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Sonora Drilling Programme and Updated Results

1st Sep 2015 07:04

RNS Number : 5921X
Bacanora Minerals Ltd
01 September 2015
 

1 September 2015

Bacanora Minerals Ltd.

("Bacanora" or the "Company")

Sonora Lithium Project Drilling Programme and Updated Results

 

Bacanora, the London and Canadian listed (AIM: BCN and TSX-V: BCN) lithium and borates company focused on Mexico, is pleased to announce that it has mobilised a second drilling rig to site and also provides an update on the drilling programme currently being undertaken as part of the pre-feasibility study ("PFS") at its Sonora Lithium Project in Mexico.

 

Bacanora has now completed nine holes (totaling 1,850 metres) of the currently planned 18 hole drilling programme (approximately 4,000 metres). As a result of the Company's recent agreement with Tesla Motors, a second rig has been mobilised to site to increase the speed of drilling, with the intention to complete the remaining holes in September 2015.

 

Analyses received from the first four holes from the Fleur concession indicate that weighted averages for lithium content in the Upper Clay is 1,862 ppm Li over 24.15 metres in thickness and the Lower Clay averages 4,871 ppm Li over 24.15 metres. The thickness in metres and grades of the significant lithium intersections are shown in Table 1 as follows:

TABLE 1: Significant Lithium drilling intersections - Sonora Lithium Project (Fleur Concession)

Drill hole

Upper Clay (m)

Li (ppm)

%LCE*

Lower Clay (m)

Li (ppm)

%LCE*

ES-44

31.01

2,127

1.13

15.54

5,032

2.68

ES-45

N/D

Nil

Nil

14.17

4,503

2.4

ES-46

24.74

1,918

1.02

15.98

4,605

2.45

ES-47

16.71

1,287

0.69

25.53

5,145

2.74

 

Note: N/D means not detected

*LCE = lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) Equivalent: determined by multiplying Li value in percent by 5.324 to get an equivalent Li2CO3 value in percent. Use of LCE is to provide data comparable with industry reports and assumes complete conversion of lithium in clays with no recovery or process losses.

The programme is primarily focused on significantly increasing the Indicated Mineral Resources within the Sonora Lithium Project, as well as testing whether the high grades and near surface mineralisation identified at the La Ventana concession continue into the northern area of the Fleur concession, which immediately adjoins La Ventana to the south. The Company's resource was recently updated by SRK Consulting (UK) Limited ("SRK") to:

· Indicated resources of 1.14 million tonnes ("Mt") lithium carbonate equivalent ("LCE") contained in 95Mt of clay, at lithium ("Li") grade of 2,200 ppm

· Inferred resources of 6.3Mt LCE contained in 500 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 2,300 ppm

For further details, investors are encouraged to reference the Company's press releases dated 14 May and 27 June 2015 and/or the SRK's report that was filed on May 13, 2015 and is accessible on the Company's website.

 

[1] The Sonora Lithium Project is comprised of the following lithium properties: La Ventana lithium concession, which is 100 percent owned by Bacanora; El Sauz and Fleur concessions, which are held by Mexilit S.A. de C.V. ("Mexilit"); and the Megalit concession, which is held by Megalit S.A de C.V ("Megalit"). Mexilit and Megalit are owned 70 percent by Bacanora and 30 percent by Rare Earth Minerals, plc.

 

Upon completion of the drill programme and assaying, SRK will deliver an updated resource model for mine design purposes, with an initial focus on the higher grade, open pit resources on the La Ventana and Fleur concessions.

 

Peter Secker, CEO of Bacanora, commented, "Drilling is progressing very positively and with a second rig about to arrive on site, we expect to complete this programme rapidly. This campaign will form a critical component of our pre-feasibility study and it is our hope and expectation that, upon completion of drilling, we will have sufficient data to update and upgrade our resources to advance the mine design."

 

The pre-feasibility study ("PFS") for the Sonora Lithium Project in Mexico is ongoing, with metallurgical testwork, mine design and process engineering proceeding according to schedule and due to be reported in Q1, 2016.

 

Martin Vidal is the Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the AIM Note for Mining and Oil and Gas Companies who has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release.

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Bacanora Minerals Ltd.

 

Peter Secker, CEO

[email protected]

 

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP, Nomad

 

Sandy Jamieson / Liam Murray

 

+44 (0) 20 7148 7900

HD Capital Partners Ltd, Broker

 

Philip Haydn-Slater / Paul Dudley

 

+44 (0) 20 3551 4870

St Brides Partners, Financial PR Adviser

Hugo de Salis / Frank Buhagiar / Elisabeth Cowell

+44 (0) 20 7236 1177

 

ABOUT BACANORA:

Bacanora is a Canadian and London listed minerals explorer (TSX-V: BCN and AIM: BCN). The Company explores and develops industrial mineral projects, with a primary focus on lithium and borates. The Company's operations are based in Hermosillo in northern Mexico and it currently has two significant projects under development in the state of Sonora. The two main assets of Bacanora are: 

· The Sonora Lithium Project, which consists of ten mining concession areas covering approximately 100 thousand hectares in the northeast of Sonora State. The Company, through drilling and exploration work to date, has established an NI 43-101 compliant Indicated Mineral Resource of 1.14 Mt LCE contained in 95 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 2,200 ppm and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 6.3 Mt LCE contained in 500 Mt of clay at a Li grade of 2,300 ppm.; and 

· The Magdalena Borate Project, covering 16,503 hectares in Sonora state, Mexico, where the Company's main borate zone, El Cajon, has an Indicated Resource (in accordance with NI 43-101) of 1.17 mt of B2O3, at an eight percent cut-off grade. The Company has completed a number of measures to determine the geological and commercial potential of the project and is undertaking a pre-feasibility exercise to determine the economic benefit of developing the mine and constructing a processing plant on site in order to become a supplier of boric acid.

 

 

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
END
 
 
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