The initial drilling program on Viti Levu will test shallow dipping lodes in the HT Corridor; a mineralised zone cross-cutting the principal vein system of the Tuvatu resource, inside the mining lease (SML 62), in close proximity to the planned mill site.

The HT Corridor is in excess of 25m wide currently drill tested to approximately 200m depth. It is characterised by wide, highly fractured zones with biotite and potassium feldspar alteration and high-grade gold. The zone remains open along the strike and down the dip of the previous drilling. At surface, the structures of the HT Corridor have been mapped for over 1km to the northeast and 2km to the southwest of the resource area.

Lion One intends to follow up on this close proximity drilling with more ambitious step out drilling within 500m of the existing resource, where at least six areas appear to potentially host extensions of this expansive vein system. Further drilling from the Tuvatu resource, particularly at Banana Creek in the upper reaches of the Navilawa Caldera will be planned following the results of BLEG geochemistry sampling and a CSAMT geophysical survey to be carried out in the coming months. The exploration work will be carried out under the guidance of Lion One's technical advisor Dr Quinton Hennigh.

The majority of the previous drilling on Tuvatu was completed within 300m from the surface, with very little drilling completed below vertical depths of 400m. The Tuvatu deposit extends along an 800m north-south strike and is considered to be open in each direction and at depth.

"We are excited about the prospect of a much wider and deeper alkaline gold system at Tuvatu," said Lion One CEO Walter Berukoff. "We're also excited about the potential of the HT Corridor to add new ounces to the resource and mine plan, in close proximity to our planned mill site."