Rock Tech drills 1.25% lithium oxide over 8.66 metres at Georgia Lake

Rock Tech Lithium (CVE:RCK) announced Monday the first set of assay results from its phase two exploration program at its Georgia Lake lithium project in Ontario, designed to expand the maiden NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate at the site.
Currently, the property hosts indicated resources of 2.36 million tonnes grading 1.17% lithium oxide (Li2O) and 4.36 million inferred tonnes grading 1.08% Li2O. The resource estimate, based on the spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes located on the Nama Creek and Conway claim blocks, was released in late October.
Highlights of the latest drill results include 1.40% Li2O over 5.02 metres, 0.95% Li2O over 3.91 metres and 0.94% Li2O over 7 metres in drill hole NC-11-15;  and 1.47% Li2O over 2.32 metres, 1.05% Li2O over 4.83 metres and three other mineralized intersections in drill hole NC-11-16.
In addition, hole NC-11-18 intersected 1.25% Li2O over 8.66 metres, while hole NC-11-19 returned 1.15% Li2O over 6.69 metres.
Meanwhile, two intersections of 5.00 metres each, with grades of 1.61% Li2O and 1.27% Li2O, respectively, were found in hole NC-11-22, along with two other mineralized intersections.
The company said that additional anomalous values of lithium oxide and rare metals, including rubidium, beryllium, cesium, niobium and tantalum, were also found.
“We are very pleased with the first set of assay results as they confirm the validity of the historical drill holes and show the continuity of lithium mineralization at depth," said president and CEO, Eunho Lee.
"The development of our Georgia Lake lithium project is progressing as planned as we recently completed over 4,000 metres of drilling. We will be releasing additional assay results as they are received.”
Aside from diamond drilling on the Nama Creek claim block, phase two of the company's exploration program at Georgia Lake includes channel sampling along three other pegmatite dykes that contain historic lithium resources, known as the Newkirk, Line 60 and Conway blocks.
These lithium-bearing pegmatites are exposed at surface and, as a result, channel sampling is expected to help increase resources by tying up surface zones with the zones intersected in the shallowest drill hole on each dyke, Rock Tech said.
The next phase of the company’s exploration program, planned for the first or second quarter of 2012, will be designed to confirm the balance of the historic resource.
Rock Tech has already reported very high purity levels from the property earlier this year. In late September, the company achieved a purity level of 99.988% lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) from a bulk sample. Battery manufacturers require a purity level of at least 99.5% Li2CO3. Besides the battery industry, lithium has many uses, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, casting for HVAC products, additives for greases and oil products, aluminum production, and as a pharmaceutical mood stabilizer.
The Georgia Lake lithium property, located some 145 kilometers northeast of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario, consists of four claim blocks covering 11,481 hectares.