Bradda Head Lithium (AIM:BHL) has completed its first three diamond drill holes at the Whistlejacket Lithium Project in Arizona, logging broad zones of visible fresh spodumene mineralisation in all three, with a fourth hole already under way.
The North America-focused lithium developer holds Whistlejacket under an Option to Joint Venture agreement with Rio Tinto subsidiary Kennecott Exploration Company, under which Bradda can earn up to a 60% interest through phased exploration spending.
Hole WSTL0020 intersected a 31.8-metre structure of visible fresh spodumene from 161.85m to 193.65m. WSTL0021 returned two intervals, 6.41m and 19.23m, the latter running from 210.1m to 229.33m, among the widest single intercepts on the section. WSTL0022, the shallowest of the three, returned the widest intercept recorded so far, a 46-metre structure of fresh spodumene from 61.87m to 107.87m.
All three holes ended in metavolcanic host rock with no further mineralisation noted beyond the pegmatite zones, and the spodumene observed is associated with albite, quartz, K-feldspar and muscovite, consistent with mineralogy Kennecott had previously documented at the site.
"These are highly encouraging visual indications from our maiden drilling programme at Whistlejacket," said Executive Chair Ian Stalker, adding that the scale of the intercepts at WSTL0020 and WSTL0022 "gives us real confidence in the size and continuity of this system."
The company cautioned that visual estimates of mineralisation are preliminary and may not reflect true grade or width, with laboratory assays potentially differing materially from what has been logged in the core.
Samples from WSTL0020 have already been shipped to the lab, with WSTL0021 and WSTL0022 samples to follow in the coming days, and assay results expected within weeks.
Three holes have now been completed out of roughly 24 planned for 2026 at Whistlejacket, with WSTL0023 under way to further define the three-dimensional shape of the main mineralised body.
Kennecott's earlier drilling at the project comprised 19 diamond holes totalling 4,188 metres, with every hole intersecting lithium mineralisation, including 51m at 1.11% Li2O and 19.47m at 1.66% Li2O.
Whistlejacket sits alongside Bradda's San Domingo and Basin projects as one of three Arizona assets the company is advancing toward resource definition, with the current drilling intended to support metallurgical testwork evaluating the project's potential to produce a clean spodumene concentrate.