735m at 0.23% Cu Eq Extends Linderos Porphyry to 1km Depth and Strike

Exploration Breakthrough at Linderos

Titan Minerals Limited (ASX: TTM) and its joint venture partner Hanrine Ecuadorian Exploration and Mining S.A. have announced a significant expansion in the known porphyry copper mineralisation at the Linderos Copper Project in southern Ecuador. Recent drilling results from Hanrine’s second earn-in commitment have nearly doubled the mineralisation footprint at the Copper Ridge prospect, extending the strike length to approximately 1 kilometre and mineralisation down to 1 kilometre depth.

Drilling Highlights and Geological Insights

Hanrine has completed seven deep diamond drill holes totaling over 7,100 metres, with assay results returned for the first four holes. Among the standout intercepts is a 735-metre interval grading 0.23% copper equivalent (Cu Eq) from 385 metres depth, including higher-grade zones such as 131 metres at 0.29% Cu Eq and 51 metres at 0.37% Cu Eq. These results confirm the presence of a large-scale porphyry copper system that remains open laterally and at depth.

The drilling program was designed to test extensions beyond Titan’s previous drilling, which had defined mineralisation over a smaller area of about 500 by 750 metres and to a depth of 400 metres. The new data suggest the Copper Ridge porphyry system follows a northwest-southeast structural corridor, likely exploiting pre-existing geological weaknesses. This orientation opens promising targets to the southeast, northwest beneath the Meseta epithermal gold prospect, and to the west, where mineralisation remains untested at depth.

Strategic JV Milestones and Future Drilling

Hanrine is currently undertaking a 10,000-metre diamond drilling campaign as part of Earn-in Milestone 2, which requires either 10,000 metres drilled or US$8 million expenditure to earn an additional 25% interest in the project, increasing their total stake to 30%. Following this, Milestone 3 will involve a further 15,000 metres of drilling or US$12 million expenditure, potentially raising Hanrine’s interest to 51% and triggering a US$1 million cash payment to Titan.

Titan’s CEO Melanie Leighton expressed optimism about the partnership and the project’s potential, highlighting the encouraging scale of the Copper Ridge system and the ongoing exploration efforts. Drilling is planned to continue testing open extensions, particularly beneath the Meseta gold prospect and to the southeast and west, aiming to delineate the full extent of the porphyry mineralisation.

Regional Context and Project Significance

The Linderos Project is strategically located near the Peruvian border in Ecuador’s Loja Province, within a prolific mineralised corridor associated with Miocene-aged intrusions. The project area hosts both porphyry copper and epithermal gold systems, with the Meseta prospect providing evidence of high-grade gold mineralisation closely linked to the porphyry source. This geological setting enhances the prospectivity of the Linderos Project as a potential large-scale copper-gold-molybdenum deposit.

Previous drilling by Titan in 2022 had already returned significant intercepts, including 308 metres at 0.35% Cu Eq and 558 metres at 0.24% Cu Eq, supporting the presence of a robust mineralised system. The current results build on this foundation, reinforcing the potential for resource growth and value creation.