Concentrate that is 75% pure spodumene sells for around...

Concentrate that is 75% pure spodumene sells for around US$5400/tonne. Pure spodumene contains 8.03% LiO_2, no more. So, if a sample returns an assay of 1.2% LiO₂ it should contain 15% spodumene. If a concentrate of 75% spodumene sells for US$5400/tonne that means that a body of 15% spodumene could be worth US$1080 per tonne if the spodumene can be concentrated to 75% (that would be 6% LiO₂). Making a product like lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide that battery makers need takes a lot of processing, so I reckon that any spodumene mine at Andover would just produce a spodumene concentrate for sale, just like a how a zinc mine produces concentrate for sale.

The LiO₂ percentages that have been reported from surface samples at Andover are select samples, and until some consecutive channel samples of say 5m long with +1% LiO₂ are reported from across a pegmatite body that is say 50 metres wide, the SP is not going much higher IMO. The importance of the LiO₂ in ANDD0199 depends on the true thickness of the intercept of course, but it sure is encouraging. Since ANDD0198 drilled through 200m of pegmatite with a maximum of 0.13% LiO₂ over a short interval it let the air of the hit in ANDD0199.