Kene Project
Key highlights:
Geology overview
The Kene LCT pegmatites were discovered in 1974 by Soviet geologists who were focusing on exclusively tantalum and tin resource assessment. Further to detailed geological mapping, geochemical and geophysics surveys, petrochemical and mineralogical studies followed by channel sampling (120 channels) and drilling (70 drillholes in total), they concluded that the Kenebai pegmatites and altered host rocks represent represented a slightly eroded rare element mineralization supra-zone open to the depth, which are highly prospective for lithium resources with relatively low tantalum and tin contents.
The Kene LCT pegmatites are mainly associated with the endocontact of porphyritic double mica granites (Zhaman—Tortkarinskiy massif) with Upper Devonian and Low Carboniferous sedimentary-metamorphic rocks (schists) and strikes in the NW direction for up to 5km with thickness varying between 500 and 750m on the surface. The pegmatites are mainly represented by several hundred outcropped pegmatite veins (spodumene-bearing) with thickness up to 10m, up to Li2O 2.8% (Averin, 1973) and Li2O 2.2% in the depth of 100m (drillhole DR-1, 2023).
2022 Drilling Program
In 2022 Dalares completed its first verification drillhole (DR-1) at Kene’s Central Zone. The 150-meter drillhole was drilled nearby a historical hole C-601 drilled in 1991. The drill core assay results from Anzaplan Laboratory (Germany) demonstrated an outstanding lithium mineralization with the average grade of Li2O at 0.48% from 30m to 120m depth and allowed to determine 3 levels of lithium-rich intervals:
2023 Geochemical Program
In 2023 Dalares conducted the geochemical sampling of the zone representing the secondary dispersion halos by collecting 572 soil samples. In 2023 Dalares shipped 608 samples to SGS (Canada) for assay tests. The analysis was conducted to quantify 56 elements using ICP-OES and ICP-MS methodology. The following has been concluded based on the SGS assay results and data interpretation by Dalares:
2024-2025 Drilling Program
Phase 1 includes two exploration drillholes:
In Phase 2 (2025-2027) Dalares plans to drill 10 exploration drillholes up to 2,500m. All the core samples will be assayed by an international certified assay laboratory.
Additionally, Dalares intends to undertake an extensive geochemical prospecting program to identify new dispersion halos of rare-metal elements (Li, Ta, Nb, Sn, Be, Rb, Cs) along with mineralogical studies and metallurgical testwork to develop an efficient process flowsheet for lithium and other element recovery.