A mining company wants to hunt for lithium and tin near popular Tasmanian mountain biking hub Derby, setting up another potential environmental row in the area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Activists, mountain bikers and others have opposed logging near Derby.
Now, Stellar Resources Limited - which hopes to mine tin at its Heemskirk Project, near Zeehan - has applied to state authorities for a mineral exploration licence for the Mount Paris area, south of Derby.
Louise Morris, the coordinator of environmentalist group Blue Derby Wild, was concerned by the exploration proposal.
READ MORE:
She said it highlighted Tasmania's problems with protected areas and reserves not actually being protected.
Ms Morris said sustainable and viable nature-based tourism was being "undercut" by logging, and there were also mineral exploration plans in its "catchment areas".
"The government needs to step up and really protect the areas that are benefiting our community and are viable and sustainable and not extractive," she said.
Stellar is also seeking an exploration licence for the Scamander North area on the East Coast, where it wants to look for tin and base metals.
"This application adds to the strategic package of exploration licences and exploration licence applications Stellar has assembled in North-East Tasmania, which, in addition to being highly prospective for high-grade Victorian slate belt-style gold mineralisation, hosts excellent potential for lithium, tin and base metal mineralisation associated with the granite intrusives, therefore enhancing Stellar's commodity mix in Tasmania on top of its flagship Heemskirk tin project," executive director Gary Fietz said.
Stellar told the ASX the Mount Paris Granite area was equivalent to the nearby Lottah Granite area - which contained the highest levels of lithium recorded in Tasmania - and might also contain high levels of lithium.
The element has a range of uses.
Most of it goes into lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.
It is also used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and in the military and nuclear sectors.
Stellar said there were also eight recorded tin occurrences or mines in the area.
The Mt Paris application covers 38 square kilometres.
"The northern part of the Mount Paris Granite has seen little modern exploration and, as such, few samples are available despite the presence of a significant body of alkali granite considered prospective for tin and lithium mineralisation," Stellar said.
It said limited stream sediment samples from the southern part had been recorded within the application area and had highlighted potential for tin mineralisation.
Stellar said the 58 square kilometre Scamander North application area and its adjoining Scamander exploration licence application area were highly prospective for tin and base metals, going by geochemical data from Mineral Resources Tasmania.
The Scamander exploration licence application had 29 recorded historic mineral occurrences or mines, featuring tin, tungsten, copper, lead, zinc and silver.
Stellar has 13 exploration licenses or applications covering 2620 square kilometres in the North-East, on top of its Zeehan tenements.