Kene
Kene Project
Kene tenement (20,1km2) consists of 9 geographical minute exploration blocks located on the territory of Ulan administrative district of Eastern Kazakhstan Region and is in 37km to the south of the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk the capital of the region and big industrial, mining and metallurgical center. The nearest village Bayash Utepov is in 6 km to the southeast from the site. The Kene represents a vast terrain located on the northern slopes of the Kalba mountains. The absolute elevations reach 600-800 m with relative altitudes of 50-150 m. The climate in the area is sharply continental with long (almost 5 months) and cold (up to -40oC) winter and hot summer (up to +40oC). Hydrographic network in the area represented by Isyr and Kenebai creeks joining the Sibinka River, the left-bank tributary of the Irtysh River.
The Kenebai (“Kene”) LCT pegmatites, discovered in 1974 by Soviet geologists rushed for tantalum and tin resource prospect. The Kene LCT pegmatite is mainly associated with the endocontact of porphyritic biotite granite massif with sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and strikes in the NW direction with maximum dimensions of 5km (S-N), 750m (E-W) with minimum thick of 500m. Kene LCT pegmatites are mainly represented by several hundred outcropped on the surface veins of albite-spodumene type of pegmatites with thickness varying between 0.2m and 10m and up to 2,8% of Li2O grade (Averin, 1973) and up to 2,2% of Li2O grade on the depth of 100m (Drill hole DR-1 Dalares, 2023).
Based on the results of extensive geological work such as detailed geological mapping, geochemical and geophysics surveys, petrochemical and mineralogical studies followed by channels sampling (more than 500 channels), drilling (71 drillholes in total) Soviet geologists concluded that Kene pegmatites and altered host rocks zone represent a Supra-ore system which contains significant Li resources and other associated rare elements such as Ta, Nb, Sn, Be, Rb and Cs with low erosion level.
2022 Drilling campaign:
In 2022 Dalares completed its 1st verification drillhole at Kene’s Central Zone. The 150 m drillhole was drilled in the proximity of the historical drillhole C-601 drilled in 1991.
Drillhole comparative data:
|
|
С - 601 |
С – DR1 |
|
Target |
Ta, Sn Prospect |
Verification |
|
Depth (m) |
360 |
150 |
|
Incline |
800 |
800 |
|
Drillhole angle |
820 |
820 |
|
Core recovery |
60% - 70% |
100% |
|
Core diameter (mm) |
59 |
64 |
|
Sampling (m) |
10.6 |
149.6 |
|
Average Li2О grade (%) within 0-150m interval |
0.05 |
0.35 |
|
Maximum Li2О grade (%) |
1.83 |
2.16 |
