Iltani Resources Uncovers New High-Grade Silver-Indium Zones at Orient Project
Iltani Resources reports strong rock chip sampling results from its Orient Silver-Indium Project, confirming high-grade mineralisation and identifying new target zones that could significantly expand the resource footprint.
- High-grade silver, indium, lead, and zinc confirmed at multiple Orient targets
- New mineralised zone identified 1,100m southwest of Orient West
- Deadman Creek samples reveal significant silver-indium-lead-zinc mineralisation
- Orient East infill drilling completed; assays pending with resource update due soon
- Shallow VTEM drilling program planned to test high-priority anomalies
Expanding the Orient Silver-Indium Footprint
Iltani Resources has delivered encouraging results from its recent rock chip sampling program at the Orient Silver-Indium Project in Northern Queensland. The program not only confirmed the presence of high-grade mineralisation at established targets but also uncovered new prospective areas that could extend the known mineralised system by over a kilometre.
Sampling at Deadman Creek, located approximately 1,400 metres north of the current drilling at Orient East, returned peak grades of 51.6 grams per tonne silver, 16.4 grams per tonne indium, 1.68% lead, and 0.23% zinc. These results are particularly notable given the absence of historical workings in the area, highlighting the potential for previously unrecognised mineralisation within the broader Orient system.
New Southwest Extension at Orient West
Further south-west, rock chip samples collected roughly 1,100 metres beyond the most southerly drill line at Orient West revealed encouraging grades of up to 10.5 grams per tonne silver and 0.84% lead. This discovery, identified initially through satellite imagery highlighting iron oxide-rich zones, suggests the mineralised system extends significantly beyond previously known boundaries and may continue onto Iltani’s tenement application EPM 29057.
High-Grade Confirmations at Shallow VTEM Targets
Sampling at the shallow VTEM targets across Orient North, South, East, and West confirmed the presence of robust mineralisation. Highlights include an outcrop sample at Orient North grading 323 grams per tonne silver, 89.1 grams per tonne indium, and 8.19% lead, and a dump sample at Orient South with 478.6 grams per tonne silver, 9.54% lead, 5.18% zinc, and a remarkable 5.35% antimony, the highest antimony assay recorded to date at Orient. These results underpin the planned shallow VTEM drilling program aimed at these high-priority anomalies.
Advancing Exploration and Resource Development
Iltani has completed nine holes of infill drilling at Orient East, with assay results pending. The company anticipates releasing an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for Orient East by early October. Concurrently, a 10-hole, 2,300-metre reverse circulation drilling campaign targeting the shallow VTEM anomalies is scheduled to commence imminently, aiming to test the economic potential of these zones.
Complementing the sampling and drilling, further geophysical work is planned, particularly ground electromagnetic surveys at Deadman Creek, to refine target delineation. Reconnaissance mapping and additional sampling are also planned to better understand the structural controls and extent of mineralisation in the newly identified southwest extension of Orient West.
Context within the Herberton Project
The Orient Silver-Indium Project forms part of Iltani’s broader Herberton Project, a highly prospective mineral field with a rich history of tin, tungsten, copper, silver, lead, and zinc mining. Orient stands out as Australia’s largest silver-indium discovery, with a current JORC Mineral Resource Estimate of 21.6 million tonnes at 100.5 grams per tonne silver equivalent at Orient West, and an exploration target at Orient East ranging from 12 to 18 million tonnes at 110 to 130 grams per tonne silver equivalent.
These latest exploration results reinforce Iltani’s position in the region and its strategy to expand and upgrade the resource base, targeting critical metals essential for a low-emission future.
Bottom Line?
With high-grade assays confirming new extensions and upcoming drilling poised to unlock further potential, Iltani’s Orient Project is entering a pivotal phase that could reshape its resource profile.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the pending assays from the Orient East infill drilling confirm and expand the current resource estimate?
- How will the upcoming shallow VTEM drilling results influence the project’s economic viability?
- Could metallurgical test work validate the recoverability of antimony and tin, potentially adding value to the resource?