Empire Metals Ltd (AIM:EEE, OTCQB:EPMLF) has kicked off a major new drilling campaign at its Pitfield Project in Western Australia.
With the new round of drilling, Empire aims to deliver a maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate at the Thomas Prospect.
The programme includes 124 air core holes and 40 reverse circulation holes, totalling 10,700 metres. It anticipates high-grade titanium mineralisation across an 11 square kilometre area.
“The Thomas Prospect contains broad, continuous, high-grade zones of high-purity titanium dioxide mineralisation within the in-situ weathered cap,” said managing director Shaun Bunn.
"This fully funded campaign, scheduled to run over the next four to five weeks, is the largest undertaken to date at Pitfield.
“With 164 holes planned over an 11 square kilometre area and to an average depth of 65 metres, this work is designed to deliver a globally significant Mineral Resource Estimate."
Drilling is focused on the near-surface, in-situ weathered zone, where past results included intercepts of 51 metres at 7.88% TiO₂ and 57 metres at 7.48% TiO₂.
Assays from Empire’s February campaign showed average grades of 6.20% TiO₂ over 54 metres.