Recent assay results from JSE- and TSX-V-listed tin miner Alphamin Resources’ drilling at its Mpama South prospect point to significant tin mineralisation, which will form part of the maiden mineral resource estimation exercise, which is nearing completion and the results of which are expected to be announced later this month.

To date, the miner has completed 24 235 m of drilling in 89 drillholes at its Democratic Republic of Congo-based Bisie tin complex, which comprises the Mpama South and North operations.

Including an initial 16 drillholes done during 2014/15, Alphamin plans to use results from 79 drillholes, totalling 23 109 m of drilling at the complex to update its maiden mineral resource estimation of Mpama South.

Mpama South is a high-grade tin deposit adjoining the southern end of Alphamin’s operating Mpama North mine.

The most significant assay results stem from drillhole BGH079 at the Mpama South prospect and finds tin mineralisation for 15.6 m at a grade of 5% from 290.2 m; including 10 m of mineralisation at a grade of 6.1% tin, from a depth of 291.1 m.

Other significant intercepts from the most recently received batch of drillhole assays, include hole BGH079 with 9 m of tin mineralisation at a grade of 5.63% from 316.9 m; and hole BGH077 that finds 4.8 m of mineralisation at a grade of 4.68% tin from 335.3 m; and 11.4 m of mineralisation grading 2.23% tin from a depth of 318.8 m.

Alphamin notes that the success of the Mpama South drilling is such that the zone of high-grade mineralisation has grown substantially throughout 2021.

In addition, the miner reports that visual cassiterite intercepts at Mpama South are now within 85 m of the Mpama North mine and are in the export and assay pipeline already.

MPAMA NORTH
Drilling commenced at Mpama North in July 2021 on the Mpama North Deeps target, where the first drillholes show increased structural complexity associated with a northeast-southwest cross-cutting fault which has constrained the Deeps target to smaller extents than originally planned.

After revising the model and drilling approach, Alphamin reports that several high-grade intercepts of visual cassiterite were intersected east of the fault, as well as west of the fault in the shallower Oso target.

Going forward, the miner will continue to drill Mpama North targets this year to close out what is left of the Deeps target, the shallow Oso target and the down-dip eastern side of Mpama North, which still remains open.

At the Mpama North targets, Alphamin reports that of particular significance is a new intercept from the first batch of drillhole assays, revealing the second-best drillhole intercept (in terms of contained metal) - drillhole MND011 - that finds tin mineralisation for 19.6 m at a grade of 17.16% from 419.3 m. This includes mineralisation for 14.5 m grading 23% tin.

Meanwhile, Alphamin notes that only about 20% of the Bisie Ridge – a 13-km-long ridge hosting both the Mpama North and Mpama South deposits – has only been intensively drill tested to date.

The full length of the ridge was the subject of a follow-up geochemical investigation in 2021, confirming tin and other base metal anomalies over the majority of its length.

From this testing, six high-priority drill areas were identified in 2021 in conjunction with Alphamin’s structural advisers TECT. With the goal of making new discoveries, Alphamin started drilling the first of these six targets in January.