Doade Pesqueira Property: Previous Exploration & Drilling
The Alberta 1 property, (also called Doade Pesqueira) registration number I.P- 4,966 of Orense Province, contains 140 units (cuadriculas mineras) totaling approximately 4900 hectares situated in the provinces of Pontevedra and Orense in the Galicia Region of northwestern Spain and held by Solid Mines Espana S. A., a Spanish holding company owned 100% by Solid Resources Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada.
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The Alberta 1 concession covers a rare type of geological formation referred to as an albite, spodumene, tantalum, tin bearing rare element pegmatite of the lithium-cesiumtantalum (LCT) rare element pegmatite class.
This type of pegmatite is one of the world's most important sources of tantalum and an important source of tin, lithium, cesium, rubidium and niobium and may include kaolin as well as other rare minerals.
A recent surge in demand for tantalum by the high technology sector and for lithium minerals in the lithium ion batteries as a new power source in the automobile industry has sharply increased the awareness and demand for future economic supplies from a politically stable and safe country.
Historically, this property was a tin producer until tin prices dropped in the 1950's. An extensive program of stream sediment geochemistry and rock assays from 2001 to 2003 by Solid Resources Ltd. confirmed the results from previous operators and expanded the mineral potential of the property to include lithium, tantalum, niobium, cesium and rubidium and further exploration was recommended (Spat, 2002).
A ten diamond drill hole scout program in 2003 tested anomalous areas at three locations(south, central and north)on the property and indicated a high potential for economic lithium, tantalum, tin, cesium and rubidium mineralization in the pegmatite dykes and host two-mica schist.
Summary of the 2003 Drill and Sampling Program
Existing information was compiled and studied, field visits were made and the first samples collected in order to form a preliminary idea of the location, form , extension and grade of the mineralised ore bodies. Several field trips were made to study the mineralised bodies in the form of albite pegmatitic dykes. Samples were also taken from dumps and stream sediments.
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The results of these first field studies, carried out mainly in the southern part of the permit near the villages of Doade, Taboazas and Rubillon confirmed the structure of the mineralised ore bodies as being tabular pegmatite dykes striking NNW-SSE and dipping 30-50 degrees to W, several hundred meters in length and with a width of up to 10 m.
Analytical results returned grades of up to 400ppm Ta2O5, which justified a continuation of the exploration work .
As there was no exsisting data corresponding to the northern and central zones of the Permit, systematic stream-sediment sampling was carried out to confirm known mineralisation and to detect others. 72 samples with an average weight of about 200gr were taken as sand samples from the fine fraction of the main streams and their tributaries. In order to avoid a 'nugget effect', samples were duplicated at spaces of 5-10m. The samples were mostly taken from the centre of the streams, where heavy minerals tend to be deposited.(Picture 1,2)
Drill Holes and Results
Drill hole locations are shown on Picure 2 and 3 and the following conclusions of the 2003 scout drill program are presented by Tomas Vecillas Fernandez and Dr. R. Burkhardt consulting geologist for Solid Resources Ltd.
DDH- S0-03-1 two narrow dykes intersected. Returned low values.
DDH- SO-03-2-4 dykes intersected, one to 12 m. Medium grades in the pegmatite and Lithium grades to 1,500 ppm in the footwall schist.
DDH- SO-03-3-4 dykes intersected. Lithium in pegmatite and schist grades to 3,895 ppm, Tin grades to 1,307 ppm. All Tantalum assays over 100ppm.
DDH- S0-03-4-3 pegmatite dykes intersected. High Tantalum grades in all dykes and high Tin grades to 2,373 ppm.
DDH- SO-03-5-8 pegmatite dykes were intersected, 4 were blind. Tantalum grades over 200ppm; Tin grades over 1,000 ppm, Lithium grades to 7,879 ppm. Nearly all schist samples adjacent to the contact returned over 1,000 ppm Lithium.
DDH-SO-03-6-5 pegmatite dykes intersected. 4 were blind. One dyke to 10 m thick. Higher Tantalum grades in lower dykes to 280 ppm. Lithium grades to 6,148 ppm in wide dyke. Adjacent schist returned over 1,000 ppm Lithium.
DDH-SO-03-7- (Presqueira area)-3 dykes intersected. Main sub-horizontal dyke to 13.9 m thick. Tantalum grades average 100 ppm. Tin grades more than 1,000 ppm, one sample in main dyke returned 13,594 ppm Lithium. (1.4% lithium)
DDH- SO-03-8-(Presqueira area) main dyke intersected to 10.5 m. Tin grades over 1,000ppm. Tantalum grades over 1000 ppm.
DDH- SO-03-9-(Presqueira area) main dyke intersected to 9 m. Tantalum grade high of 150 ppm. Hanging wall schist grades to 1,400 ppm Lithium.
DDH -SO-03-10-(Presqueira area)-4 narrow dykes intersected. Tantalum grades to 333 ppm and Tin grades to 792 ppm.
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The decision to focus on the shallow 13m thick sill-form Presqueira pegmatite in the northern area led to seven additional drill holes in 2005 to facilitate the initial delineation of the structure amenable to open pit mining with a potential of significant tonnage of economic mineralization (Spat, Burkhardt, 2004) The present area of study in the Presqueira area covers about 20 % of the Alberta 1 concession.
Summary of the 2005 follow-up drill program (Presqueira area) Picture 4
The Presqueira area was the site of a seven drill hole program (Picture 2) to further the mineral and tonnage potential of the sub-horizontal sill-form pegmatite dyke selected as a primary production target. The summary of the drill program is taken from Dr. R. Burckhardt's report dated 2005.
DDH PRE-05-1-5 pegmatite dykes intersected, 4 analyzed. Tantalum and tin assays to 106 ppm and 620 ppm respectively, lithium at 1,500 ppm and higher in main dyke to 3,307 ppm. Cesium grades above 100ppm in the schist/pegmatite contact.
DDH PRE-05-2-2 pegmatites intersected and main dyke analyzed. Tantalum and tin assays above normal at 150 ppm. Lithium grades to 4,000 ppm with high of 5,310 ppm. (0.5%). Cesium grades in schist between 150 and 200 ppm.
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DDH PRE-05-3-4 pegmatite dykes intersected, 3 dykes analyzed. Grades of tantalum to 141 ppm and tin to 1,141ppm are higher in the smaller dykes. The main dyke is high in lithium to 5,674 ppm but low in tantalum and tin.
DDH PRE-05-4-3 pegmatite dykes intersected. Main dyke was not intersected due to faulting event. Grades of all elements are low in all dykes.
DDH PRE-05-5 high lithium grades in the middle dyke to 4,500 ppm and 2,800 ppm in the main dyke. Cesium grades above 400 ppm in schist between two pegmatite dykes.
DDH PRE-05-6-5 pegmatite dykes intersected, 3 dykes analyzed. All elements low except lithium in the main dyke assayed 4,192 ppm. Grades to 340 ppm cesium obtained in schist next to the contact.
DDH PRE-05-7-4 pegmatite dykes intersected, 3 dykes analyzed. Main dyke not intersected possibly due to faulting. (In line with DDH PRE-05-4). Lithium grades to 5,360 ppm with isolated high of over 10,000 ppm and the rest of the elements are low.
Dr. Burkhardt's conclusions of the 2003 and 2005 drill results were positive and recommended further drilling in the area.