Paul Nex

A Review of Lithium
occurrences in Africa
Paul Nex, Kathryn Goodenough, Richard Shaw
and Judith Kinnaird
Lithium
occurrences and
exploration
activity in Africa
are dominated by
pegmatite
occurrences . Greenbushes,
Australia
No known brine
Mineral Formula
resources as yet,
although Spodumene LiAl(SiO3)2
Botswana is Petalite LiAlSi4O10
being Eucryptite LiAlSiO4
investigated:
(by Lithium
Amblygonite (Li,Na)AlPO4(F,OH)
Consolidated Mineral Lepidolite K(Li,Al)3(Al,Si,Rb)4O10(F,OH)
Exploration Ltd-ASX)
Pegmatites:typically granitic,
enriched in incompatible elements,
occurrences correlate with times of
collisional orogeny and
supercontinent assembly.
Pegmatite classification needs

reworking, however two types of
interest -
LCT: Lithium-caesium-tantalum
NYF: Niobium-yttrium-fluorine
Rubicon (Namibia)
Bikita (Zimbabwe)
Two dominant genetic models:
1. Products of the fractionation of a

parental granite.
2. Products of low volume partial

melting of metasediments during
post-collisional orogenic collapse
associated with decompression
Nigeria: Pegmatites are
~probably younger than 560 Ma.
Contenders for parental granites
are 640-600 Ma
Recent research in Norway (Muller et al 2017, or 60-580 Ma

“thousands of pegmatites without parental
granites”), NW Scotland, Nigeria and Namibia
suggests that the low volume partial melting model
for the genesis of granitic pegmatites is more
prevalent than previously appreciated.
In Namibia, potential parental granites are ~25 Ma

older than the pegmatites and are deformed while
the pegmatites are undeformed
Most LCT Li-pegmatites contain
either spodumene or petalite as the
dominant economic lithium-bearing • Petalite & spodumene:
mineral. Some contain both.
• Can you tell the difference?
This is controlled by the P-T
conditions of formation.
Monoclinic
Typically
striated
1 cleavage
3.7 % Li
(Flat faces,
lustrous)
Monoclinc
2 cleavages
1.6 – 2.27
(Pink
patina, dull) London, 1984
Country Project Company Ore Li2O Ta2O5
Zimbabwe Bikita Bikita Minerals Kesler ,1978 10.8 Mt 1.4%
Zimbabwe Bikita Bikita Minerals Clarke, 2011 10.8 Mt 0.58%
Zimbabwe Kamativi 100 Mt 0.28%
Zimbabwe Arcadia Prospect Resources JORC 2017 36.4 Mt 1.42% 127 ppm
Zimbabwe Zulu Premier African Minerals SAMREC 2017 20.1 Mt 1.06% 51 ppm
Tanzania Mohanga Liontown Resources
Namibia Helicon & Desert Lion Energy Historical 1.1 Mt 1.4%

Rubicon
DRC Manomo-Kitolo Historical 7.86 Mt 0.76%
DRC Manomo-Kitolo Historical 35 Mt 0.6%
DRC Manono Project AVZ Minerals Expl Tgt 1-1.2 Bt 1.25-1.5%
South Blesberg Australian Vanadium - - - -

Africa (Noumas I)
Ghana Egyasimanku IronRidge Resources Historical 1.48 Mt 1.66%
Hill
Mali Various Blenheim Natural - - - -
Resources
Mali Bougouni / Birimian / Chinese JORC 2017 32.9 Mt 1.37%
Goulamina Company?
Pan-African pegmatites
(~550-500 Ma)
(Neoproterozoic-Cambrian)
W.Q. Kennedy (1964) coined the

term Pan-African for the orogenic
activity.
Tom Clifford (1970’s) first continent-

wide synthesis of pegmatites in a
plate tectonic context
Oleg Von Knorring (1970’s) major

mineralogical investigations of most
African pegmatites
Varlamoff (1972) first recognition of

regional zoning in African
pegmatites (West & Central Africa &
Madagascar) – pre Cerny
Pan-African Orogenic Belts from Begg (2009)

