Beyond Lithium has optioned 57 properties totalling 125,751 hectares and acquires through staking three properties totalling 9,104 hectares, bringing its lithium property portfolio in Ontario to 66 properties covering 147,975 hectares.
A summary of the properties are below:
Figure 1 – Location of projects across Ontario
Summary of prime exploration areas for 2023
The following highlights several projects on which Beyond Lithium expects to focus its exploration during the 2023 exploration season.
- Frontier Lithium District
Figure 2 – Tenure map of the Frontier Lithium district
Figure 3 – Geological map of the Frontier Lithium district
Highlights of the MacDowell (4,137 hectares) and Margot Lake (1,393 hectares) properties in the Frontier Lithium district
These properties are located 27-50 km southeast of Frontier Lithium’s (TSXV: FL) Pak/Spark LCT pegmatites. A historic government report from 1939 describes pegmatites up to 200 ft in width, some of which contain biotite, muscovite, pyroxene, tourmaline and garnet. Spodumene is a type of pyroxene mineral. The geological setting, S-type peraluminous granite and their associated pegmatites between and within metasediments (to the north) and metavolcanics (to the south) along the Bear Head Fault Zone is analogous to the geological setting at Frontier Lithium’s LCT pegmatites.
- Georgia lake district
Figure 4 – Tenure map of the Georgia Lake district
Figure 5– Geological map of the Georgia District
Highlights of the Cosgrave (6,269 hectares) and Gathering Lake (6,948 hectares) properties in the Georgia Lake district
These properties collectively provide 13,217 hectares of high potential property in the prolific Georgia Lake-Gathering Lake LCT pegmatite field. Each property is within 3 km of known spodumene-bearing pegmatites. OGS samples collected within 700 meters of the Gathering Lake Property during a reconnaissance survey of this LCT pegmatite district in 2006 yielded significantly elevated lithium content in muscovite samples (1702 ppm Li and 2203 ppm Li in samples 03-FWB-80-02 and 03-FWB-81-02, respectively) and sample 03-FWB-82-01, a potassium feldspar sample collected on property, was one of the most evolved potassium feldspar samples in the district, having 115 ppm Cs, 2687 ppm Rb and K/Rb of 37.
- Case Lake District
Figure 6 – Tenure map of the Case Lake district
Figure 7 – Geological map of the Case Lake district
Highlights of the Case Lake North (7,476 hectares) and Case Lake South (2,711 hectares) properties in the Case Lake district
These properties collectively covering 10,187 hectares of Case Lake Batholith contact zone in a similar geological setting as the neighbouring Power Metals’ (TSXV: PWM) LCT pegmatite swarm. Four potential dome structures (laccoliths) are covered by the Case Lake North property, one of which is shown on government maps as having mapped pegmatites in every outcrop exposure. Along with the Stimson Property, many target areas recommended by the OGS for rare-element pegmatites in 2021-2022 are covered by Beyond Minerals’ new properties.
Figure 8 – Geological map of the Stimson property in the Case Lake district
Highlights of the Stimson (1,630 hectares) property in the Case Lake district
This property is located along the south contact of the Case Batholith, 50 km west of Power Metals (TSXV: PWM) LCT pegmatites associated with the same intrusive body, within an area recommended for lithium exploration by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) in 2021-2022. Historic drill core logs of diamond drill holes collared by Noranda in 1994 indicates possible spodumene may have been encountered within a “granitic complex” that was intersected between 60.0 – 99.8 meters downhole (39.8 meters core interval).
- Wisa Lake District
Figure 9 – Tenure map of the Wisa Lake district
Figure 10 – Geological map of the Wisa Lake district
Highlights of the Wisa Lake (6,549 hectares) property
This property covers a large area surrounding Green Technology Metals’ (ASX: GT1) project, with spodumene-bearing pegmatite (GT1’s “South Zone”) which has yielded grab samples up to 6.38% Li2O, being only 700 meters north of the property boundary. OGS reconnaissance sampling shows pegmatites across the area are fractioned/evolved and recommended additional exploration for LCT pegmatites.
- Dryden Mavis Lake District
Figure 11 – Tenure map of the Dryden Lake district
Highlights of the Temple Bay (5,111 hectares) property in the Dryden district
This property is located 40 km west of Critical Resources’ (ASX: CRR) flagship Mavis Lake project. At Temple Bay, over 50 individual pegmatites have been mapped, with the largest currently known being up to 75 meters wide and at least 600 meters long. The pegmatites were discovered by prospector F. Plomp in 1997, when grab samples collected yielded up to 182 ppm Ta. The OGS examined the area during their reconnaissance survey of peraluminous granites and rare element pegmatites and recommended additional exploration along strike of the tantalum bearing pegmatites to determine whether they transition into lithium rich pegmatites.
