Azure Minerals Limited has announced that heritage survey clearances have been received for the next stage of the lithium-focussed exploration drilling programme at its Andover Project in Western Australia (WA).
The heritage clearance surveys were completed by the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corp. (NAC) as representatives of the Native Title holders of the Ngarluma People.
Surveys were conducted over seven days, with participants from the NAC, the NAC’s heritage consultant and Azure.
Azure and the NAC have now completed six heritage clearance surveys at the Andover Project, with more surveys planned for the second half of 2023.
Azure now has heritage clearances in place, enabling it to significantly expand the exploration program at Andover.
Aside from drilling, the company plans to continue to define the continuity and extent of the lithium mineralisation in the project.
According to the company, recent drilling results highlighted new areas that have indicated high-grade surface sample results, resulting in high-priority targets that will be the focus of diamond and reverse circulation drilling in the coming months.
Areas to the east and west of the current drilling will be explored to test the continuation of the spodumene-rich bearing pegmatites intersected in early drilling.
Azure Managing Director Tony Rovira said the clearances allow the company to access the high-priority lithium targets at the project.
“With the recent approval by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety of the Programme of Work applications we now have in place all the environmental and heritage approvals required for the next stage of the drilling at Andover. With two diamond core rigs already operating on-site and two RC drill rigs being mobilised, this is an exciting phase of our lithium-focussed drilling campaign,” Rovira added.
“The traditional owners of Andover and the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corp. were instrumental in completing the heritage surveys and I thank them for their help and cooperation,” he said.
