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  • New Age Exploration (NAE) confirms gold and lithium potential at its Brahman and Quartz Hill projects in WA’s Pilbara region
  • Drilling at the Brahman project tested “Hemi-style” gold targets and several holes returned multi-element gold and lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) geochemical anomalism
  • Over at Quartz Hill, sampling confirmed geochemical anomalism with a result of 154.1 parts per million (ppm) lithium and 1.1 ppm caesium
  • Executive Director Joshua Wellisch says the results “confirm our belief that our Central Pilbara Project has the potential to host significant gold and lithium mineral deposits”
  • NAE shares are up 10 per cent to trade at 1.1 cents at 11:56 am AEST

New Age Exploration (NAE) has received “encouraging” results from reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Brahman project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

In late 2021, the company drilled 12 holes, for 1500 metres, as part of the planned 5000-metre phase two RC program.

The Brahman project can be found within 20 to 30 kilometres of De Grey Mining’s (DEG) Mallina gold project and the Hemi gold discovery.

As such, drilling aimed to test high priority “Hemi-style” intrusive related and structural gold targets identified in phase one drilling and through the assessment of geophysical data.

Several holes returned low level, multi-element gold and lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pathfinder geochemical anomalism.

Gold results include 20 metres at 2.3 parts per billion (ppb) gold and 3.1 parts per million (ppm) arsenic from eight metres, four metres at 104 ppb gold and 4.6 ppm arsenic from 108 metres, and 40 metres at 5.5 ppb gold and 11.7 ppm arsenic from 36 metres.

Drilling also confirmed lithium potential with results of 56 metres 137.5 ppm lithium, 20.7 ppm caesium, two ppm beryllium and 69.4 ppm rubidium from 36 metres, and 40 metres at 111.4 ppm lithium and 1.8 ppm caesium from 80 metres.

In addition to these drill results, New Age Exploration received assays from rock chip sampling of lithium pegmatite targets at the Quartz Hill project, located southwest and along strike from Wodgina, which is one of the world’s largest hard rock lithium deposits.

Sampling confirmed low level lithium geochemical anomalism with a grab sample returning 154.1 ppm lithium and 1.1 ppm caesium.

Executive Director Joshua Wellisch said the company is “very encouraged” with the results received in the early stage of exploration in the Pilbara.

“The results received to date confirm our belief that our Central Pilbara Project has the potential to host significant gold and lithium mineral deposits,” Mr Wellisch said.

“Given that we have now confirmed a lithium opportunity in addition to gold, our immediate strategy will be to advance in concert both our gold and lithium targeting.”

The company is progressing a geochemical sampling survey ahead of recommencing drilling later in the year.

NAE shares were up 10 per cent to trade at 1.1 cents at 11:56 am AEST.

NAE by the numbers
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