Aruma Resources Limited announced first assay results from its recently completed drilling program at the Mt Deans Lithium-Rubidium Project near
Norseman, in the lithium corridor of south-eastern Western Australia. Broad spaced drilling and surface sampling by Aruma has identified a thick vertical sequence of lithium and high-grade rubidium bearing pegmatites over a strike length of about 1.5 kilometres. The Company recently completed a second phase of drilling at Mt Deans, which comprised 21 reverse circulation holes for 1,409 metres, to depths of between 20 and 120 metres. Drilling was designed to examine lepidolite bearing pegmatite outcrops and previous drilling intersections from Tantalum Australia Limited in 2002. The program extended the lithium and high-grade rubidium intersected in the thick vertical pegmatite in Aruma's first phase of drilling in the central part of the project area, and a subsequent rock chip sampling program. Assay results have been returned for the first two holes and have delivered highly positive results with lithium-rubidium content of more than 2% and multiple intersections of greater than 1% Li2O (lithium) and 1% Rb2O (rubidium) over significant widths. Assay results from the remaining holes of Aruma's recently completed drilling, plus results from re- sampling of historic drilling will be released when available. Results have been received from two drill holes to date ­ MDRC09 and MDRC11. These holes have returned high grades above 1% combined Li2O and Rb2O in significant intervals, of 5 metres or more. Two types of pegmatite intersections are evident with high grade lithium (>1.2% Li 2O) intersected in hole MDRC11, along with a "mixed" mafic/pegmatite contact material in hole MDRC09. Drill hole MDRC11 intersected a pegmatite of approximately 5 metres true width, with consistent high-grade Li2O, peaking at 1.67% Li2O. The composited interval for this pegmatite is 7m @ 2.03% Li2O+Rb2O. This consisted of 1.23% Li2O and 0.8% Rb2O over 7m with 0.13% cesium, 378ppm tantalum and 202ppm tin in the pegmatite intersection. Drill hole MDRC09 intersected a mixed zone of altered mafic host rock and pegmatitic material. This zone is interpreted to be a mineralised alteration zone ("alteration zone") on the contact between intrusive pegmatites and the mafic country rock. Within MDRC09, the alteration zone is intersected over 32 metres downhole (at plus 0.8% Li2O+Rb2O), including two higher grade zones of 9m @ 1.23% Li2O+Rb2O and 5m @ 1.05% Li2O+Rb2O. The entire mineralised intersection within MDRC09, including the high-grade intervals is 32m @ 0.83% combined Li2O and Rb2O with a nominal 0.5% lower reported grade. This drill hole followed the contact in an altered zone on the mafic-pegmatite contact and demonstrates the zoned nature of the pegmatites at Mt Deans. The Rubidium/Lithium plot demonstrates that the highest lithium grades were in the pegmatite, but of interest is that the highest rubidium grades were in the contact pegmatite- mafic mix. This may be the rubidium bearing muscovite forming the alteration zone on contacts. The zoning and grade distribution suggests that there are lepidolite rich pegmatites (high Li and
Rb) and the contact material (low Li and high Rb) with a yet to be identified mineral. Mineralogy will be completed on drill samples to confirm these assumptions. The altered mafic on the pegmatite contact contains quite high rubidium grades but decreased lithium grades indicating a different mineralogy.