Canyon Resources Ltd (ASX:CAY) has begun an initial aircore drilling and exploration campaign at its Minim Martap Bauxite Project in Cameroon.
The drilling will target untested high-grade bauxite plateaux the company identified in previous reconnaissance work.
READ: Canyon Resources identifies high-grade bauxite trend at Minim Martap project
Previous work highlighted the opportunity to substantially increase the size of Minim Martap’s resource beyond its JORC estimate of 550 million tonnes at 45.5% aluminioum oxide and 2.06% silica.
Canyon estimates that drilling completed at the project by previous owners tested less than 30% of the available bauxite plateaux.
Canyon's board and management with the Préfet and Sous-Préfet of the Tibaati region that covers Minim Martap’s project area
READ: Canyon Resources upgrades Minim Martap bauxite resource to JORC 2012 classification
Canyon is utilising its own aircore drill rig and a team of experienced personnel to conduct the first phase of drilling in the northwest quadrant of the Minim Martap licence area.
The program will target the previously drilled Beatrice, Agnes and Raymonde plateaux as well as adjacent plateaux within the prospective northeast-southwest-oriented high-grade bauxite plateau corridor.
READ: Canyon Resources upgrades half a billion tonnes of high-grade bauxite resource
Logging of early drill holes on the Beatrice plateau has suggested that the bauxite profile is substantially thicker than previously reported.
Canyon is preparing one-metre composite samples for submission to ALS Laboratories in Ireland for detailed geochemical analysis.
The next phase of exploration drilling will begin in early 2019 and will make use of results from a recently completed high resolution airborne light imaging, detection and ranging (LIDAR) survey.
The LIDAR survey will also be used as part of Canyon’s pre-feasibility and environmental and social impact studies for the project.