Estrella Resources Limited (ASX: ESR), a company focused on discovering and developing mineral deposits, announced the receipt of assays from the Iri Miri Manganese Prospect in Timor-Leste. The initial results confirm high-grade manganese mineralisation, leading to an adjusted exploration strategy targeting primary and secondary manganese beds within the Noni Formation. Estrella Resources is pleased with the results from PT Geoservices, an accredited laboratory in Jakarta, from the first three holes at the Company’s Ira Miri prospect located in Timor-Leste, as well as continued primary and secondary manganese discoveries from ongoing drilling.
Key intercepts from the first three drill holes include 6.45 metres at 51.7% manganese in EMDD001, 8.05 metres at 53.0% manganese in EMDD002, and 1.5 metres at 35.8% manganese in EMDD003. Subsequent drilling, including angled holes EMDD022 and EMDD023, intersected additional zones of secondary enriched manganese, further validating the potential of the region. EMDD022 intersected a total of 5.8m in two separate zones of secondary enriched manganese from 4.8m down hole and EMDD023 intersected 2.15m of manganese oxides from 8.25m down hole.
Managing Director Chris Daws expressed enthusiasm about the results, stating they confirm initial discoveries and highlight Timor-Leste’s potential to host high-grade manganese. The company is now focusing on angled drilling to target primary manganese horizons and projecting them into tertiary weathering zones for supergene enrichment. Further drilling is planned to follow mineralisation along strike, as the company continues its maiden Timor-Leste campaign consisting of an initial 3,000m diamond and 10,000m RC drilling.
Estrella Resources is moving forward with drilling at Ira Miri and large-scale surveying across its Timor-Leste concessions. The current round of drilling at Ira Miri will continue to define a 20,000 to 30,000 tonne Market Appraisal Parcel of supergene manganese that is planned to be extracted prior to the end of the calendar year.
