Iltani Resources has reported some of its strongest Orient West drilling results, including a 2-metre intercept grading 2,561 g/t silver equivalent. The company says the latest 16 holes support continuity and could underpin an expanded Mineral Resource later this year.
- 2m at 2,561 g/t Ag Eq. from 120m in ORR210
- 1m at 1,932 g/t Ag Eq. from 66m in ORR208
- 16 RC holes reported, including two abandoned in historical workings
- 110-hole drilling program nearing completion
- Mineral Resource update targeted for Q4 2026, scoping study for early 2027
Orient West delivers its highest-grade intercepts
Iltani Resources Limited (ASX:ILT) has received assays from 16 reverse-circulation holes at Orient West, led by a 2-metre intercept grading 2,561 g/t silver equivalent from 120 metres in ORR210. The interval contained 839 g/t silver, 550 g/t indium, 14.0% lead and 19.3% zinc.
ORR208 produced a second standout result: 1 metre at 1,932 g/t silver equivalent from 66 metres, including 687 g/t silver, 192 g/t indium, 13.3% lead and 13.6% zinc. The broader interval ran 10 metres at 308 g/t silver equivalent, with a 3-metre higher-grade core of 974 g/t silver equivalent.
Infill drilling tests continuity across the resource
The results matter less as isolated spectacular assays than as part of Iltani’s infill campaign. The company said the holes demonstrate continuity of the main veins along strike and down dip, with drilling completed at approximately 50-metre section spacing and similar spacing down dip. Other notable results included 11 metres at 220 g/t silver equivalent in ORR206, including 1 metre at 1,213 g/t, and 4 metres at 643 g/t in ORR212, including 2 metres at 1,178 g/t.
Iltani said the broader mineralised zones thin towards the southwest, while high-grade massive sulphide mineralisation persists. It is assessing the deeper high-grade zones as possible underground targets, while shallower mineralisation is being considered in the company’s open-pit modelling. Those descriptions remain exploration interpretations rather than a mine plan, and reported widths are downhole widths; true widths have not been stated.
Resource update follows final drilling
The 110-hole Orient infill and extension program is scheduled to finish in September, with the rig reported to be drilling its 99th hole. Once outstanding assays arrive, Iltani plans to update the Orient Mineral Resource in the fourth quarter of 2026. The current resource stands at 62.5 million tonnes grading 81.5 g/t silver equivalent, containing silver, indium, lead and zinc.
The revised resource is intended to feed an Orient Scoping Study due in early 2027. Iltani also plans further drilling before the wet season to test mineralisation outside the existing resource areas, while ore-sorting test work is due to inform treatment of broader, lower-grade material. Two holes in this batch, ORR203A and ORR203B, were abandoned after intersecting historical underground workings, although both returned high-grade mineralisation before termination.
Bottom Line?
The assays strengthen the geological case for resource growth, but the next valuation test is whether continuity survives the updated estimate, metallurgy and eventual mining studies.
Questions in the middle?
- How much of the newly confirmed mineralisation will be added to the Q4 2026 Mineral Resource?
- Will ore-sorting test work improve the economics of the broader lower-grade zones?
- Can the deeper massive sulphide zones support a credible underground component alongside the open-pit concept?