Empire Metals Ltd (AIM: EEE, OTCQB: EPMLF) has announced the successful completion of its largest drilling campaign to date at the Pitfield Project in Western Australia. The program targeted high-grade titanium mineralisation at the Thomas Prospect and is designed to support the company’s upcoming maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate.
Conducted between May and June, the campaign included 140 air-core drill holes totalling 6,360 metres and 40 reverse circulation holes totalling 3,776 metres, amounting to 10,136 metres drilled on a 400 × 200 metre grid across 1,352 hectares. Over 5,000 samples, collected at two-metre intervals, have been dispatched to Intertek’s Perth laboratory for assay.
Highlights
· 180 drill holes completed at the Thomas prospect, comprising:
o 140 Air Core (‘AC’) drill holes for a total of 6,360 metres;
o 40 Reverse Circulation (‘RC’) drill holes for a total of 3,776 metres;
o Total metres drilled: 10,136
· Drilling was conducted on a systematic 400m by 200m grid covering over 1,352 hectares and was designed to support the initial MRE as well as providing key data for economic evaluation studies.
· The Thomas Prospect was selected as the basis for the maiden MRE due to the extensive, thick and high-grade titanium mineralisation hosted within the broad, in-situ weathered zone.
· This campaign marks a major milestone in the development of Pitfield, laying the foundation for a globally significant MRE and enabling the identification of near-surface, high grade zones to support the development of mine planning and ore scheduling as part of upcoming economic evaluation studies.
“We are very pleased to have completed this important drilling campaign on time, on budget and without safety incident,” said Shaun Bunn, Managing Director of Empire Metals.
Cumulatively, more than 32,000 metres have now been drilled at Pitfield across 382 holes, providing a strong foundation for detailed geological modelling and economic assessment. The next phase of the project will focus on resource modelling and the delivery of the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate, moving Pitfield closer to commercialisation.
