REG - Empire Metals Ltd - Extensive Ti Mineralisation Across Giant System

Empire MetalsAnnouncement

13/11/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 1614T  Empire Metals Limited  13 November 2023

Empire Metals Limited / LON: EEE / Sector: Natural Resources

 

13 November 2023

Empire Metals Limited

('Empire' or the 'Company')

 

 

Three Diamond Drill Holes Completed at Pitfield

Extensive Titanium Mineralisation Evident Across Giant Mineral System

Surface Mapping and Rock Chip Sampling Identifies New Drill Targets for
High-Grade TiO2

 

Empire Metals Limited (LON: EEE), the AIM-quoted resource exploration and
development company, is pleased to announce that the three planned Diamond
Core drillholes have now been completed at the Pitfield Project in Western
Australia ('Pitfield' or the 'Project'), and concurrent geological mapping and
rock chip sampling has identified new, high grade TiO2 drill targets along the
central and southern high-density core of the giant mineral system.

 

Highlights

 

·    Titanium mineralisation identified throughout the entire length of
each of the three drillholes from logging of the diamond core, confirming that
the titanium mineralisation previously intersected in the maiden reverse
circulation ("RC") drill programme extends to over 350m vertically from
surface.

·    Geological mapping and rock chip sampling carried out across the
large magnetics anomaly, including areas of coincident strong gravity
anomalies, identified two new high-grade TiO2 drill targets covering 3km(2)
and 6km(2) respectively.

·    High-grade TiO2 values recorded from the surface rock chip sampling
with many of the  samples exceeding 10% TiO2, with the highest being 21.49%
TiO2.

·    The Company expects to have drill core geochemical analysis results
available shortly and will be able to release more information about key
parameters such as mineralogy, grades, and geological controls in the coming
weeks.

·    RC drilling of the high-grade target areas will commence in November,
with approximately 40 RC holes totalling 6,000 metres currently planned to
test the length of the coincident regional magnetics-gravity anomaly.

 

Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: "Our most recent round of work at
Pitfield has generated some extraordinary results, with many rock chip samples
exceeding 10% TiO2, and one value of an exceptional 21.49% TiO2.  In
addition, the diamond drilling that we undertook in tandem with this surface
sampling demonstrates that stratabound titanium-rich mineralisation remains
completely open at depth at 350m, and along strike, once again reinforcing our
view that we have discovered a primary titanium asset of perhaps unparalleled
size and scale.

 

"Our work over the past two months is invaluable as we assess the wider
potential of Pitfield, and as we identify priority areas for the upcoming RC
drill programme, including the newly identified outcropping high-grade TiO2
zones.  While titanium mineralisation is very widespread, virtually across
kilometres of altered rock, we are also finding higher grade mineralised areas
and rock types which will greatly help us focus our future drilling. In the
meantime, it is with great excitement that we look forward to receiving the
laboratory results for the three diamond drillholes in the coming weeks."

 

The Pitfield Project

Empire holds a 70% interest in Pitfield which is comprised of four granted
Exploration Licences (E70/5465, E70/5876, E70/6320 and E70/6323) covering
1,042km(2). Pitfield is located near Three Springs, a town 313km north of
Perth, Western Australia on the Midlands Road, which until the opening of the
Brand Highway in 1975 was the main road route from Perth to the state's north
(refer Figure 1).

 

Figure 1.  Pitfield Project Location showing the scale of the magnetics
anomaly and coincident alteration footprint.

 

Diamond Core Drilling Completed

The Company has completed drilling the three planned diamond drillholes, which
were strategically positioned to provide broad coverage across the 30km length
of the largely coincident regional gravity and magnetics anomalies (refer
Figure 2). These anomalies were sourced to stratabound titanium and iron oxide
mineralisation hosted within a strongly hydrothermally altered, bedded
succession of clastic sedimentary rocks, composed of interbedded sandstones
and siltstones, and lesser conglomerate beds.

 

Figure 2.  Grey-scale magnetics map overlain by airborne gravity survey
results with indicative highest density zones (solid yellow outlines) and
locations of diamond core drill holes and maiden RC drill holes/IP survey
lines.

 

All three diamond drillholes have now been logged and sampled, and laboratory
geochemical analysis results are pending. The logging of the drill core
confirms that the titanium mineralisation is extensive and associated with
strong iron-rich alteration, as indicated by the portable XRF ('pXRF')
measurements taken of the core. The geological setting varies over the ~30km
distance between the northern and most southern drill holes as described
below.

