Estrella Resources early punt on the Timor Leste mineral industry appears to be paying off.
The company has landed another impressive batch of drill results at its Ira Miri prospect, confirming thick, uber-high-grade manganese zones.
The hits have extended the mineralised strike to nearly 100 metres, with the strike still open both to the northeast and south-west, setting the stage for further growth as drilling steps out along strike.
The step-out diamond drilling program has continued to log stellar visual grades, including a 5.9 metre hit at an estimated 90 per cent manganese oxide from just 11.5m in one hole and 3.9m at 90 per cent manganese oxide from a second – both are loaded with supergene mineralisation.
Additional intercepts saw an 8m hit come in at 40 per cent manganese oxide from 4m and 1.5m at 15 per cent manganese oxide from 11.5m.
Core samples have now been dispatched to the laboratory, with assay results expected to land within the next six to eight weeks.
The company says the results have confirmed the scale and consistency of the mineralisation, which now stretches over 100m of strike and up to 18m wide, with sections bulging to 30m in some spots.
Estrella is steadily piecing together the geological jigsaw at Ira Miri, blending drill data with fresh LiDAR 3D imaging and drone magnetic surveys to sharpen its view of the terrain.
A major MobileMT electromagnetic program is set to fire up in late November, adding another layer of insight. Once all three surveys land, and particularly the drone magnetics survey, the company says the combined data will drive its next round of high-impact targeting.
Estrella’s connection to Timor-Leste and its manganese interests stem from management’s long-standing understanding of the nation’s mineral potential and its close collaboration with the government as it sought to open up for mining and exploration.
This finally led to the country’s first mining act last year, which has now paved the way for overseas explorers to develop resources in partnership with Timor-Leste - with Estrella the first to get a leg up in-country.
Estrella Resources managing director Chris Daws said: “Our latest visual manganese estimations extend the strike length of mineralisation to nearly 100 metres and with more strong manganese oxides being encountered, I am increasingly confident our team is unlocking a new manganese province.”
Meanwhile, the company has also been busy preparing for an upcoming diamond drilling campaign at its nearby Werumata limestone project.
Road access and drill pads are now ready, a survey of a potential port site has kicked off and drilling is expected to begin within the week. Water bores are also being installed to support the rigs.
Data from the program will be used to lock down a study of the rock layers and their age for future resource modelling.
Estrella first flagged the potential to unlock its vast, high-grade calcite-rich limestone inventory back in May, following an exclusive marketing and off-take deal with Indonesian mining and energy group PT Raka Energi Mandiri to supply South-East Asia’s surging industrial minerals market.
The deal could see up to a whopping 500 million tonnes of limestone, much of which lies directly above its manganese prospects, shipped out of Timor-Leste over the next five years.
For a company that only started exploration work in Timor-Leste 12 months ago, Estrella’s rapid progress at Ira Miri and Werumata is impressive. Its initial success has hinted that Timor’s manganese potential may have been hiding in plain sight. And with every metre drilled, the evidence is growing stronger.
If assays confirm what the visuals suggest, Estrella could be sitting on a globally significant new manganese discovery - one that might soon propel Timor-Leste onto the critical minerals map.
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By James Pearson
