Initial reports from soil and rock chip sampling at Pan Asia Metals’ KT East lithium prospect in southern Thailand have identified a highly-prospective zone rich in lepidolite pegmatites, extending approximately 1.5km in length and 500m in width.
The KT prospect, located 35km north of Pan Asia’s RK and BT prospects, already shows a larger footprint than those two areas combined. Last month, Pan Asia announced a broader 2.4km-by-2.4km pegmatite swarm at the KT site. Ongoing field programs continue to uncover additional pegmatites, with some dykes observed up to 20m wide at the surface. These sites, along with others, are considered drill-ready targets, with drilling expected to commence later this year.
“KT presents PAM a substantial extension to RK and BT prospects and, with the KT footprint already larger than RK and BT combined, KT has the potential to add substantial tonnes, which means potential for an extended project life and/or increased annual LCE production,” said Paul Lock, managing director of Pan Asia Metals.
The company now has three substantial prospects within the Reung Kiet (RK) lithium project: the RK prospect, the Bang I Tum (BT) deposit to the south, and the newly-identified Kata Thong (KT) East prospect to the north, all located in the Phang Nga Province of southern Thailand.
The RK prospect has a mineral resource estimate of 14.8 million tonnes at 0.45 percent lithium oxide, equating to 164,500 tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). The BT prospect, an extension of the RK deposit, has an exploration target of 16 to 25 million tonnes at 0.4 to 0.7 percent lithium oxide. The KT East prospect is directly along the trend of RK and BT and is considered a natural extension of these deposits.
A successful definition of a mineral resource at KT could increase annual LCE production and extend the project life, making the RK lithium project an attractive partner for supplying battery metals to the growing Southeast Asian market, valued at $4.32 billion this year.
As Pan Asia Metals continues its field programs, the company is eager to demonstrate KT’s potential with drilling set to begin later this year. 
