Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) reports its highest-grade niobium intersection to date at the Aileron Project’s Green deposit in the West Arunta region of Western Australia.
Assays returned 51m @ 5% niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) from 63m, including 13m @ 10.4% Nb2O5 from 80m.
Encounter notes that the intersection sits outside the existing mineral resource estimate boundary, highlighting the potential to grow its current deposits through infill and extensional drilling.
Green hosts an inferred resource of 19 million tonnes (Mt) @ 1.6% Nb2O5 within 100Mt @ 0.71% Nb2O5. The broader Aileron Project hosts a combined inferred resource of 120Mt @ 0.77% Nb2O5, including a ‘high-grade’ resource of 26Mt @ 1.7% Nb2O5 across the Green, Emily, and Crean deposits.
Managing Director Will Robinson says the tonnage and grade potential of Green and the broader Aileron deposits continues to grow with each drill program.
“Current drill programs at Green, Emily, and Joyce are providing a clear pathway to further resource growth and grade improvement, particularly in key potential starter pit areas,” Robinson says.
“Our expectation was that, as we closed the existing wide drill spacing, we could intersect spectacular zones of high-grade mineralisation, which is exactly what is happening.
“These results reinforce our confidence in the potential for high-grade starter pits that could underpin a tier-one operation at Aileron.”
Three rigs are currently operating at Aileron, with results expected through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027.
The company expects further Joyce aircore results in October, the first diamond hole at Emily, and additional infill and extensional drilling at Green.
Encounter also intends to complete further drilling to determine the extent of the ‘high-grade’ zone at Green, while advancing pre-development activities like geotechnical and hydrogeological drilling, metallurgical test work, and heritage surveys.
Encounter Resources is a mineral explorer focused on the discovery of major copper and critical mineral deposits, including niobium and rare earths.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Encounter Resources
