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The last few years have seen a dramatic change in global attitudes to electric vehicles (EVs) with many countries and car manufacturers pledging to switch entirely to EVs before 2040. The expected growth in EVs will lead to a rapid increase in demand for raw materials such as lithium, which is essential for batteries in EVs and domestic energy storage systems. Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum (LCT) pegmatites are an important source of lithium, currently accounting for about 40 % of global supply. Zimbabwe is currently the world’s fifth largest lithium producer, after Chile, Argentina, Australia and China, and has substantial lithium resources (USGS, 2018). All lithium in Zimbabwe currently comes from pegmatites, with production chiefly from the Bikita Pegmatite. Other pegmatite prospects of interest include Arcadia (Prospect Resources), Zulu (Premier African Minerals) and Kamativi (CAT Strategic Metals Inc. and Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation). The Kamativi pegmatite is a large LCT-type pegmatite located in northern Zimbabwe. The pegmatite was worked on a commercial scale between 1936 and 1994, producing about 37,000 tonnes of tin and 3,000 tonnes of tantalite during its lifetime (Cronwright & Derbyshire, 2018). However, lithium was never extracted from the pegmatite. The tailings at Kamativi are being evaluated by CAT Strategic Metals Inc. for their lithium potential. Current estimates indicate a resource of about 26 million tonnes at about 0.6 wt. % Li2O (CAT Strategic Metals Inc., 2019). The Kamativi pegmatite is one of several large LCT-type pegmatites in Zimbabwe; however, very little is known about its formation, or its relationship to the country rocks in which it is found. This lack of geological understanding could seriously hamper future development (M. Pittuck, pers. comm., 2018). By using Kamativi as a case study we aim to develop a genetic model that helps us understand the formation of lithium-bearing pegmatites in Zimbabwe. This will improve exploration models and thus contribute to Zimbabwe’s economic development.

The Kamativi pegmatite: an opportunity for economic development in Zimbabwe?