Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) has begun a 20,000m aircore drilling program focused on regional-scale targets at its Aileron Project in the West Arunta region of Western Australia.
Those targets are expected to include the Green, Joyce, Mcllroy, and Macklin prospects, while follow-up drilling will extend mineralisation uncovered at the Hurley, Crean-Hoschke, and Emily targets.
Reconnaissance aircore drilling at the Crabeater, Leopard, Mawson, and Wordie targets will be conducted to determine bedrock geology and establish cover conditions.
Managing Director Will Robinson says the aircore drilling will be a fast and cost-effective method to test for the presence of niobium-rare earths carbonatite-hosted mineralisation.
Once completed, the company will undertake reverse circulation and potentially diamond drilling to follow-up on areas with significant mineralisation.
“The diamond rig will arrive at Aileron in the next two weeks to start drilling at the Perce iron-oxide-copper-gold target and this rig would be utilised to provide rapid diamond core follow-up for the aircore program,” Robinson says.
“For the next few months, we will have two rigs (20,000m aircore and 2,000m diamond) operating at Aileron and we will also have access to an RC drill rig at short notice.”
The diamond drilling program, co-funded by the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme, will test a discrete, high-amplitude density anomaly in the east of the project.
Encounter Resources is an Australian mineral explorer focused on discovering major copper and niobium-rare earths deposits.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Encounter Resources
