Latin Resources Ltd (ASX:LRS) has mobilised six diamond drill rigs to the Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil as it readies to drill 65,000 metres in a resource expansion program designed to grow the Colina and Colina West prospects’ mineral resource estimates.
Latin chose small drill rigs with a limited environmental impact for the first six rigs onsite, committing to minimise the effect of drilling on the local area.
The company is fully invested in achieving the resource upgrade, having nearly completed an upgrade and expansion of Latin’s core logging, processing and storage facility, and with plans to add two larger, track-mounted diamond rigs to the drilling effort in February.
These large-diameter diamond rigs will be used to collect representative pegmatite drill core samples from the Salinas Project, to be used for large-scale dense media separation (DMS) and floatation pilot plant test work – scheduled for the March quarter this year.
Targeting rapid resource expansion
“2022 was a standout year for our exploration team, culminating in the delivery of the company’s maiden JORC mineral resource estimate for the Colina Lithium Deposit in just 10 months from starting our first drill hole,” Latin Resources geology manager Tony Greenaway said.
“We are all excited to have drilling started again in 2023, where we will be looking at rapidly expanding our mineral resource base through infill and extension drilling at Colina and systematically drilling out the new Colina West Prospect.
“The initial results from hole SADD033 drilled into Colina West last year was a watershed moment for the team and our understanding of the larger mineralised system at Colina.
“While we are still waiting to receive all the assay results from the additional holes completed in Colina West toward the end of last year, we are confident that with continued drilling, we will be in a position to upgrade and expand our mineral resource base in the 2023 March quarter.”
Latin Resources has also scheduled a detailed drone magnetic survey, alongside other geophysics, to support the targeting of step-out regional drilling at Colina and Colina West, expected to be completed late this month.