Pan Asia Metals reports that latest drilling results from the Bang I Tum lithium project in southern Thailand include grades of tin and tantalum that represent a “strong” by-product opportunity.

Tin grades came in as high 0.1%. For comparison, when in 2020 Metals X announced the grades at the Renison mine in Tasmania, the country’s premier tin producer, the measured and indicated resources averaged 0.09%.

Tantalum grades in the latest assays were as high as 161 parts per million.

Lithium grades in the latest assays from Bang I Tum included 2.05m at 1.2% lithium oxide, 19.5m at 0.66%, 2.9m at 1.07%, and 14m at 0.86%.

Shows higher grade potential

Pan Asia says the drilling results demonstrate good, near-surface grades associated within the dyke-vein swarm.

“Results continue to demonstrate higher grade potential and are aligned with, and support, the recently reported exploration target,” the company says.

Earlier this week Pan Asia updated its exploration target at the Bang I Tum lithium project, releasing a possible resource between 16 million tonnes and 25Mt.

That grade is estimated to come in at between 0.4% lithium oxide and 0.7% lithium.

That compares with the previous exploration target of between 8Mt and 14Mt at between 0.5% lithium oxide and 0.8%.

The company said this represented somewhere between 80% and 100% expansion of the exploration.

Mineral resource estimate expected by year’s end

Pan Asia says drilling is continuing with the aim of reporting a mineral resource estimate later in 2023, with an additional drill rig now being brought to work the deposit.

Managing director Paul Lock said the drilling team was now at work on Holes 30 and 31, with that third rig about to begin operating.

“It’s good to see the assays start to flow. These results broadly line up with the drill-supported exploration as recently announced,” said Mr Lock.

Bang I Tum lies 8km north of the company’s Reung Kiet project where the resource stands at 10.4Mt, grading 0.45% lithium oxide, for a contained 113,000 tonnes.

A resource upgrade at Reung Kiet is imminent.