SPOD LITHIUM CORP. (CSE: SPOD) (OTCQB: SPODF), announces the results from its winter drilling program on the MegaLi and Lithium Grande 4 (“LG4“) projects. The MegaLi and LG4 properties consist of six claim blocks adjacent to Patriot Battery Metals Inc.’s Shaakichiuwaanaan project (formerly named Corvette Project) located in the James Bay area of Quebec, Canada.
Mathieu Couillard, President and CEO of SPOD Lithium, said: “This first drilling program on MegaLi and LG4 was a true success, confirming strong potential for the discovery of an additional lithium (Li) deposit. Adjacent to Patriot Battery Metals Inc.’s Shaakichiuwaanaan project, we now understand that the size of the magmatic reservoir that generated the lithium-bearing pegmatites is regional in scale. The volume of the pegmatite system and its enrichment in lithium both indicate the fertility of the magmatic system and that we are at the right place for a potential discovery. The niobium/tantalum (Nb/Ta) ratios and the high fractionation of the rubidium (Rb) indicate a similar lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) signature as our neighbours and our goals remains to identify the location of the next spodumene-bearing pegmatite.”
Winter Drilling Program
In December 2024, the ExploLogic team carried out on behalf of SPOD, an initial drilling program on the MegaLi and LG4 properties, consisting of 2,601.5 m in 12 holes. The drilling program targeted Block “A” and Block “D” on the LG4 property and Block “C” on the MegaLi property, all selected to follow up on two successful soil and rock sampling field programs which identified pegmatite trends in 2024 and zoned internal structures and accessory minerals such as beryl and tourmaline. Table 1 summarizes the drill hole results and Figure 1 positions them.
Block C (MegaLi property) results:
Geological units intercepted within the three drill holes (MEG-24-01 to 03 – totaling 750.5 m) of this block show an impressive shallow dipping stacking of LCT pegmatites and gabbros intersected over true width between 100 m and 300 m. Drill hole MEG-24-02 shows that the sequence continues at depth, under vertical depth of 300 m with Rb-enriched pegmatites.
Zinnwaldite-like mica crystals have been identified during the logging process and a portable LIBS analyzer (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) was used to confirm the presence of lithium. Values measured over the zinnwaldite crystals using the LIBS analyzer ranged between 1% and 4% Li in all MEG-24-01, 02, and 03. These analyses were concentrated directly on mica crystals and therefore do not represent wholerock.
During the summer 2024 surface mapping and soil sampling, zinnwaldite was also recognized in the same area. Zinnwaldite is a superior lithium host to the well-known spodumene. It is a potassium-lithium-iron-aluminum-silicate-hydroxide-fluoride phyllosilicate mineral within the mica group that typically occurs in greisens, pegmatites and quartz veins, and is often associated with tin ore deposits.
High anomaly cesium, rubidium and tantalum results also demonstrated the strong similarities with the lithium-bearing signature of a “Corvette Type” pegmatite identified in the scientific literature as LCT pegmatite. SPOD cautions that the mineralization at the Shaakichiuwaanaan project may not be indicative of the mineralization that may be identified on the Company’s MegaLi and LG4 projects and is used as a conceptual exploration model only.
Block D results:
Analytical results from the samples of the seven drill holes (LG4-24-01 to 07 – totaling 1,115 m) targeting the Corvette trend (see Figure 1), demonstrated strong lithium contamination both in pegmatites and in host rocks. These findings support the interpretation that the source of the lithium is associated with a large-scale magmatic system that covers not only one limited area like a single deposit, but a large volume.
Block A results:
Numerous granodiorites dykes have been intercepted within the five drill holes (LG4-24-08 to 12, totaling 706 m) of this easterly area. Results have shown the higher cesium anomaly associated with niobium anomaly up to 2150 ppm Nb and a Tantalum anomaly up to 826 ppm Ta within LG4-24-12 from 101.5 m to 102.5 m. This unexpected NYF pegmatite environment enriched in fluor, niobium, tantalum elements and locally in molybdenum show an attractive potential in other SCMs which have never been tested before.
Preliminary interpretations
Due to recent soil sampling anomalies, the mapping and the assay results of the maiden drilling program on the MegaLi and LG4 properties, it is management’s understanding that the lithium-bearing pegmatites found on the property are of similar chemical signature as the Corvette deposit and that the magmatic system that formed the Corvette deposit is of sufficient size to have impacted the host rocks at a regional scale.
Recent studies on the impact of geological structures on the formation of pegmatites (i.e. SILVA, D. et al., 2023, or CAWOOD, T.K. et al., 2024), demonstrating their significant impact on the formation of pegmatites, also allow SPOD management to be very encouraged by the initial drilling results on these properties as structural setting and emplacement mechanism on the size and morphology of lithium-bearing pegmatites on the properties needs now to be seriously studied.
Mr. Couillard President and CEO of SPOD Lithium, said: “We are pleased with the results of our projects, but we are uncertain whether we can create sufficient value under current lithium market conditions. With the support of our Board of Directors, we are exploring the possibility of diversifying our project portfolio by targeting CSMs that are a priority for the Canadian and Québec governments. There are numerous tax incentives for developing these CSMs, and we intend to ensure all our shareholders benefit from them”.
Drilling sampling method and QA/QC
Diamond drilling was done by Forage Fusion Drilling of Hawkesbury, Ontario. All the NQ-size core was recovered by the drillers, quick logged by an ExploLogic geologist onsite to ensure the follow up of the targeted zones and then, all core was sent to ExploLogic installations in Val-d’Or for proper logging and sampling by geologists. Samples generally vary from 0.5 m to 1.5 m depending on the geological environment. Sample preparation is then done by ExploLogic, where the drill core is sawed in half, with one half used for chemical analysis and the other half for control purposes and project record.
All 1,268 samples collected during the core logging process are sent to the Agat Laboratory in Val-d’Or, Quebec, for analysis. Each sample is dried and crushed to 75% passing -2mm (10 mesh) and 250g are taken to be pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns (200 mesh). The sample is then treated by four-acid digestion (Code: 201-070) and analyzed by ICP-OES and by ICP-MS (Code: CGY) for a total of 48 elements, including metals and rare earth elements. A total of 306 analyses have also been requested for gold analysis (TMT-G5B method) and performed by fire assay on 50 g samples with an atomic absorption finish.
Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) includes the use of duplicates representing one quarter (1/4) of the drill core, blank samples and material certified for Au, Ag and Cu. QA/QC additions to the sample stream total an additional 10% of samples analysed.
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