 

Diamond Hole #1 (DD23MTS001)

This northernmost hole was located at Mt Scratch, where the majority of the
maiden RC drillholes were completed. The final length of the angled hole was
408.4m, ending approximately 350m vertically below surface. The drillhole
intersected a thick sedimentary succession of interbedded sandstones and
siltstones, referred to as the Mt Scratch Siltstone formation. These
sedimentary host rocks display extensive and strong iron-rich alteration,
including a steel-grey hematitic alteration and a ferruginous brown alteration
which alternate throughout the hole. Chlorite and epidote alteration of the
host sedimentary rocks is also observed and varies in intensities.

 

Diamond Hole #2 (DD23TOM001)

DD23TOM001 was drilled to an angled depth of 408.5m and was targeting a
magnetics anomaly adjacent to an RC drillhole (RC23TOM001) drilled in April
2023. The diamond drillhole intersected the Beaconsfield Conglomerate
formation throughout its entire length. The Beaconsfield Conglomerate is made
up of repetitious successions of interbedded conglomerates, sandstones and
siltstones. The thickest (80m) individual succession displays strong
hematite-epidote alteration of the type which returned the best TiO2 values in
the maiden RC drilling programme. The strongest alteration in this succession
is associated with zones of greater sandstone-siltstone beds and, based on the
pXRF measurements, these zones contain the highest TiO2 values so far
identified.

 

Diamond Hole #3 (DD23COS001)

The third diamond drillhole at Pitfield was completed with the final length of
the angled hole reaching 400m, ending approximately 350m vertically below
surface. This drillhole targeted a strong magnetics anomaly which is
associated with high TiO2 values recorded from historic surface auger
sampling. The drillhole intersected only Beaconsfield Conglomerate formation.
The entire length of core from this drillhole displays strong hydrothermal
alteration consisting of hematite, epidote, carbonate and chlorite. The
intensity of the alteration varies with the most intense alteration being in
the medium grained sandstones.

 

Visual inspection and pXRF measurements taken of the core has highlighted
potential for higher grade beds of titanium mineralisation. This hole was
drilled into the eastern edge of a newly identified 3km by 1km area of
high-grade TiO2 rock chip samples (see below Geological Mapping/Rock Chip
Sampling section for more information).

 

Diamond Drillhole Geochemical Analysis  #1 - #3

The Company is currently awaiting the geochemical analysis results from the
diamond drill holes, with the results from the first drill hole (DD23MTS001)
expected to be received shortly.

 

Geological Mapping/Rock Chip Sampling

A comprehensive mapping and rock chip sampling programme was completed during
September-October 2023, over previously unexplored ground within the 40km by
8km regional geophysical anomaly. The work  better defined the extent of the
outcropping Yandanooka Basin host sedimentary rocks. Where areas of outcrop
were encountered, rock chip sampling on an approximate 200-400m spaced grid
was completed. A total of 310 rock samples were collected and submitted for
multi-element analysis, with 202 analytical results received to date.

 

Strongly elevated TiO2 is present in the rock chip samples with 65 samples
(32%) exceeding 5% TiO2, and 17 samples (8% of total) exceeding 10% TiO2. The
maximum value recorded in the rock sampling was an exceptional 21.5% TiO2.
High TiO2 values are spatially associated with the regional magnetics high
domain, extending east into the coincident gravity high trend along the
eastern flank of the magnetic rocks (refer below Table 1. Significant Rock
Chip Geochemical Analysis)

 

A clustering of higher TiO2 values in rocks is evident from the geological
mapping and rock chip sampling programme, which identified a high-grade area
over 3km by 2km in the vicinity of  diamond drillhole #2 (DD23TOM001), as
well as a 3km by 1km area close to diamond drillhole #3 (DD23COS001), where
the geochemical analysis of half the rock chip samples have exceeded 8% TiO2.
These titanium mineral-enriched prospects are not yet closed off. It should be
noted that quite large areas have little or no rock exposure at surface due to
sand or laterite cover.  These areas are now considered prospective for
higher grade titanium mineralisation and will form part of the upcoming RC
drill programme as priority targets.

 

Figure 3.  Grey-scale magnetics map overlain by airborne gravity survey
results highlighting recent rock chip sample locations and TiO2 values.

