Bradda Head Lithium Limited (AIM:BHL, OTCQB:BHLIF) released initial results from its recent 3D remote mapping exercise at the San Domingo lithium pegmatite project in Arizona.

Bradda Head increased its landholding by adding approximately 10 square kilometres of claims and leases around San Domingo, a historic lithium mining district in Arizona. The total landholding now amounts to around 23 square kilometres.

The remote mapping programme used high-resolution aerial imagery to identify an 190% increase in the area of likely pegmatite outcrops, originally covering 75 acres and now covering 220 acres.

Field verification of the remote mapping is required to confirm the presence of pegmatites and to characterise their mineralogy and lithium hosting potential.

Numerous new pegmatites have been identified in all San Domingo claim blocks, with 1,490 inferred outcrops occurring within existing claim areas. Individual pegmatites with thicknesses over one metre have been mapped.

While the majority may be small and discontinuous, some appear to be more substantial, presenting priority targets for follow up work.

The presence of increased numbers of pegmatite outcrops is significant, given that lithium in spodumene has been found at some pegmatites in Bradda’s claim blocks at San Domingo. Grab sample grades of up to 8% Li2O have been found, demonstrating the presence of spodumene.

Bradda's geological team anticipates the company's pegmatite district may have larger structures at depth, based on all work undertaken to date, including surface sampling, channel sampling, geophysics, remote sensing and 3D modelling.

"The 3D mapping project undertaken at San Domingo has helped in the design our drill programme and the greater understanding of our pegmatites extent at surface and depth,” said Charles FitzRoy, chief executive of Bradda Head.

"Our San Domingo pegmatite district is extensive, having been historically mined for lithium in spodumene in the 1940s and 1950s, within our permitted license area. Historical records show that the average reported grade of the spodumene mined during this period was 740t at 2.75% Li2O.”

The company has now decided to increase the number of exploration holes it will drill at its two San Domingo lithium pegmatite claims in Central Arizona.

At Central San Domingo 10 holes will be drilled and a 20 hole programme added at Northern San Domingo - bringing the programme to approximately 7,000 meters in total.

Both drilling programmes are designed to test the mineralogy of Bradda Head's pegmatite district and the geometry of pegmatites at depth and to test if Bradda Head's pegmatite district has larger structures at depth, similar to other zoned pegmatite systems like Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR)' Kathleen Valley project in Australia.

An extensive soil sampling and channel sampling programme is underway across the whole 23 square kilometre claim area, which will help with future drill hole targeting.

Other mineralisation types exist at Bradda's historic pegmatite mining district, including previous copper, gold, silver, and vanadium mines.

Bradda is focusing on the lithium prospects, but plans to fully evaluate these other minerals once this first phase of drilling is complete.

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