Lithium exploration and development company Atlantic Lithium has announced that an infill drilling programme, which forms part of a planned 3 000 m infill reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling programme, has started at the Ewoyaa South 2 deposit in Ghana.

The drilling is aimed at converting inferred resources to the higher confidence indicated category for future mine sequencing optionality.

"This programme aims to further derisk the project's current resources and provide optionality with regard to the mine plan. On completion of the infill programme, the drill rig will commence the planned 7 000 m resource extension drilling programme at the Ewoyaa Main, Ewoyaa North-East and Kaampakrom targets for potential further resource growth,” Atlantic interim CEO Lennard Kolff said on April 19.

Additionally, the company is conducting a passive seismic geophysical survey using Fleet Space Technologies' ExoSphere ambient noise tomography geodes within the Ewoyaa mineral resource estimate (MRE) footprint. The survey will test the potential for concealed pegmatite targets.

“[This] technology has proven to generate impressive results, including at Core Lithium's Finniss project in Australia, which bears many similarities to Ewoyaa. If successful, the survey could significantly improve our understanding of the current Ewoyaa MRE and unearth further areas to target with follow-up drilling,” Kolff said.

He added that 6 500 m of exploration RC drilling had been planned for follow-up drilling of targets defined by both the passive seismic survey and auger drilling.

The company has also reported that the soil geochemistry survey over the Cape Coast licence was ongoing and nearing completion.

Soil samples will be analysed at Atlantic’s in-house laboratory for multi-element geochemistry using portable X-ray fluorescence, and for lithium using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysers.

Coincident soils and geophysical anomalies will be followed up with field mapping and auger drilling, if warranted, ahead of potential RC drill testing at depth. The auger drilling to test and define pegmatite footprints within the project area and broader portfolio was progressing well, Kolff said, with 7 900 m drilled to date of the planned 20 000 m programme.

"The 2023 exploration and resource drilling programmes are expected to add significant value to the project and will not impact the delivery of the definitive feasibility study, which remains on track for delivery in the second quarter,” Kolff said.