Iltani Resources (ASX:ILT) expects to receive the first batch of Orient East drill results within four to six weeks with drilling now underway at the Orient Silver-Indium Project.
The company has so far drilled 742m across five holes of the planned 22-hole program.
Managing Director Donald Garner says drilling at Orient East will give Iltani a better understanding of the potential at Orient East, building on what the company has already defined at Orient West.
The current round of drilling is targeting the Orient East core area, approximately 250m by 400m,
where there are multiple intersecting higher-grade vein systems with associated low-grade stockwork
mineralisation, representing the potential to define an open pittable resource.
“We are targeting the area at Orient East where we have previously intersected extensive high-grade mineralisation,” he says.
This includes previous intersections of 41m at 107.7 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent from 39m, including 5m at 346.1g/t from 59m, in hole ORR003; and 38m at 190.4g/t from 19m, including 7m at 454.9g/t from 27m, in hole ORR001.
This follows the completion of drilling at the Antimony Reward Project, where 683m was drilled across seven holes into the Southern Vein system.
Over 230 samples have been dispatched to the assay lab, with first results also expected in four to six weeks.
Both projects are part of the company’s larger 330km2 Herberton land package in northern Queensland.
Both silver and antimony prices are trending higher right now.
Garner told Mining.com.au earlier in October there were significant synergies available between the Orient and Antimony Reward projects, which are located 17km apart.
“Ultimately, both projects would require a similar processing plant (flotation) to produce saleable concentrates, with Antimony Reward producing an antimony concentrate, and Orient producing a lead-silver and a zinc-silver-indium concentrate – so it should be technically feasible to use the same processing plant to process ore from both Antimony Reward and Orient,” he said.
Prior to the start of the current drilling program, Iltani completed 5,758m of drilling across 35 holes at Orient, with the majority of drilling completed at Orient West.
Iltani previously defined an exploration target of 74 to 100 million tonnes @ 55 to 65g/t silver equivalent, inclusive of “high-grade” core material in multiple lenses of 20 to 24 million tonnes @ 110 to 120 g/t silver equivalent.
Mining activity commenced in the Herberton Region in 1880 following the discovery of tin. There are over 2,400 known historical mines and mineral occurrences – including tin, copper, zinc, lead, silver, antimony and tungsten – in the area.
Iltani is presenting on the first day of the Noosa Mining Conference being held at the Peppers Noosa Resort from 13-15 November.
The company will discuss the progress achieved over the past 12 months, its current exploration activities and what the next 12 months looks like.
Mining.com.au is a media partner of the November event. Click here to register.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Iltani Resources
