Aim-listed Andrada Mining – previously AfriTin Mining – has announced an inferred, Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate (MRE) for tin over 11 historically mined pegmatite bodies located close to the actively mined V1/V2 pegmatite at the Uis mine, in Namibia.
These 11 pegmatites have been collectively termed the proximal pegmatites and are located within a 3 km radius from the existing processing plant.
The V1/V2 pegmatite, as well as the proximal pegmatites, are located within mining licence ML134 as part of a swarm comprising more than 180 mineralised pegmatites.
The maiden MRE announced on September 16, 2019, of 71.54-million tonnes of ore over the V1/V2 pegmatite, was based on information derived from 141 historical and 26 confirmatory drill holes.
An additional inferred MRE for tin over the proximal pegmatites, derived from a further 809 historical drill holes, comprises 57.18-million tonnes of ore with an average grade of 0.131% tin, and containing 74 857 t of tin metal, has now been completed.
The historical drill hole information further indicates that the proximal pegmatites remain open-ended at depth.
Andrada is embarking on a confirmatory drilling programme to improve the tin resource classification and to evaluate lithium and tantalum potential of the proximal pegmatites.
“The declaration of this inferred resource, using the historical drill data from the Uis mine, significantly advances the total Andrada mineral inventory towards management's internal mineral resource target of at least 200-million tonnes of mineralisation.
“These additional pegmatites, together with the mineral resource at the V1/V2 orebody, provide an entire resource portfolio of approximately 128-million tonnes of ore with a gross combined content of 170 000 t of tin, making Andrada the owner of one of the largest tin assets globally,” acclaims CEO Anthony Viljoen.
“Furthermore, through our demonstrated ability to rapidly and profitably scale up production at the existing operations at the Uis mine, we believe Andrada has the ability to compound the company's economies of scale and position the company as one of the lowest cost tech-metal producers in the next five years,” he adds.
Viljoen says the existing mineral reserve, which is currently being mined, as well as the ongoing infill drilling programme over the entire mining licence, have also shown the potential of lithium mineralisation contained within the same pegmatites.
Andrada will be completing the work required to bring the lithium operation into production, as well as expanding the infill drilling programme to explore the opportunity that the lithium presents as a co-product revenue stream with the tin operation in the coming months.