The results help validate Litchfield’s interpretation that Lucy Creek 2 could represent a Bootu Creek-style manganese deposit. It’s an interesting and significant comparison considering that Bootu Creek’s historical mineral resource was a pretty handy 32.5 million tonnes at 22.6 per cent manganese before mining.
Hydrothermal systems such as the nearby Bootu Creek deposit can host multiple stacked mineralised zones, offering greater tonnage potential.
The geochemical signature highlighted by the accompanying consistent base metal pathfinders could open the door to a potentially significant system, with attendant structural controls that could also direct exploration.
Litchfield Minerals managing director Matthew Pustahya said: “Laboratory assays have upgraded Lucy Creek 2 to a highly compelling hydrothermal manganese opportunity with genuine base-metal credentials… A hydrothermal origin opens the door to a potentially larger tonnage system than what would be expected from supergene-enriched surface processes.”
Litchfield has secured $48,059 from the Northern Territory Government’s geophysics and drilling collaboration grant for a high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Lucy Creek exploration licence to advance the project.
The proposed geophysical survey will improve on existing 400m-spaced data, sharpening geological and structural insights.
A ground electromagnetic survey is also planned to map conductive zones tied to manganese and sulphide mineralisation and define any subsurface extensions of the manganese-rich outcrop.
The company’s next steps hinge on its ongoing share purchase plan, launched to fund exploration without excessive shareholder dilution. The plan aims to support the planned airborne geophysical surveys, borate-fusion assays to confirm manganese and barium grades and a first-pass reverse circulation drilling program next year.
The Lucy Creek 2 project spans almost 792 square kilometres and includes significant geological features, such as the Lucy Creek and Halfway Dam manganese outcrops.
Geologically, the project is in the Georgina Basin and is hosted in dolomitic siltstones of the Tomahawk Formation, with manganese occurrences mapped across about a one-kilometre-square area.
The site is near the Altjawarra Block, which is part of the North Australian Craton and is intersected by northwest and northeast-trending faults that may influence mineralisation.
Litchfield, a critical minerals explorer focused on base metals and uranium, is also progressing its Oonagalabi project, about 125km northeast of Alice Springs in the Harts Range area, where phase two reverse circulation drilling will test versatile time domain electromagnetics conductors and gold-bismuth targets.
With a mission to deliver sustainable exploration, the company is harnessing modern exploration technologies and government support to explore the territory’s mineral potential.
Litchfield is charging ahead at Lucy Creek 2, blending high-grade manganese results with its smart exploration strategies supported by government backing and share purchase plan funds.
The company looks poised to drill a promising hydrothermal system by 2026, potentially reshaping its critical minerals portfolio.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
