Exploration company Firering Strategic Minerals (FSM) says it has received a positive final set of assay results from its maiden scout diamond drill programme at its flagship Atex lithium/tantalum project, in Côte d'Ivoire.
“Our maiden scout drilling campaign has been successful, confirming the continuity of the visible surface lithium-bearing pegmatites below surface, with visible spodumene interceptions confirmed through the laboratory assays in several drill holes across our licence area.
“There have been several significant intercepts throughout our phase one scout drilling campaign, including one exceptional intercept of 64 m intercept at 1.24% lithium dioxide in hole TVDD0004 announced last month, which ranked among the world’s top five drill hits in October,” outlines CE Yuval Cohen.
“Our final assay results from our drilling campaign have not disappointed, with additional significant intercepts, including 25 m, grading 1.39% lithium oxide identified. These intercepts again confirm the presence of lithium in our pegmatite system,” he adds.
The second phase of exploration is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023 with the technical support from Ricca Resources following its $18.6-million investment to advance Atex to definitive feasibility study (DFS) stage.
Plans include immediate beginning in January of a large-scale soil sampling programme covering a 10 km by 5 km area west of the large pegmatite zones already identified in the Atex licence.
The enlarged geochemical footprint will assist in determining new targets for the next phase of auger, reverse circulation and diamond drilling planned for the second half of 2023.