Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) has all the key approvals in place to begin a resource expansion drilling program for its Western Strategy at the Paradox Lithium Project in Utah.
Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining gave the program greenlight, meaning the US-focused explorer is one step closer to cutting the ribbon on its major exploration campaign.
Work will focus on Paradox’s Western tenement, where Anson hopes to up its resource tonnage by converting an exploration target and existing inferred resources to the higher confidence indicated category.
Most recently, the Western Strategy conceptual exploration target was reported to host between 2.1 and 2.56 billion tonnes of brine, grading between 108 and 200 parts per million (ppm) lithium and between 2,000 and 3,000 ppm bromine.
Anson’s resource expansion program will target these lithium-rich brine aquifers, with work expected to begin this quarter.
What’s on the cards?
With the key approval under its belt, Anson plans to reinstate historical drill pads across the Western tenement in the coming weeks.
Utah’s oil, gas and mining entity has also approved plans for a re-entry and sampling program at the Sunburst No.1 and Mineral Canyon Fed 1-3 wells to the west — another key aspect of the resource expansion program.
Depending on sampling results, Anson could deliver a further increase to the mineral resource, which stands at just more than 1 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent and 5.27 million tonnes of bromine.
What’s more, some of the acreage west of the Sunburst and Mineral Canyon wells could form part of a future resource upgrade.
In essence, brine from the Sunburst and Mineral Canyon wells will be tested for lithium and other minerals, including bromine, iodine and boron.
The explorer will also test thick Mississippian units — a move that proved fruitful during a resource expansion program at the Long Canyon Unit 2 and Cane Creek 32- wells, which led to a substantial resource increase.
ASN shares have been as much as 21.1% higher on the ASX this morning to A$0.23.
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