Significant trenching intersections found and extensive drill programme announced for Ewoyaa West Target – Cape Coast Lithium Portfolio, Ghana
IronRidge Resources, the African focussed miner, has reported ‘wide and long’ pegmatite intersections from trenching at their Ewoyaa West target. Ewoyaa West is one of multiple pegmatite targets that IronRidge has within their Cape Coast Lithium Portfolio in Ghana.
As distinct from brines as a source of lithium, the lithium-cesium tantalum pegmatites or hard rock lithium deposits, contain lithium in the form of the mineral spodumene.
Len Kolff, the COO of IronRidge, commented on the discoveries: “Pegmatites often occur in clusters and pitting and trenching are proving to be a successful tool for defining additional pegmatites within the immediate Ewoyaa Project area through weathered cover where no outcropping pegmatite is visible.
We have effectively increased the known outcropping pegmatite surface area by approximately 50% with the addition of the Ewoyaa West target and with trenching ongoing at the Ewoyaa Middlings target there is potential for further increases.“
Watch our interview with Len at Mines and Money London, talking about their lithium projects in Ghana.
Key highlights
- IronRidge have completed over 940m of new trenching and dug over 1640 pits across the Ewoyaa Project area to date, and both these elements are ongoing.
- At the Ewoyaa West target they encountered a continuous intersection with the pegmatite over 840m strike length at a width of up to 100m on the surface.
- Pitting has identified additional extensions for a further 1.25km strike to the south of the Ewoyaa West target, which is itself within 540m of their main Ewoyaa Project, and is seen with a shallow easterly dip.
- IronRidge have identified a new ‘Ewoyaa Middlings’ target, midway between Ewoyaa West and Ewoyaa thanks to additional trenching. So far, the ongoing trenching program has intersected 65m of pegmatite.
- IronRidge also announced that they have awarded long lead encironmental and social baseline studies for future mine permitting to Ghanaian consultants NEMAS Ltd.
Drilling plan
Ironridge are already underway with planning their access and drill pad positions. They are proposing a phased 13,200, reverse circulation and diamond core drill programme which will test both new targets and provide more detail on previously identified strike extensions are the Ewoyaa and Abonko deposits.
New Target Areas
Ongoing pitting and trenching activities within the Ewoyaa Project area has defined over 840m strike of continuous weathered pegmatite up to 100m wide at surface at the Ewoyaa West target, which dips shallowly towards the east. A total of 525m in four (4) trenches was completed at the Ewoyaa West target (refer Figure 1).
Additional pegmatite has been intersected in pitting to the south, providing potential for a further total of 1.25km strike at the Ewoyaa West target (refer Figure 1).
A fifth trench was extended 190m east to test pitting intersections in-between Ewoyaa and Ewoyaa West. Over 60m of continuous weathered pegmatite was intersected in the fifth trench which remains open to the north and south in what is now called the Ewoyaa Middlings target (refer Figure 1).
Both new targets coincide with a low-lying ridge, with no pegmatite visible at surface. This is significant as it increases the potential for additional ‘blind’ pegmatite discoveries that have not yet been tested by pitting. Additional sub-parallel ridges are evident within the topography in the immediate project area which will be tested by ongoing pitting programmes (refer Figure 2).
The newly identified pegmatite zones are significant as they enlarge the surface area by 50% within the immediate Ewoyaa project area; allowing for potential resource increases and within easy trucking distance for potential future mine development.
Photo from Ewoyaa West trenching looking north-west towards Ewoyaa village in the background 
Geologists inspecting subcrop within a pit
Drill Planning
A phased Reverse Circulation (‘RC’) and Diamond Core Drilling (‘DD’) drill programme has been designed to test the Ewoyaa West target, Middlings target and strike extensions over the known Ewoyaa and Abonko deposits. Final meterage will be commensurate with initial confirmation of spodumene or other lithium mineral phases below base of weathering at Ewoyaa West and Middlings targets to justify the second phase.
Additional DD drilling has been planned over the Ewoyaa West target and Abonko for future metallurgical test- work and geological control.
Drilling is planned to commence during Q3 2019 after the current wet season, weather permitting. Drill access and pad planning is underway and a total 13,200m of RC and DD drilling has been planned (refer Figure 4).
Location
The Ewoyaa deposit is well located within 1km of a bitumen highway and adjacent to grid power, within 100km of an operating deep-sea port and within the pro-mining, stable jurisdiction of Ghana (refer Figure 4). Multiple additional pegmatite targets occur adjacent to Ewoyaa including the drill tested Abonko deposit, the developing Ewoyaa West target and additional exploration targets, as well as the historical Egyasimanku Hill deposit (1.48Mt @ 1.66% Li2O, non JORC) further to the east.
About IronRidge Resources
IronRidge Resources is an African focused, diversified minerals exploration company that creates shareholder value through the discovery, development and monetisation of mineral projects through African operational, exploration and studies expertise, large-scale contiguous tenure positions and an emphasis on geological and/or jurisdictional frontier provinces. We have recently made significant discoveries in the lithium and gold exploration sectors. Our Ghanaian Cape Coast Lithium Project has initially delivered exciting and potentially world class lithium grades and drill intersections, whilst in Chad, we have uncovered a substantial gold bearing province with a surface footprint rivaling some of today’s largest operating gold mines.
IronRidge has made three discoveries in three jurisdictions in three years and has six other province scale projects under development.
IronRidge’s corporate strategy is to create and sustain shareholder value through the discovery of world-class and globally demanded commodities.
Find out more at https://www.ironridgeresources.com.au
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