AMN - NAMIBIA: Maiden lithium and tin resource at Uis

Montero Mining and Exploration has filed a maiden lithium and tin resource estimate for the Uis Tailings Project in Namibia. A total inferred resource of 14.4 million tonnes at 0.37% lithium and 17.1 million tonnes at 0.05% tin has been estimated.

The project consists of large coarse sands and fine slimes tailings waste deposits on surface. The tailings material represents the waste processed material derived from the Uis pegmatite tin mine, the largest tin mine in Africa, prior to its closure in 1990.

The independent estimate was prepared by Deloitte Technical Mining Advisory.

The NI 43-101 estimate is based on the preliminary drilling program of 63 aircore drill holes on the coarse and fine tailings waste material.

The quantity and grade of coarse and fine material for six tailings deposits (Zones A to E) were estimated by ordinary kriging. Two commodities were considered in the estimation of the resources, lithium and tin.

Zone A represents the largest tailings deposit and contains coarse tailings material, whilst Zones B to E and Zone A fines represents the fine tailings material.

Insufficient test work on lithium extraction has been completed on the 2.71 million tonnes of fine tailings material in Zones A4, B, C, D and E to include this lithium in the resource estimate. Commodity price, product, mining and processing costs and recoveries and mining parameters and assumptions informed the determination of cut-off grades.

The company said that the inferred mineral resource estimate is encouraging as it supports the presence of a significant quantity of lithium and tin material that is amenable to extraction.

Montero's president and CEO Dr Tony Harwood said: “Montero’s initial resource estimate represents 53,280 tonnes of lithium as Li2O and 8,550 tonnes of tin as SnO2.

"Further infill drilling and metallurgical test work will be required to upgrade the inferred resource to an indicated resource.

"Montero is evaluating early production scenarios with potential partners in order to meet expected demand with the growth of EV’s and battery metals requirements.”

Metallurgical test work on samples from the property and infill drilling on the tailings waste material is planned. These results will form the basis for an updated mineral resource estimate and further technical studies.

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