Up to 0.5% Li2O (2,310 ppm), 1,833 ppm Cesium and 120,000 ppm Tantalum
Usha Resources Ltd. (TSXV: USHA / FWB: JO0) is systematically advancing its flagship White Willow Lithium Project despite the poor stock market environment for lithium juniors. Usha’s geologists worked for a total of ten weeks on the White Willow Lithium Pegmatite Project, located 170 km west of Thunder Bay (Ontario), long after the usual end of the season.
They were able to create detailed maps and collect 727 grab samples. The company plans to test the new targets as well as the ten previously known pegmatite targets through drilling during its first drilling program in the spring. Selected top results from the targets identified so far include up to 0.5% Li2O (2,310 ppm), 1,833 ppm cesium, 120,000 ppm tantalum, and 4,100 ppm rubidium.
The geologists focused on preparing the Bingo Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (“LCT”) pegmatite swarm for drilling and further evaluating the Maple Leaf LCT pegmatite swarm. Through on-site exploration, they succeeded in extending the existing 25 km strike length of the fractionated pegmatites by about 2 km further west (Figure 1).
The preliminary evaluation of pathfinder elements at Bingo reveals some particularly striking chemical signatures with promising correlations of niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta), as well as potassium (K) and rubidium (Rb). The K/Rb ratio is an important tool for identifying potentially spodumene-bearing veins. Values below 30 indicate rare earth metal pegmatites, and below 20 indicate pegmatites of the spodumene subtype. The values at Bingo were K/Rb~20; Nb/Ta 1; 4,100ppm Rb; and 954 ppm Cs. Another criterion for spodumene-bearing veins is their degree of fractionation. Both Bingo and Maple Leaf achieve high values here.
Deepak Varshney, CEO of Usha Resources, commented: “We are thrilled with the results from the recent phase of fieldwork at White Willow. With ten existing primary target areas already identified along our over 27-kilometer trend, we believe Phase 3 will significantly contribute to delineating additional targets for our planned initial 4,000-meter drill program. The results to date confirm our belief that Willow is a flagship project where Ontario’s next major lithium discovery will occur.”
Conclusion: Unlike many competitors in the lithium sector, Usha persistently continues the development of its White Willow Lithium Pegmatite Project. The geologists have even worked “overtime.” Although the project is still in an early stage, the newly acquired data with striking pathfinder elements are significant – especially in the eyes of experts. The pegmatites at Bingo show many structural similarities to spodumene-bearing pegmatites in Ontario. The strike length of White Willow now extends to 27 kilometers. For comparison: Patriot Battery Metals’ well-known Corvette project spans a trend of about 20 kilometers. Even though no one seems to care at the moment: Usha is delivering good work. It should not be forgotten that Usha also owns a lithium brine project in Nevada. The market values everything together at only 2.9 million CAD at currently 0.05 CAD per share. In the latest quarterly report for September 2023, the company reported about 750,000 CAD in liquid assets. Since then, the company has raised an additional 100,000 CAD in a placement.
