Titanium Sands Ltd (ASX:TSL) continues to receive positive drilling results at its flagship Mannar Heavy Mineral Sands Project in Sri Lanka.
The Mannar Project hosts a substantial high grade inferred JORC resource of 53 million tonnes at 6.7% total heavy minerals (THM) as last defined in February 2019.
The company is currently drilling lateral and depth extensions to this resource using its own specially modified drilling rig as well as commencing a comprehensive scoping study for the project.
40 holes have been drilled by the rig of up to 12 metres depth with 26 holes intersecting 6.7 to 10 metres of visual mineralisation.
Resource infill and extension drilling will continue.
Delivering what TSL has hoped for
Titanium Sands’ managing director Dr James Searle said: “The promising results delivered in the first stage of depth and lateral extension drilling have been very positive.
“The RC aircore drill is delivering exactly what we had hoped for.
“The company remains very upbeat on identifying further HMS extensions with our continued drilling program.”
Heavy minerals being drilled under the water table
The 12-metre holes are deeper than previously drilled holes and are sampling the area beneath the water table which is at 2-3 metres depth as seen in the picture below.
The materials intersected below the water table are essentially unconsolidated with only a few local areas of light cementation.
Notably, the material beneath the water table is generally finer-grained than the medium to coarse sands of the shallow resources but have little or no clay slime components.
This bodes well for the deposit being extended at depth.