Estrella Resources’ (ASX:ESR) proposed drilling campaign at the Ira Miri prospect in Timor-Leste to be conducted by CoreSearch will consist of 10,000m of reverse circulation and 3,000m of diamond drilling.
A secondary round of drilling is also under contract, consisting of a further 10,000m of RC drilling to be conducted after geological review.
Initially, the man-portable diamond drill was selected first due to the ease of access and to accomplish corporate timelines.
Estrella says the drill rig has proven not suitable to deliver the desired torque necessary to drill the friable manganese at greater depths than currently achieved.
A natural break in the roster cycle enables Estrella and CoreSearch to swap out this rig for a more powerful diamond drill capable of meeting the requirements of drilling and recovering the friable manganese at greater depths which is now required.
The new diamond package will be mobilised to site in less than two weeks. This period will provide Estrella time to analyse the geological significance of this discovery as well as give track crews sufficient time to set up additional drill sites on this first line, plus access to additional lines so that drilling can continue unhindered.
Estrella has intersected 6.45m of massive manganese oxides in the company’s maiden drillhole, which represents the first modern metallic minerals exploration in Timor-Leste’s history.
Drillhole EMDD001, which is located at the Ira Miri Prospect in Lautém, encountered mineralisation 1.35m down hole, with the drillhole ending in manganese oxides at 7.8m depth. The drillhole was collared 3m from outcropping mineralisation.
Manganese is an ancient metal discovered as a distinct element in 1774. Today, manganese is beginning to emerge as a battery metal. Its use is minimal compared to steelmaking. The market is very much driven by the production of ferro-alloys that include silico and ferro manganese that feed into the manufacturing of crude steel.
Global manganese ore supply in 2023 was 60 million tonnes – up 2% from 2022 and is equivalent to 21.24Mt of contained manganese at an average grade of 35.4% Mn. This makes it the fourth most common metal by tonnage, behind iron, aluminium, and copper.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Estrella
