Estrella deploys drone tech to hunt deeper Timor-Leste manganese

Estrella Resources has taken to the skies at its Ira Miri project in Timor-Leste, launching an advanced drone-deployed passive electromagnetic survey to hunt for hidden, deep-seated mineralisation.

Developed by world-leading airborne geophysics outfit Expert Geophysics, the next-gen MobileMTd system has been called in to test structural extensions to the company's high-grade manganese mineralisation and determine whether a much bigger mineralised system is lurking below.

The company says whilst previous ground-based induced polarisation surveys had successfully identified multiple anomalies beneath and directly adjacent to the current Ira Miri pit area, these conventional exploration methods were severely limited by their inability to peer deeper underground.

The new audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AFMAG) technology neatly bypasses these hurdles by using naturally occurring passive electromagnetic fields to map subsurface resistivity and structural features down to an impressive 800 metres depth.

Notably, the airborne unit captures near-continuous data along its flight paths at an exceptionally tight sampling interval of just five metres. According to management, the technology delivers high-spatial-resolution imaging, allowing the company to clock precise drill targets across a broad five-kilometre corridor along strike from and including its Ira Miri pit. 

By using the high-tech drone, Estrella says it avoids the need for any ground-based transmitter infrastructure, while rapidly collecting high-density coverage across rugged, steep terrain with minimal clearing and limited environmental disturbance.

Estrella Resources managing director Chris Daws said: "As activities continue to accelerate at Ira Miri, we’re thrilled to see the deployment of MobileMTd surveying. With the ability to target potential depth extensions of the manganese bearing ore, and detect lateral continuations under cover, these are truly exciting developments."

The company’s fresh AFMAG campaign has come hot on the heels of a highly successful category B market appraisal extraction program, which resulted in a substantial stage-one stockpile totalling 27,371 tonnes of manganese ore.

The extraction program delivered an impressive weighted average grade of 28.64 per cent manganese. Whilst removing the material, Estrella also ran direct sampling of the pit floor and walls, yielding spectacular grades, reaching up to 60.22 per cent manganese.

Beyond its flagship manganese hunt, the explorer is rapidly proving up the broader regional potential of its Timor-Leste tenure. Just last week, the company unveiled a mammoth, 621-million-tonne maiden resource at its nearby Werumata limestone project, which appears to be ideal for industrial acid neutralisation.

Estrella says field data collection for the airborne survey at Ira Miri is expected to take around three weeks, with final processing, imaging and structural interpretation slated for completion within two months.

The company says it will then use the fresh data to refine its geological models, whilst ranking and prioritising deeper targets for new reverse circulation and diamond drilling campaigns. The outcomes will also be used to support a formal application for a comprehensive Category A mining licence for the manganese deposit.

Meanwhile, Estrella’s immediate focus is on getting the cash register ringing for its Category B stockpile ore. Shipment preparations and export approvals, including international material safety compliance testing, are all slated to wrap up in late May. The company will then launch an exclusive, invitation-only sale process for its bulk manganese parcel in early June.

With high-grade ore already stacked on the surface and a high-tech eye now peering deep into the subsurface, the company looks well-positioned to begin to unlock the full scale of its exciting Timor-Leste Ira Miri manganese project.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au