Tin miner AfriTin Mining is progressing with exploration of mining licence ML133, located about 35 km south-east of the company’s Uis mine, in Namibia, having found thus far 13 m of mineralisation grading 1.93% lithium oxide, 0.10% tin and 36 parts per million (ppm) of tantalum in sample T78.
Starting in the fourth quarter of 2021, the exploration programme has been conducted over a 12-month period, and included aerial surveys, regional and high-resolution geological mapping and surface chip sampling.
CEO Anthony Viljoen says this initial exploration confirms the company’s belief that the pegmatites of the ML133 licence could contain significant lithium, tin and tantalum mineralisation.
The 3 200 ha programme targeted 100 outcropping pegmatites, many of which were found to contain lithium, tin and tantalum. Sampling consisted of 79 pegmatite chip sample profiles over 64 selected pegmatites.
Other notable findings from samples include 24 m of mineralisation, grading 1.65% lithium oxide, 0.15% tin and 52 ppm of tantalum from sample T72, while sample T36 returned 20 m of mineralisaton, grading 0.97 % lithium oxide, 0.12% tin and 172 ppm of tantalum.
Sample T71 returned a 14 m mineralised zone grading1.33% lithium oxide, 0.17% tin and 118 ppm of tantalum, while sample T24 contained 0.93% lithium oxide, 0.17% tin and 149 ppm of tantalum in a mineralised zone of 11 m. The weighted average of the 20 highest lithium grade sample lines combined points to 200 m worth of mineralised zone.