Iltani Resources (ASX:ILT) has received the final drilling assays from a recently completed 25-hole drilling program at the Orient East deposit, which returned wide intersections of up to 110.3 grams per tonne silver equivalent.
The $9.64 million market capitalisation company will now pass on all drilling assay data to independent mining consultant Mining One, to begin the process of estimating the Orient East deposit’s exploration target.
This work is expected to be completed early February 2025.
Iltani says the results from the 25-hole drilling program have confirmed Orient East’s potential to host a material silver-lead-zinc-indium resource. Results from the recent drilling program also highlight the potential to develop a potentially low strip ratio open-pittable resource at Orient East.
As such, during 2025 Iltani plans to undertake a range of exploration works at Orient East including infill drilling (reverse circulation) to convert the exploration target to a JORC resource; reverse circulation drilling to target western extensions of the mineralisation, extending towards Orient West; and diamond drilling to target the “high-grade” mineralisation at depth plus generate structural information and samples for metallurgical testwork to support the JORC Resource estimate.
These activities will begin once the wet season abates in northern Queensland, which is expected to be in March 2025.
Further, Iltani plans to conduct further exploration work at Orient South, Orient North, and Deadman Creek. Reverse circulation drilling will be undertaken to determine the economic potential of mineralisation associated with historic workings across all of the deposits.
Managing Director Donald Garner says the Orient East deposit remains open to the north, south, west, and down-dip, highlighting the potential for open-pit and underground mining.
“Drilling has also confirmed that Orient East remains open to the west, with the two most westerly holes, ORR058 and ORR059, both delivering thick intersections of silver-lead-zincindium mineralisation containing higher grade massive sulphide-rich zones,” Garner says.
“Drilling continues to confirm exceptional high-grade mineralisation at Orient East with ORR057 intersecting 15m @ 228.5 grams per tonne silver equivalent from 68m including 4m @ 655.6m grams per tonne silver equivalent from 73m including 1m @ 1,581.5 grams per tonne silver equivalent from 74m downhole.
“Orient East drilling has more than surpassed our expectations … which is very encouraging as we continue to unlock the larger scale potential of this system.”
Meanwhile, assays remain pending from seven reverse circulation holes drilled, as part of a 42-hole infill drilling program at the Orient West deposit, as part of the broader Orient Project.
The Orient Silver-Indium Project is located 20km from Herberton in Northern Queensland. As Mining.com.au reported on 20 December, in 2025, Iltani intends to test a cluster of mapped vein systems and old workings at Orient North, which are some 250m north of the current drilling at Orient East.
Orient North represents a ‘high-priority’ target and has the potential to become an additional mining centre at the Orient Silver-Indium Project, the company says.
Iltani Resources is a base metals and critical minerals explorer focused on building a portfolio of advanced exploration projects in Queensland and Tasmania.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Iltani Resources