Country Project Status Company Level Ore (Mt) Li2O (%) Sn(%) Ta2O5 (ppm)
Mozambique Morropino Closed mine Noventa (until 2013) Historical 21.7 190
Mozambique Morrua Closed mine Noventa (until 2013) Historical 7.5 700
Mozambique Muiane Closed mine Unknown Historical 7 160
Namibia Helicon & Rubicon Exploration Desert Lion Energy Historical 1.1 1.4
Namibia Rubicon Exploration Desert Lion Energy Expl Tgt 10 2.5

Namibia Petalite Closed mine Unknown
Ethiopia Kenticha Mine Historical 116 150
African LCT projects of Pan-African age Image from Linnen et al. (2012) – after
Cerny, Elements
Note that many have been tantalum resources
with possibly Li credits.
Pegmatite zoning is idealised
Pegmatite types are distinct in different areas

(Clifford, von Knorring):
Namibia & Zambia – includes Sn

Mozambique & Madgascar – no Sn
Mozambique & Madagascar – generally
enriched in REE compared to those in Namibia
Suggests fundamental source control

Namibia: Central Zone of the Pan-African, Damara Orogen
Namibia: Rubicon (& Helicon)
Cross section and aerial view from Desert

Lion Energy investor presentation
Petalite historically, currently abundant

lepidolite (Li-mica with 1.39-3.6 % Li)
Rubicon pegmatite, Roering 1963 PhD Wits
Namibia: Petalite/Molopo & SP 14
Fuchsloch et al 2017
Diehl, 1990
• Abyssal class
- K feldspar Madagascar
- corundum
• Rare earth class
- beryl-columbite
- beryl-columbite-U
- beryl-columbite-P
- chrysoberyl
- emerald
• Rare earth NYF
- allanite-monazite
- monazite - Sc
- bastnaesite
• Complex LCT
- lepidolite
- amblygonite
- elbaite
- danburite
(Pezzotta, 1999)
Kibaran pegmatites (~1000-900 Ma)
(Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic)
Namaqua pegmatites in the NW

Cape (South Africa)
Central African pegmatites in

DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and SW
Uganda.
The Manono-Kitololo project(s)

are probably the most exciting
within this pegmatite field.
Mined for tin in the past and the

lithium was essentially ignored.
DRC: Manono-Kitololo
Dewaele et al (2016)
Multiple pegmatites, Sn, Nb-Ta, Li
15 km in length, 800 m wide
6th March ASX press release, AVZ Minerals

intesects 282.95 m of spodumene-bearing
pegmatite.
Exploration is ongoing,
Namaqualand pegmatites
Mined historically,
infrastructure challenges
~950 Ma
resurgence of exploration?
Bleskop pegmatite
Spodumene Kop
Regionally intriguing
zonation
• Hugo (1969)
Namibia
South Africa
Based on historical work by

Hugo and von Backstrom
Archaean ~(4000-2500)
(Most Archaean pegmatites in
Africa are poorly dated)
Why Archaean cratons:
The three most economically

important LCT pegmatites are
Archaean in age:
Greenbushes (Australia)
TANCO (Canada)
Bikita (Zimbabwe)
We do not understand the

fundamental reason for this!
Proterozoic and Phanerozoic

pegmatites are orogen-related,
its more difficult to understand
Archaean orogenesis
(Begg et al 2009)
Zimbabwe:
A lithium exploration boom?
Underexplored
Changing political conditions
Prospective for LCT pegmatites A
“Zimbabwe has the potential to K

meet 20% of global lithium
demand” (Eyewitness News B
Feb, 2018) Z
A – Arcadia Project
B – Bikita Minerals (Active Mine)
K – Kamativi Project
Z – Zulu Project
Markwitz et al 2010
Bikita
Historically the largest Li producer in Africa
and frequently ranked 3rd in the world after
Greenbushes and Tanco.
Mined for 70 years, initially for tin, also has

tantalum, berylium and caesium (from
pollucite) credits.
Several individual pegmatites, quite

structurally complex, spodumene and
petalite both present – detailed distribution
unknown.
Two open cast pits (Bikita & Al Hayat)
Main pegmatite is complexly zoned, ~1.5

km in length & 50 m wide
Resources / Reserves are currently

historical and any up-dates are not in the
public domain – Bikita Minerals is a private
company. Wilson & Martin (1964)
Arcadia Project
38 km east of Harare
historical open pit (1966-1972)
pegmatites emplaced into metabasalts
~flat lying (045°/10° NW)
both petalite and spodumene present
poorly zoned, tantalite credits
Thanks to Roger Tyler (Chief Geologist, Prospect

