In the fall of 2022, BRW signed an option agreement with Osisko Development Corp. (TSX-V: ODEV) to acquire a 90% interest in the Anatacau Property (the “Property”) located in the James Bay-Eeyou Istchee region of Quebec and which is host to lithium mineralization. Furthermore, one block of the Anatacau property is located just east of Arcadium’s (NYSE: ALTM) James Bay Lithium deposit (previously known as the Cyr deposit). The Cyr deposit has a Total Mineral Resource of 110.2 Mt at 1.30% Li2O and a total Ore Reserve of 37.3 Mt at 1.27% Li2O. (See, Arcadium Lithium, formerly Arcadium, Press Release dated August 11, 2023)
In the summer of 2023, BRW completed a maiden drill program at the Anatacau property totalling 3,712 meters. 17 of the 18 drilled holes intersected spodumene mineralization.
Drilling highlights include:
- 26.5 metres at 1.51% Li2Oin drill hole AW-23-01;
- 9.9 metres at 1.03%Li2O in drill hole AW-23-10;
- 10.1 metres at 1.06%Li2O, including 4.9 m at 1.63% Li2O and 12.6 metres at 1.12% Li2O in drill hole AW-23-14.
- 25.1 metres at 1.00% Li2Oin drill hole AW-23-17, including 18.1 metres at 1.37% Li2O;
- 18.2 metres at 1.31%Li2O in drill hole AW-23-18;
- 18.2 metres at 1.33%Li2O, including 9.5 metres at 1.74% Li2O and 3.5 metres at 2.11% Li2O in drill hole AW-23-05.
Following drilling completed to date, BRW believes it has intercepted at least two continuous, distinct spodumene-bearing pegmatites. All of the pegmatites are oriented north-northeast, are closely spaced in an on-echelon pattern and dip steeply towards the west. The pegmatites are hosted in metasedimentary rocks in an east-west deformation corridor similar to Arcadium’s neighboring James Bay Lithium Deposit.
Drilling has initially focused on near surface mineralization with the pegmatites only being drill tested to a maximum vertical depth of 137 meters. They remain open at depth. Furthermore, potential exists for repetition of new pegmatites further to the south and to the east.
Lithium mineralization consists predominantly of spodumene with minor lepidolite. Spodumene crystals are generally well-formed, decimetric in scale (up to 10cm) and have a white to pale grey color. Importantly, grade is strongly correlated with visually identified spodumene percentage in core allowing BRW to rapidly ascertain the lithium potential of mineralized intercepts in exploration drilling.
During summer 2024, the Company conducted a widely spaced till sampling campaign on its Anatacau West project. Out of a total of 24 samples collected, four scattered samples returned very significant spodumene grains counts (1,226; 914; 47; 37) in the coarse sieved fraction in the <2mm fraction and normalized to 10kg.
These high spodumene grain count till results demonstrate that an important mineralized trend extends further to the east on Brunswick’s claims and that there is therefore a strong potential for new discoveries of near-surface spodumene dykes up-ice. With the new drone magnetic interpretation, we believe that the three holes drilled in 2023 to the east, which returned only anomalous lithium values, were located further north and outside of the main mineralized trend.
Currently Brunswick is resampling core from the 2023 drill campaign to evaluate the existence of lithium alteration halos in the adjacent host rock in the drilled area and the potential for new dykes immediately on strike and at depth to the existing pegmatites. This data will be incorporated into Brunswick’s forthcoming plans at Anatacau West.