 

Much of the rock exposed at surface is very weathered, however in most cases
it was possible to identify rock type. There is a general trend from west to
east in the mapped area, from conglomerate-rich with interbedded sandstone
 along the western flank of the magnetic trend, to sandstone-rich with
interbedded conglomerate and siltstone, and finally to siltstone-rich with
interbedded sandstone to the east of the main coincident magnetics-gravity
high. Local areas with appreciable quartz veining are present, particularly
along the eastern flank of the regional geophysical anomaly, broadly
correlating to the gravity high domain.

 

Elevated copper and zinc values are locally present in the rocks (maximum 480
and 680 ppm respectively) and will require further evaluation work in the
future. The extensive weathering observed at surface is likely to have leached
and removed base metals such as copper and zinc out of the near-surface
environment.

 

Significant Rock Chip Geochemical Analysis Results

 Sample ID  Easting  Northing  Grade (Ti %)  Grade (TiO2 %)  Target Area
 PRC0028    373966   6726636   11.00         18.35           TOM
 PRC0038    371958   6727153   9.58          15.98           TOM
 PRC0040    374039   6725174   6.48          10.81           TOM
 PRC0073    372276   6729681   9.66          16.11           REG
 PRC0074    372531   6727680   7.23          12.06           TOM
 PRC0085    371865   6732184   9.05          15.10           REG
 PRC0092    369289   6739267   8.29          13.83           COS
 PRC0096    370270   6738961   11.02         18.38           COS
 PRC0106    370681   6737500   7.70          12.84           COS
 PRC0122    369406   6737284   7.24          12.08           COS
 PRC0125    369327   6736890   6.40          10.68           COS
 PRC0134    370531   6737414   8.50          14.18           COS
 PRC0137    369604   6737914   6.17          10.29           COS
 PRC0141    369596   6739468   6.44          10.74           COS
 PRC0144    369810   6739736   12.88         21.49           COS
 PRC0145    370082   6739653   8.38          13.98           COS
 PRC0193    371284   6734330   7.80          13.01           REG

Table 1.  Significant Rock Chip Geochemical Analysis Results showing grades
of >10% TiO2.

Target Area Reference:

COS: Near Diamond Hole #3 (DD23COS001)

TOM: Near Diamond Hole #2 (DD23TOM001)

REG: Regional Locations

 

Future Work

The RC drill programme is scheduled to commence before the end of November
2023 and is expected to run for several weeks. The planned programme will
consist of 40 drillholes totalling 6,000 metres along the length of the
high-density gravity core within the regional magnetics anomaly, with
particular focus on the high-grade areas identified through the recent rock
chip sampling and geological mapping. The objective of this drill programme is
to further define the scale of this giant, titanium-enriched mineral system
but to also understand the distribution of key factors better, such as grade,
mineralogy, thickness and extent of mineralised beds and controls on
high-grade titanium mineralisation.

 

Competent Person Statement

The technical information in this report that relates to the Pitfield Project
has been compiled by Mr Andrew Faragher, an employee of Eclipse Exploration
Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire. Mr Faragher is a Member of the
Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Faragher has sufficient
experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit
under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a
Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for
Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Mr
Faragher consents to the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his
information in the form and context in which it appears.

 

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed
inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No
596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018, until the release of this announcement.

 

**ENDS**

 

 

For further information please visit www.empiremetals.co.uk
(http://www.empiremetals.co.uk)   or contact:

 Empire Metals Ltd

 Shaun Bunn / Greg Kuenzel                                                               Tel: 020 4583 1440
 S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nomad & Broker)                                      Tel: 020 3470 0470

 Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl
 Shard Capital Partners LLP (Joint Broker)                                               Tel: 020 7186 9950

 Damon Heath
 St Brides Partners Ltd (Financial                                                       Tel: 020 7236 1177
 PR)

 Susie Geliher / Ana Ribeiro

 

About Empire Metals Limited

Empire Metals is an AIM-listed (LON: EEE) exploration and resource development
company with a project portfolio comprising copper, titanium and gold
interests in Australia and Austria.

 

The Company's strategy is to develop a pipeline of projects at different
stages in the development curve. Its current focus is on the Pitfield Project
in Western Australia, which has demonstrated to contain a newly recognised
giant mineral system that hosts a globally significant titanium discovery.
The Company is also advancing the Eclipse-Gindalbie Project in Western
Australia, which is prospective for high-grade gold and also kaolin used to
produce high-purity alumina, an essential component in lithium-ion batteries.

 

The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the Walton
Project in Western Australia, and the Stavely Project in the Stavely Arc
region of Victoria, in addition to three precious metals projects located in a
historically high-grade gold producing region of Austria.

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