Benz Mining announces drill secured for Lithium Drill Program at Ruby Hill
Benz Mining Corp. has secured a single diamond helicopter supported drill rig to test spodumene bearing pegmatites at its Ruby Hill West Project in James Bay, Quebec.
Benz intends to undertake approximately 4,000m of drilling prior to the onset of winter, expected in late October or early November, which makes helicopter flying difficult due to weather conditions and less daylight time.
A series of 150m deep holes have been planned to target the outcropping spodumene bearing pegmatites recently identified during the limited summer field season. Drilling will predominantly target 3 areas - Ruby Hill West (RHW-2) and the Mikisiw (M-1 and M-2) outcrops.
Figure 1. Aerial view at Ruby Hill West looking to the west of the RHW-1 (to the right) and RHW-2 (to the left) pegmatites and 2023 trenching. The RHW-2 trench is 30m long with the collar from RHW22-06 located near the southern end of the trench.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/179843_50949a6d5431b85a_001full.jpg
Benz Executive Chairman, Evan Cranston, said:
"We are very excited with what our geologists have been able to identify in a very limited summer season. We will continue to conduct exploration to identify more Li- pegmatites along the interpreted 25km lithium trend at our Ruby Hill West Project in James Bay Quebec."
"Peeling back the moss and trenching has identified several large Li-pegmatites, up to 30m thick at surface, that contain spodumene and we are looking forward to seeing what this system does along strike and at depth by drilling."
"We are very fortunate to have been able to secure a drill rig and team this year with all the competition in this highly sought after region and we look forward to drilling as many metres as we can this year prior to the onset of the winter."
Ruby Hill West (RHW-1 and RHW-2)
Ruby Hill West (RHW-1 outcrop) was first identified by Eastmain Resources in 2017, then drill tested by Benz in April 2022[1]. The first 5 holes drilled under the RHW-1 outcrop only intersected thinner Li-pegmatites dykes (RHW22-01: 0.31% Li2O over 4.48 m and RHW22-02: 0.62% Li2O over 3 m). However, drilling to the south of the RHW-1 outcrop identified the RHW-2 intrusion with RHW22-06 intersecting 26.4m at 1.01% Li2O. This intrusion was exposed by trenching in August 2023 and channel sampled; analytical results are pending.
Trenching in 2022 and 2023 exposed the 2 pegmatite intrusions but drilling in this upcoming program will test mostly the lateral and depth extent of RHW-2.
Figure 2. A substantial pegmatite outcrop at Ruby Hill West following removal of the layer of moss and vegetation (this photo looks to the south east). Drilling in the vicinity of this outcrop intersected 26.4m at 1.01% Li2O from 7.4m. This outcrop was discovered after the maiden drill program due to being under shallow cover.
Tags: Quebec / Exploration / Battery Metals / All Articles