Estrella Resources is continuing to deliver the goods at its Lautém project in virgin Timor-Leste, with the discovery of new supergene manganese mineralisation exposed from surface at its Sica prospect.
The company says it also received “exceptional” assay results from grab samples taken at several nearby prospects, with grades reaching as high as 57 per cent manganese. Notably, portable XRF (pXRF) readings at Sica range between 26 per cent and 59 per cent manganese, hinting at the potential for fertile mineralisation to be lurking beneath the ground.
Sica was originally identified by mapping the interpreted geology of the Lalena prospect in a north-easterly direction, with the outcropping Noni Formation previously recognised by Estrella as the host structure for the extensive manganese mineralisation across the Lautém tenure. Management noted that Sica is now understood to host concentrations of manganese-rich cobblestones that are derived from weathering of the Noni Formation and erosion of the resulting supergene enrichment.
The remnant supergene material stretches for several hundreds of metres, with the company continuing its detailed geological mapping campaign to define boundaries of the supergene zones ahead of planned trenching activities. Surface samples taken from Sica will be shipped to Australia for more detailed assay analysis.
Curiously, new pXRF readings from a swathe of grab samples at Lalena also returned high-grade manganese ranging between 34 per cent and 64 per cent. The results appear to be consistent with assay results from grab samples taken at Lautém, including from Lalena where grades between 50 per cent and 57 per cent manganese have now been reported.
Importantly, the new assays confirm the presence of high-grade manganese across Estrella’s multiple prospects at Lautém. They also appear to show a strong correlation between pXRF readings and more advanced assay analysis recorded at the project.
Management believes such a correlation arms it with the confidence in being able to determine the manganese grade while in the field, which could help fast-track exploration works at Lautém.
Estrella Resources managing director Chris Daws said: “Our exploration team is gaining a very good understanding of the controls and distribution of manganese within the Lautem Manganese Project. This has resulted in another fantastic manganese discovery – one of the best to date – at our Sica Prospect. The new discovery location is less than 5km from the major northern coastal highway, providing excellent logistics for any potential future exploration and mining at the prospect.”
Daws says the company’s move into Timor-Leste is delivering “very positive results”.
Estrella is one of the first exploration companies to enter the untapped Timor-Leste after successfully bidding for its 504-square-kilometre Lautém land package during the nation’s inaugural minerals tender last year.
The grant of tenure follows Daws’ fostering of a long-term relationship with the government of Timor-Leste in anticipation of recently-passed legislation designed to facilitate a new mineral exploration and development industry in the country.
Although no modern exploration works have taken place previously at Lautém, Estrella is rapidly changing the landscape, having already defined a 27km strike length of the manganese-rich Noni Formation.
The discovery of supergene manganese at Sica, coupled with a string of high-grade results from a smorgasbord of targets, brings to light the potential for Lautém to host a significant mineralised system. It might be early days for Estrella, but the Perth-based outfit is ticking all the right boxes in its hunt for manganese in the largely unexplored Timor-Leste.
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By Bart Bogacz