Figure 12 – Geological map of the Dryden Lake district
Highlights of the Laval (1,042 hectares) property in the Dryden district
The Laval property is located only 15 km east of Critical Resources’(ASX: CRR) flagship Mavis Lake project. At the Laval property, a white pegmatite measuring up to 100 meters wide has been traced along strike for 2.5 km. This pegmatite was examined during an industrial minerals project in the 1990’s, when the pegmatite was examined for its suitability to produce mica and feldspar. A mica sample was assayed for lithium and produced a result of 1420 ppm Li (0.305% Li2O). In a government geological report of Laval-Hartman Township written around the same time, the author concluded these pegmatites “represent the extension of the Dryden lithium-bearing pegmatite field into the map area”
- Eastern English River District
Figure 13 – Tenure map of the Eastern English River district
Figure 14 – Geological map of the Eastern English River district
Highlights of the Sollas Lake (6,522 hectares) property in the Eastern English River district
The Sollas Lake property is located along the English River-Wabigoon Subprovince boundary 16 km along strike to the east of Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1) newly acquired Junior Lake Property. Historic diamond drilling on the property for other commodities completed by Mingold Resources in 1989 intersected pegmatites in all three drill holes collared on the property, with the longest intercept being over 95.5 ft of core length. The pegmatites are described as having interesting minerology, including muscovite, green mica, greenish coloured feldspar, megacrysts, garnets and unidentified green minerals. None of the core was assayed for rare elements. Drill core from one of these historic drill holes is stored in government drill core libraries and is available for re-examination and sampling.
Highlights of the Tennant Lake (3,544 hectares) property in the Eastern English River district
This property has three historic drill holes collared by Jilbey Exploration in 1994 while exploring for other commodities. All three holes intersected pegmatite, the longest over 32.33 meters of core length. This pegmatite is also described in the drill logs as having interesting minerology, including heterogenous texture, muscovite, unidentified black mineral, white mica, garnets, and unidentified blue-green mineral. These drill holes were specifically referenced within the OGS’ 2022-2023 Recommendations for Exploration which highlighted the rare element potential of Eastern English River Subprovince and recommended additional exploration.
Highlights of the Maytham (7,400 hectares) and Superb North (2,054 hectares) in the Eastern English River districts
These properties are within an area studied by the OGS and where they described the pegmatites that were observed as having similarities to known fertile granites and their associated pegmatites at South Aubrey and the Allison Lake Batholith (both of which are being explored by Green Technology Metals). The OGS established a fractionation trend in a westward direction on the peraluminous Maytham-Queenston Batholith (toward Beyond Minerals property). The properties cover almost 20 km of English River-Wabigoon Subprovince boundary which hosts numerous LCT pegmatite groups over a 120 km length between Linklater Lake and Superb Lake. The nearest know spodumene-bearing pegmatite at Superb Lake is only 3 km south of the Superb North Property.
- Mountainry & Hilltop District
Figure 15 – Geological map of the Mountainry & Hilltop district
Highlights of the Mountairy (7,503 hectares) and Hilltop (4,203 hectares) properties
These properties cover 133 mapped pegmatites that are described by government geological reports as being up to “several hundred feet in width and up to 1,000 to 1,500 feet in length”. The author states that the pegmatites did not receive close examination and may warrant further attention. As these pegmatites are located along the Wabigoon-Winnipeg River Subprovince boundary and are reported to be heterogenous and contain accessory minerals (garnets, muscovite) suggesting a peraluminous source, they may have good potential for rare-element mineralization.
- Hearst District
Figure 16 – Tenure map of the Hearst District
Figure 17 – Geological map of the Scholfield property
Highlights of the Scholfield (6,346 hectares) property in the Hearst district
This property covers over 15 km of Quetico-Wawa-Abitibi Subprovince boundary 23 km south of Brunswick Exploration’s (TSXV: BRW) Hearst Property which is anticipated to be the subject of their upcoming 2023 drill programs. Historical assessment work by Kaphearst Resource Corp in 1986document numerous pegmatites up to 25 meters wide and over 200 meters in length exposed in surface outcrops. Historic diamond drilling for other commodities completed by Can-Mac Exploration in 1988 intersected pegmatite over 28.0 ft of core length with interesting minerology, including interlocking crystals of feldspar-quartz (intergrowth), silver and green “books” of muscovite, and a white-green mottled appearance.