Empire Metals Ltd (AIM:EEE, OTCQX:EPMLF) told investors that new diamond drilling at the Thomas Prospect, part of its Pitfield Project, in Western Australia, has confirmed a near-surface high-grade central zone.
It helps Empire sharpen its focus for future infill drilling, metallurgical test work and mine planning as the small-cap firm works toward an updated resource later this year.
Managing director Shaun Bunn said the results confirmed both the grade and the scale of the weathered profile, which extends for more than 60 metres from surface in places.
"These results confirm the presence of a high-grade central zone at the Thomas Prospect and demonstrate the significant depth of the weathered profile... Importantly, drilling has intersected thick intervals of very high-grade mineralisation, approaching 10% TiO₂, within the near-surface weathered profile, which will be the focus of our ongoing drilling and metallurgical assessment.
He explains that the programme delivered strong core recovery, averaging more than 97%, which gives Empire a substantial sample set for bulk metallurgical work while also feeding geological and geotechnical data into mine design and process engineering.
The eight-hole diamond programme, completed in November and December, covered 745.1 metres in total, and it returned standout near-surface intervals including 9.25 metres at 10.13% titanium dioxide from 26.2 metres in hole DD25TOM009 and 7.7 metres at 9.88% TiO2 from 3.0 metres in DD25TOM012.
Broader weathered-zone hits included 53.5 metres at 6.83% TiO2 from surface, 61.3 metres at 6.64% from 2.2 metres, 56.2 metres at 6.55% from 2.1 metres and 51.4 metres at 6.05% from surface.
A larger fully funded new drill campaign launched in February and is continuing, with 754 planned holes for 41,250 metres and an updated mineral resource estimate targeted for the third quarter of 2026.