Post by
geolteacher on Dec 12, 2023 10:03am
Ireland:veins too thin to mine; grades don't redeem it.
today's news release seems to be the 1st publication of true widths, and it's sobering.
The greatest reported true thickness was 0.48m, the average was around 20-30 cm.
The grades would need to be hugely rich (like i donno maybe 4-5% LiO2?) to make chasing such thin veins worthwhile.
If the pegmatite veins were like 70% spodumene that'd be possible, but I haven't seen grades like that from anything on the planet, and photos of core, boulder and outcrop I've seen from various projects on four continents don't seem to be more than ~40-50% spodumene at best.
DYOD,
and best wishes for the holiday season, as we all hope our stock holdings blossom next year!