Manyara Lithium Project

The Manyara Lithium Project is a 1,521 km² hard-rock lithium exploration portfolio comprising seven prospecting licences in North Dodoma, Tanzania. The portfolio covers lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite-hosting terrain at the Archean-Proterozoic cratonic contact zone — a geological setting associated globally with the largest hard-rock lithium deposits, including Greenbushes (Australia), Pilgangoora (Australia), and the Manono-Kitotolo pegmatite field (DRC).

Spodumene-bearing pegmatites have been confirmed across multiple tenements through field mapping and surface sampling. The project is positioned to contribute to the global lithium supply response required by the electric vehicle and grid-scale battery storage buildout — with IEA projections indicating lithium demand will grow from approximately 130 kt lithium carbonate equivalent in 2023 to over 1,200 kt by 2035.

Hard-rock lithium deposits are hosted almost exclusively in LCT pegmatites — rare, highly fractionated granitoid magmas that concentrate incompatible elements (Li, Cs, Ta, Sn, Be) during the final stages of crystallisation. LCT pegmatites typically form at the external contact between Archean granitic intrusions and older metamorphic host rocks, under a specific combination of fluid pressure, temperature gradient and volatile content. The Archean-Proterozoic contact zone of North Dodoma provides precisely this geological architecture.

The regional pegmatite swarm in the Manyara-Dodoma corridor has been recognised for decades, with historical tantalum and mica workings providing direct evidence of fractionated pegmatite chemistry. AURX's exploration work confirms that spodumene — the principal lithium ore mineral in hard-rock systems — is developed across the project package, providing the starting point for resource-definition work.

Four factors define Manyara's strategic profile. First, scale — 1,521 km² is a substantial land position by any measure, providing multiple parallel targets within a single coherent district. Second, confirmed commodity — surface spodumene occurrences remove the primary exploration risk (existence of lithium mineralisation) from the investment thesis. Third, geological setting — the Archean-Proterozoic cratonic contact is the highest-probability architecture for LCT pegmatite formation globally. Fourth, structural supply dynamics — the rapid escalation of EV and grid-storage demand has produced a multi-year lithium supply deficit, with pricing and offtake terms strongly favouring new producers.

The near-term exploration programme is structured to deliver rapid technical progression from surface identification to drill-ready targets: systematic pegmatite-swarm mapping across all seven licences, prioritising tenements with confirmed spodumene occurrences; rock-chip and channel sampling with full LCT suite analysis (Li₂O, Cs, Ta, Sn, Be, K/Rb, K/Cs); UAV-based photogrammetric mapping to delineate pegmatite exposures at sub-metre resolution; soil-geochemistry baselines across the wider district; and a scoping metallurgical study on composite surface samples to characterise spodumene liberation and recovery parameters.