Pantera Minerals (ASX:PFE) has commenced its first drilling program at the Gillham Project in southwest Arkansas, US.
The program targets ‘high-grade’ antimony and silver mineralisation beneath historic mines Dycus 3D Drilling Company mobilised to site with drilling starting on 18 August 2026.
The 10‑hole, approximately 1,500m diamond drilling campaign represents the first modern subsurface test at Gillham and is expected to be completed within six weeks.
Drilling will target mineralisation beneath the historic Davis, Stewart, and May mines, where surface sampling returned results including 19.2% antimony (Sb) and 63.8 grams per tonne silver (Ag).
CEO Barnaby Egerton‑Warburton says the maiden drilling marks an important progression for Gillham.
“With the rig now turning, Gillham has moved from surface exploration into the first direct modern test of the mineralised system at depth,” Egerton‑Warburton says.
“Our 2026 sampling programs identified a compelling combination of high-grade rock chip results, coherent soil anomalies, and historical mine workings, including rock chips grading up to 19.2% Sb and 63.8g/t Ag, and soils peaking at 2,660ppm [parts per million] antimony.”
The drilling focuses on three priority areas: Davis, Stewart, and May. At Stewart and May, 2026 rock chip sampling confirmed ‘high-grade’ results including 19.2% Sb and 12.25g/t Ag.
Soil sampling along the Stewart‑May trend defined two coherent antimony anomalies extending approximately 400m and 500m along strike, linked by a broader trend over 2,000m of strike.
The Davis Mine represents the largest historical operation within Gillham and contains extensive underground development.
Rock chip sampling confirmed significant base metal and silver mineralisation, including 1.96% copper, 1.465% zinc, and 0.29% lead.
The Gillham Project covers approximately 2,023 hectares across southwest Arkansas and contains more than 18 historical antimony and silver workings that operated intermittently during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Pantera Minerals is an Australian critical minerals explorer with a portfolio that includes the Yampi Iron Ore and Copper Project in Western Australia alongside its US antimony-silver and lithium brine assets.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Pantera Minerals
