Perpetual Resources Launches 1,500m Diamond Drilling at Brazil Lithium Project
Key Takeaways
- Perpetual Resources has executed its drilling contract with ServDrill Brazil, with the rig and crew mobilising to site at Igrejinha for a ~1,500m, ~22-hole HQ diamond drilling campaign expected to commence within days of 21 September 2026.
- The program targets two priority prospects — Mauricio, with interpreted pegmatite strike of at least 350m confirmed by four trenches, and Morro Grande, where surface sampling has returned up to 7.6% Li₂O (selective historical) and Perpetual's own samples exceeded 5.0% Li₂O.
- Diamond drilling is specifically designed to cut through the tropical weathering profile that suppressed grades in the 2025 RC program, with fresh-rock intervals expected to provide the first reliable assessment of depth grade and geometry at Igrejinha.
- Perpetual holds up to 90% exploration rights across a ~12,000ha Minas Gerais lithium portfolio in Brazil's Araçuaí Orogen, one of the world's premier LCT pegmatite provinces, with a second discovery already reported at the Renaldinho project.
- Results will be released progressively as drilling advances, with the full sequence running from mobilisation through core logging, sampling, and laboratory assay — making this the most detailed look yet at the Igrejinha system's depth potential.
Drill rigs rolling: Perpetual Resources mobilises for 1,500m diamond program in Brazil’s Lithium Valley
Perpetual Resources (ASX: PEC) has executed its drilling contract with ServDrill Brazil, with the drill rig, crew and supporting equipment now mobilising to site at the Igrejinha Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Drilling is expected to commence within days of this announcement, dated 21 September 2026. This is PEC’s upcoming diamond drilling campaign at Igrejinha, building on the geological groundwork laid by the 2025 RC program, and targets two priority prospects: Mauricio and Morro Grande.
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Program highlights at a glance
The key parameters of the upcoming campaign are summarised below.
| Program Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total program size | ~1,500m HQ diamond drilling |
| Planned holes | ~22 diamond holes |
| Target prospects | Mauricio and Morro Grande |
| Drilling contractor | ServDrill Brazil |
| Status | Mobilising; drilling expected to commence in coming days |
Note that final hole locations, depths and sequencing remain subject to refinement as drilling progresses.
Key highlights from the announcement include:
- Historical selective rock-chip sampling at Morro Grande returned lithium grades of up to 7.6% Li₂O (selective historical sampling)
- Perpetual’s own rock-chip samples returned >5.0%, 4.93% and 4.41% Li₂O
- Channel sampling from the Morro Grande artisanal workings returned up to 3.26% Li₂O; five 1m samples averaged 1.22% Li₂O
- Trenching at Mauricio confirmed pegmatite across four trenches with apparent thicknesses of approximately 2m to 11m, with geological interpretation defining the priority target over at least 350m of strike
- The project sits within Brazil’s Araçuaí Orogen, a globally recognised LCT (lithium-caesium-tantalum) pegmatite province
What is diamond drilling — and why does it matter here?
Diamond drilling produces a continuous solid cylinder of rock, known as drill core, extracted from depth by a rotating diamond-tipped bit. Unlike RC (Reverse Circulation) drilling, which returns rock chips, diamond core gives geologists unambiguous data on mineralogy, structure, thickness and grade continuity — the foundational information needed to assess whether a system has genuine economic potential.
The distinction matters particularly at Igrejinha because of the tropical weathering environment. In these conditions, lithium can be relatively mobile and progressively leached from near-surface pegmatite over geological time. That means RC results from shallow or intensely weathered material may significantly understate the lithium grade of the primary pegmatite sitting beneath.
This is exactly what the 2025 RC campaign encountered. While it intersected pegmatite and refined the geological model, the grades returned were generally modest because much of the drilling tested weathered material. The diamond program is explicitly designed to cut through that weathered profile and sample the unweathered primary pegmatite at depth. For investors, the results from those fresh-rock intervals will provide a more detailed assessment of the geometry, mineralogy and lithium distribution of the Igrejinha system.
Two high-priority targets — Mauricio and Morro Grande
Mauricio — 350m of interpreted pegmatite strike awaiting depth testing
Trenching completed in 2026 confirmed pegmatite across four trenches at the Mauricio target, with observed apparent thicknesses ranging from approximately 2m to 11m. The geological interpretation that underpins the diamond program defines the priority pegmatite target over at least 350m of strike, with further potential along strike and at depth still to be evaluated.
It is important to note that the geometry remains subject to testing by drilling and that the apparent surface widths may not represent true thickness. The upcoming diamond holes have been designed specifically to test the interpreted pegmatite geometry, continuity and thickness beneath the weathered profile and along strike.
Morro Grande — high-grade surface results drive depth campaign
Morro Grande has produced some of the most compelling surface sampling results seen across the project, as referenced in the highlights table above. The high-grade surface results were associated with spodumene-bearing pegmatite exposed within and around historical artisanal workings. Perpetual’s more recent field work has also reconfirmed spodumene-like pseudomorphs within the intensely weathered pegmatite, providing additional geological support for testing the interpreted primary pegmatite beneath the near-surface profile.
The objective of this drilling phase at Morro Grande is to establish what the pegmatite system looks like below that weathered cap.
Executive Chairman’s perspective
Julian Babarczy, Executive Chairman, Perpetual Resources
“Igrejinha has already demonstrated the presence of a mineralised pegmatite system, including previously reported high-grade lithium at surface. Our 2025 drilling gave us the geological information needed to substantially refine the model and identify where we believe the system is best tested next.
“At Mauricio we now have a substantial interpreted pegmatite target extending for at least 350 metres of strike, while at Morro Grande we are drilling beneath an intensely weathered system where surface sampling has previously returned very high lithium grades.
“The objective of this diamond program is straightforward — to test these priority targets with continuous core and establish what the pegmatite system looks like beneath the weathered profile. We expect drilling to commence in the coming days.”
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What investors should watch for next
Perpetual intends to release material results progressively to shareholders as drilling advances. The program is expected to proceed in the following sequence:
- Completion of ServDrill mobilisation and site preparation
- Commencement of diamond drilling (expected in coming days from 21 September 2026)
- Systematic geological and structural logging of drill core
- Progressive sampling and submission of mineralised intervals for laboratory analysis
- Ongoing updating of the Igrejinha geological model as drilling progresses
Igrejinha sits within PEC’s approximately 12,000ha Minas Gerais lithium portfolio in Brazil’s Lithium Valley, with Perpetual earning up to 90% exploration rights at the project. The results from this diamond campaign will represent the most detailed look yet at the depth potential of the Igrejinha pegmatite system.
Perpetual’s broader Brazil footprint includes an LCT pegmatite discovery in Brazil at its Renaldinho project, reinforcing the company’s exposure to the Araçuai Orogen’s lithium-caesium-tantalum system across multiple project areas within Minas Gerais.
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