Bradda Head Lithium Limited (AIM:BHL, OTCQB:BHLIF, TSX-V:BHLI) has announced a 22% boost to the lithium resource at its Basin East project in Arizona.

Based on only 1,200 metres of majority infill and some expansion drilling, Bradda Head has added 65,000 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent to the resource, for an updated total LCE content of 371,000 tonnes.

This exploration drilling has also expanded the Upper Clay zone within the resource by 11% to 55mln tonnes at an average grade of 840 parts per million lithium, and revealed that mineralisation is also open to the north as well as to the west and northwest, as previously identified.

This has significant benefit in identifying the next round of drilling targets for further resource expansion potential.

The indicated portion of the resource at Basin East has been boosted by 17%.

The previous drilled area only covered 1.1km square kilometres of Bradda's 41 square kilometres of sedimentary claims. The 2022 infill and expansion drill programme has increased this drilled area to 1.4 square kilometres.

An extensive 30-hole drilling programme is planned for 2023, with permits received, and drilling is planned to start in the current quarter.

Bradda is also permitting an 80-hole programme at in other areas of Basin, where it also expects significant resource growth.

“The increase in LCE at Basin East highlights the resource growth potential at the Basin project,” said Charles FitzRoy, chief executive of Bradda Head.

"Evidence from drilling and geophysics suggests that the higher-grade Upper Clay layer could be relatively continuous, and we look forward to evaluating its potential further and following it into our other claims, Basin East Extension and Basin North, where we will be drilling this year."

The updated mineral resource estimate at Basin East, which has been reported by SRK Consulting in accordance with the terminology and definitions given in the JORC Code, comprises an indicated resource of 21.2mln tonnes at an average grade of 891 parts per million lithium and 3.5% potassium, for a total of 100,000 tonnes LCE, and an inferred resource of 73.3mln tonnes at an average grade of 694 ppm lithium and 3.2% potassium for a total of 271,000 tonnes LCE.