Zulu Drilling Update

RNS Number : 2978Z

Premier African Minerals Limited

14 December 2017

 

14 December 2017

Premier African Minerals Limited

Zulu Drilling Update

Premier African Minerals Limited ("Premier" or the "Company") is pleased to share further assay results from the Company's Zulu Lithium Project near Fort Rixon in Zimbabwe ("Zulu"). 

The focus of the current drilling programme is to upgrade and expand the Resources in the Main Zone, where the Company has declared a Maiden Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 20.1 million tonnes grading 1.06% Li₂O, and to convert the exploration targets in both the Main Zone and step-out zones to code compliant status.

Highlights:

Hole ZDD-45

Ø New intersection of 1.74m at 1.69% Li₂0 from 148.77m

Ø Updated hole result now 40.58m containing an average grade of 1.56% Li₂0 in multiple intersections

Ø Assay results from another 20m of drilling still outstanding

Hole ZDD-27/2

Ø Located to the east of the Main Zone intersected 9.62m of pegmatite in multiple intersections, including:  

Ø 5.19m at 1.86% Li₂O from 114.38m

Ø 4.43m at 1.27% Li₂O from 121.25m

George Roach, Premier's CEO, commented: "ZDD-45 is our best hole to date and continues to deliver excellent results that are well supported by further assay results now becoming available. The close proximity of the mineralised sections supports a cost efficient and bulk mining scenario.  The current drilling programme continues to intersect exceptional high-grade spodumene pegmatite and we have been successful in both discovering new mineralisation and also advancing our understanding as well as generating drill targets. I look forward to reporting on similar excellent results in the near future."  

Drilling at Zulu:

The Company has now completed a further 24 drill holes, equivalent to 3,638.54m since completion of the initial 2,500m drilling programme that resulted in the Maiden Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Zulu of 20.1 million tonnes grading 1.06% Li₂O (as announced on 6 June 2017). The current drilling programme is focussed on expanding as well as upgrading the resources in the Main Zone, and, to delineate further the Li mineralisation in the new south-eastern zone. All of the 24 new drill holes have intersected mineralisation with ZDD-45 having the best intersections so far. ZDD-45 was drilled on an apparent triple junction of step-out zones SO1, SO2 and the Main Zone. The intersected pegmatites are predominantly spodumene rich, petalite and lepidolite are scarce. The other two holes were drilled in step-out zone SO3, close to the central part of the Main Zone.

Table 1 below sets out the drilling results for hole ZDD-45, and includes the results announced on 12 December 2017 together with the additional results for interval 148.77m to 150.51m, and the new results for holes ZDD-27/2 and ZDD-28.

Table 1: Drill Intercepts

ZDD-45 (Azimuth: N237, dip: -60°, total length: 277.53m)

ZDD-27/2 (Azimuth: N140, dip: -60°, total length: 140.08m)

ZDD-28 (Azimuth: N240, dip: -60°, total length: 140.28m)

Drill hole	From (m)	To (m)	Interval length (m)*	Li2O (%)	Comments
ZDD-45	101.24	150.51	40.58	1.56
Including	101.24	109.46	8.22	1.96	Incl. 2.96m at 2.81% Li2O and 1.96m at 2.90% Li2O
including	111.70	115.23	3.53	1.06	Incl. 1.60 at 1.74% Li2O
including	117.18	123.12	5.94	0.94	Incl. 2.40m at 1.73% Li2O
including	124.40	125.60	1.20	2.08
including	126.77	138.24	11.47	1.90	Incl. 0.95m at 4.24% Li2O and 1.17m at 3.64% Li2O
including	138.96	147.44	8.48	1.25	Incl. 1.68m at 2.35% Li2O and 2.00m at 1.74% Li2O
Including	148.77	150.51	1.74	1.69
ZDD-27/2	114.38	125.68	9.62	1.59
Including	114.38	119.57	5.19	1.86	Incl. 1.07 at 2.03% Li₂O
Including	121.25	125.68	4.43	1.27	Incl. 2.40 at 1.73% Li₂0
ZDD-28	53.55	62.40	8.85	0.89
Including	65.26	66.29	1.03	0.96

*: drilled widths

Qualified Person:

Wolfgang Hampel, Senior Geologist with Premier African Minerals Limited, has reviewed and approved this release to the extent that reference is made to the Zulu Lithium Project. Mr Hampel has 26 years' experience in the African, American, European and Asian exploration and mining industry and holds a Diploma in Economic Geology (Dipl.-Geol.) from the Technical University of Munich. He is a registered European Geologist (EurGeol). n° 1261 with the European Federation of Geologists.

Enquiries:

Fuad Sillem	Premier African Minerals Limited	Tel: [phone]
Michael Cornish / Roland Cornish	Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser)	Tel: [phone]
Jerry Keen/Edward Mansfield	Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited	Tel: [phone]
Jon Belliss	Beaufort Securities Limited	Tel: [phone]
Charles Goodwin/Harriet Jackson	Yellow Jersey PR Limited	Tel: [phone]

Notes to Editors:

Premier African Minerals Limited (AIM: PREM) is a multi-commodity mining and natural resource development company focused in Southern and Western Africa with production started at its flagship RHA project in Zimbabwe.

The Company has a diverse portfolio of projects, which include tungsten, rare earth elements, gold, lithium and tantalum in Zimbabwe and Benin, encompassing brownfield projects with near-term production potential to grass-roots exploration. In addition, the Company holds 5,010,333 shares in Circum Minerals Limited ("Circum"), the owners of the Danakil Potash Project in Ethiopia, which has the potential to be a world class asset. At present those shares are valued at US$10.2 million based on the latest price at which Circum has accepted subscriptions. Premier also has an interest in Casa Mining Limited, a privately-owned exploration company that has a 71.25% interest in the 1.5 million ounce inferred resource Akyanga gold deposit in the DRC.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this announcement are, or may be deemed to be forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'' ''could'' "should" ''envisage'' ''estimate'' ''intend'' ''may'' ''plan'' ''will'' or the negative of those variations or comparable expressions including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth results of operations performance future capital and other expenditures (including the amount. nature and sources of funding thereof) competitive advantages business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.  A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general economic and business conditions competition environmental and other regulatory changes actions by governmental authorities the availability of capital markets reliance on key personnel uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions. The Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward looking statements.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

Glossary of Technical Terms:

"Li2O"	means Lithium oxide
"lepidolite"	is the mineral name for lithium bearing mica KLi2Al(Si4O10)(F,OH)2  an important ore of lithium
"pegmatite"	is an exceptionally coarse-grained igneous rock, with interlocking crystals, usually found as irregular dikes, lenses, or veins, esp. at the margins of granitic intrusions
"petalite"	" is the mineral name for lithium aluminium silicate LiAl(Si4O10) an important ore of lithium
"spodumene"	is the mineral name for lithium aluminium silicate LiAlSi2O6 an important ore of lithium

ENDS

 

END

 

 

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