The first significant field investigations were conducted by SNIM (Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière de Mauritanie) in 1968 to investigate outcropping iron formations at Atomai. In 1979, the (BRGM) documented the local-scale geology of the Atomai region, describing the nature of the Ijil iron formations in detail using the data collected by SNIM. After a long hiatus of exploration, SNIM conducted exploratory drilling in 2000 to investigate continuity of mineralisation at depth, focusing on the hematite portion of the deposit.
Since 2013, the Atomai deposit has been explored by Takamul, comprising of significant resource drilling, scoping studies and work undertaken for feasibility study.
Most drilling at Atomai has been undertaken using Reverse Circulation (RC) and Diamond drill-hole (DDH) drilling methods. Apart from some limited historical drilling, almost all drilling has been conducted since 2013, marking the commencement of the Takamul JV. Drill core diameter is predominantly NQ2, with minor amounts of HQ and PQ (for metallurgy) diameter drilling.
Drill hole locations have been collected in the UTM Zone 28 coordinate system, using the WGS84 datum. Prior to June 2015, all surveys were taken in the Clark1880 datum style, which have subsequently been converted to WGS84. Drill hole locations were confirmed by a LiDAR survey.
