Critical minerals exploration company Firering Strategic Minerals has announced the successful start of a Phase 2 auger drilling campaign at its flagship Atex lithium/tantalum project, in Côte d'Ivoire.
The Phase 2 auger drilling campaign, which started on June 26, is being carried out together with exploration company Ricca Resources following its $18.6-million investment to advance Atex to definitive feasibility study (DFS) stage, as announced on November 2 last year.
Firering CE Yuval Cohen said on July 11 that a total of 300 holes have been drilled as of July 8 for a total of 1 341 m of drilling, resulting in an average hole depth of 4.48 m.
All auger holes are being sampled and tested with portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) at the camp in Tounvré, with the end-of-hole samples being sent to Ghana for both pXRF and laser-induced breakdown spectrometry testing.
“Auger lines have been planned across all of the six initial target areas that were delineated based on received soil sample results and detailed geological mapping,” Cohen explained.