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(Sharecast News) - Empire Metals released analytical lab results from the initial five of 40 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes at the Pitfield Project in Western Australia on Tuesday.
The AIM-traded firm said it revealed the presence of additional shallow high-grade bedded titanium dioxide mineralisation within the project area.
It had initiated mineralogical studies, collaborating with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and AXT to assess rock chip samples obtained from the drilling process comprehensively.
The company described completing the planned 40 RC drill hole programme as a significant milestone, with the initial lab results now available for the first five holes.
It said the results confirmed the extension of the overall footprint of significant titanium dioxide mineralisation and provided valuable insights into the geological factors influencing the grade.
Notably, RC23COS004 intersected a shallow up-dip interval of higher-grade bedded mineralisation, yielding results of 154 metres at 5.51% titanium dioxide from the surface, including 6.28% titanium dioxide across the first 48 metres.
The findings suggested that the sandstone beds played a crucial role in hosting higher-grade titanium dioxide values within the bedded sedimentary succession of sandstones, siltstones, and conglomerates.
Empire Metals intended to focus future exploration efforts on identifying and delineating extensive, thick sandstone-rich beds in upcoming drilling programmes.
The company anticipated further promising results from the remaining RC drill holes, many specifically designed to evaluate the extent of the coincident regional magnetics-gravity anomaly at the core of the giant mineral system.
Empire Metals said it had engaged CSIRO to conduct an electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) on RC drill hole rock chip samples to gain deeper insights into the mineral composition and distribution within the rocks.
The analysis would also focus on identifying titanium-bearing minerals within the samples.
Additionally, AXT was enlisted to perform mineralogical tests, employing advanced techniques such as TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyser (TEMA) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) imaging on RC chips.
It said the tests aimed to determine the mineralogical composition of the host rock and map out the specific distribution of titanium within the host rock.
"These exceptional drill results provide further evidence of the massive 40 kilometre-long surface footprint of bedded titanium-rich mineralisation," said managing director Shaun Bunn.
"These interim results also confirm that higher-grade bedded zones of mineralisation can be traced from surface geochemical sampling anomalies, which verifies our targeting approach towards identifying and delineating the higher-grade parts of this giant titanium-rich mineral system.
"We eagerly await the results from the remaining RC drillholes, which we expect will provide further confirmation of near-surface, high-grade mineralisation."
Bunn said the engagement of leading scientists from the CSIRO and AXT was a significant milestone in the technical development and understanding of the titanium discovery.
"These studies will provide invaluable insight into the mineralogical make-up of these highly altered, sedimentary host rocks and, importantly, the mineralogical residence of titanium in these host rocks."
At 1430 GMT, shares in Empire Metals were down 0.64% at 10.88p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