Resources) for the pictures
up to 14 stacked pegmatite sheets, 4 used in the
resource statement (Upper, Main, Lower Main,
Middle)
Maiden Mineral Resource (March 2017): 36.4 Mt @ 1.42% Li2O,

127 ppm Ta2O5
Ore Reserve Estimate (June 2017) 15.8 Mt @ 1.34% Li2O, 125
ppm Ta2O5
“Africas Largest JORC compliant Li resource”
July 2016 Drilling

commences
October 2016 Maiden

JORC resource
December 2016
Scoping Study
Complete
June 2017 PFS

complete
2018 Production?
Zulu Project: Premier African Minerals
Multiple, anastomosing sub-

vertical pegmatites
Spodumene and petalite

present
Drilling 2016-1017 followed by

a maiden SAMREC compliant
resource: 20.1 Mt @ 1.06%
Li2O5, 51 ppm Ta2O5
November 2017 Scoping Study

completed
Cross-section from Premier African Minerals presentation

Exploration implications
• You do NOT necessarily need a parental granite (but regionally the

presence of granites indicate the required metamorphic conditions for
anatexis)
• Find an orogenic belt, the older the better. – why is the Archaean so
well-endowed?
• If you can spit across it, its not worth looking at (Kevin Burke, about Be
in pegmatites ~ 1970’s) but if you find a stacked pegmatite system then
it may be very interesting.
• How many grains of a particular mineral do you need in a pegmatite to

be able to refer to it by that mineral name eg it’s a spodumene
pegmatite, or an allanite-fluorite pegmatite?
• How much lithium do you need before you can call it a “lithium
pegmatite”?
Thank you

Paul Nex

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A Review of Lithium

Pegmatite classification needs

Two dominant genetic models:

1. Products of the fractionation of a

2. Products of low volume partial

Recent research in Norway (Muller et al 2017, or 60-580 Ma

In Namibia, potential parental granites are ~25 Ma

Zimbabwe Bikita Bikita Minerals Clarke, 2011 10.8 Mt 0.58%

Zimbabwe Kamativi 100 Mt 0.28%

Tanzania Mohanga Liontown Resources

Namibia Helicon & Desert Lion Energy Historical 1.1 Mt 1.4%

DRC Manomo-Kitolo Historical 35 Mt 0.6%

DRC Manono Project AVZ Minerals Expl Tgt 1-1.2 Bt 1.25-1.5%

South Blesberg Australian Vanadium - - - -

W.Q. Kennedy (1964) coined the

Tom Clifford (1970’s) first continent-

Oleg Von Knorring (1970’s) major

Varlamoff (1972) first recognition of

Pan-African Orogenic Belts from Begg (2009)

Namibia Rubicon Exploration Desert Lion Energy Expl Tgt 10 2.5

Pegmatite zoning is idealised

Pegmatite types are distinct in different areas

Namibia & Zambia – includes Sn

Suggests fundamental source control

Cross section and aerial view from Desert

Petalite historically, currently abundant

Namaqua pegmatites in the NW

Central African pegmatites in

The Manono-Kitololo project(s)

Mined for tin in the past and the

Multiple pegmatites, Sn, Nb-Ta, Li

15 km in length, 800 m wide

6th March ASX press release, AVZ Minerals

Based on historical work by

Why Archaean cratons:

The three most economically

We do not understand the

Proterozoic and Phanerozoic

A lithium exploration boom?

“Zimbabwe has the potential to K

Mined for 70 years, initially for tin, also has

Several individual pegmatites, quite

Two open cast pits (Bikita & Al Hayat)

Main pegmatite is complexly zoned, ~1.5

Resources / Reserves are currently

Thanks to Roger Tyler (Chief Geologist, Prospect

Maiden Mineral Resource (March 2017): 36.4 Mt @ 1.42% Li2O,

“Africas Largest JORC compliant Li resource”

July 2016 Drilling

October 2016 Maiden

June 2017 PFS

Multiple, anastomosing sub-

Spodumene and petalite

Drilling 2016-1017 followed by

November 2017 Scoping Study

Cross-section from Premier African Minerals presentation

• You do NOT necessarily need a parental granite (but regionally the

• How many grains of a particular mineral do you need in a pegmatite to

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