London-listed AfriTin Mining has reported that its lithium and tantalum infill drilling programme, conducted over the V1/V2 pegmatite at the Uis tin mine, in Namibia, has intersected pegmatite in all holes at the depths and apparent widths predicted by the geological model.

The 50-hole drilling programme aims to increase the confidence of the existing lithium and tantalum mineral resource estimates over the deposit.

So far, 47 drill holes have been completed and are being processed. The results of nine diamond drill (DD) holes were previously announced in June and July, with the assay results of the next 11 drill holes now received, comprising both DD and reverse circulation (RC) drilling.

AfriTin said the results of the remaining 27 drill holes would be provided when received.

The company noted several significant pegmatite intersections, including 35 m at 0.149% tin, 77 ppm tantalum and 0.94% lithium oxide within drill hole V1V2032, from 150 m to 185 m; 25 m at 0.197% tin, 140 ppm tantalum and 0.60% lithium oxide for hole V1V2076, from 46 m to 71 m; 34 m at 0.186% tin, 116 ppm tantalum and 0.57% lithium oxide from 13 m to 48 m; and 0.92 m at 5.154% tin, 582 ppm tantalum and 0.32% lithium oxide from 5 m to 6 m for drill hole V1V2072.

“These exploration drill results . . . are very much in line with our high expectations. They relate to the north-eastern portion of the V1/V2 pegmatite orebody, which is an area known to contain higher tantalum and tin grades,” AfriTin CEO Anthony Viljoen said.

For the pegmatite intersections reported in this area, he said, the average tantalum grade was about 40% higher than the average of the existing mineral resource estimate, at about 119 ppm versus 85 ppm, while the tin grade was about 30% higher than the average of the resource estimate, at about 0.174% versus 0.134%.

“The infill drill programme continues to deliver results that we believe confirm the scale and quality of the deposit. We look forward to upgrading our mineral resource estimate and bringing on tantalum and lithium by-product revenue streams alongside our existing tin production,” Viljoen said.

AfriTin’s current strategy is to ramp up production at Uis to more than 10 000 t of tin concentrate and 350 000 t of lithium concentrate in a Phase 2 expansion.

The Phase 1 operation reached commercial production in 2020.