive number of double-digit analysis results were obtained, including a peak antimony finding of 16.9 percent and additional strong assays of 13.82 percent, 11.54 percent, and 11.48 percent, respectively.
As it prepares to supply domestically mined antimony to the United States, management says the high-grade results continue to advance the project on its path to mine-to-market development.
Ian Stockton, non-executive technical director at Locksley Resources, said: “With diamond drilling currently ongoing at the Desert Antimony Mine and the rig actively rotating, these results reflect our strong technical foundation and focus on high-confidence targets.
The company launched its first diamond drilling campaign last month and aims to expand and deepen the known high-grade antimony mineralization beneath historic workings in the area. By integrating data obtained from antimony veins exposed in the surface bedrock, drilling rigs were directed to maximize drilling efficiency and provide a better understanding of the field geology.
The management’s decision to conduct detailed surface mapping during field work, followed by high-resolution subsurface work, provided critical geological information that validated the final technical findings in depth, in what proved to be a masterstroke.
The company believes that the combination of the two programs unlocks the potential for multiple antimony-bearing structures at the Desert Antimony Mine and increases clarity regarding the project’s mineralized structure, significantly increasing the company’s confidence in its identified priority objectives.
Management says the surface program confirms the orientation and continuity of major stibnite veins at surface, structural framework and offsets revealed by high-resolution subsurface surveys.
Drilling results and surface analyzes will be transferred to an updated 3D geological model. Core sampling and analysis will also support metallurgical and processing testing efforts consistent with U.S. Department of Energy Critical Minerals programs.
The company is also working to advance the phase one pilot processing plant and construction tender.
The U.S. Government has designated antimony as a critical mineral, with minimal domestic production at present. Although MP Materials’ nearby Mountain Pass is the country’s only rare earth mine, it does not produce any antimony, making Locksley’s prospect even more valuable if it can successfully deliver a new source of the silvery-black metal.
Locksley plans to focus on the production and qualification of antimony trioxide and antimony trisulfide.
Antimony trioxide is a critical component in electronics, plastics, fire retardants, and energy applications. Antimony trisulfide is used as a strategic industrial material for pigments and pyrotechnics and is used in defense systems, primers, and specialty chemicals.
Locksley happily plunges the drill bit into the Desert Antimony Mine and eagerly awaits the results to see how far he has progressed towards native antimony.
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