The project, in Western Australia's north, has resources of 51,700 tonnes nickel, 21,700t copper and 2290t cobalt defined over the past two years, and multiple follow-up targets.

 

Yesterday it refined Andover's claim to being a battery metals hub by defining spodumene-rich pegmatites.

 

The area was historically mined for beryl, tin and tantalum in the 1960s, so finding lithium was considered likely, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, or rather assaying, of the rock chips.

 

Over 60 additional samples were collected from outcropping pegmatites, returning up to 3.32% lithium oxide, with a significant amount of coarse grained visible spodumene.

 

With the confirmation of the mineral in the pegmatites, Azure plans to get drilling to see what kinds of grades and thicknesses it can define. 

 

A priority cluster of shallow-dipping pegmatites associated with the best samples is a priority target.

 

Managing director Tony Rovira said the drilling will begin as soon as it gets the nod from the state government.

 

It will be run in parallel with its nickel-focused work, which is focused on the Seaview and Pipeline prospects.

 

The Andover pegmatite swarm extends over a zone some 8km long and up to 4km wide in the northeast part of the Andover project area. Most pegmatites are within or adjacent to Azure's Southern Mineralised Corridor target.

 

The SMC is a visually distinctive mafic-ultramafic intrusive trend that could extend for 10km.

 

It raises some interesting questions about how Andover will shape up as a mining operation, given all of the Pilbara's lithium mines developed to date are singularly focused, with tantalum by-products.

 

Rovira said Azure was "only scratching the surface" at Andover.

 

Creasy Group is Azure's 40% partner in the project.

 

Azure's shares have traded at 16-47c over the past year.

 

At yesterday's close it was valued at $92 million.