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Encounter Resources Ltd (ASX:ENR) has used exploration drilling conducted last year to produce an initial inferred resource for its Aileron niobium project in Western Australia, with this estimated at 19.2 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.74% niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅) at a cut-off rate of 1.0% Nb₂O₅.
This maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) – which is compliant with the 2012 JORC code – was prepared by Snowden Optiro, and marks an important step in exploration and development of the project, located in WA’s West Arunta region.
Three deposits – Green, Emily and Crean – are included in the combined MRE, which is contained within a broader resource of 67.6Mt at 0.88% Nb₂O₅ (from a cut-off of 0.25% Nb₂O₅).
Notably, the numbers have been yielded following only 6 months of drilling work, after the discovery of the high-grade Crean deposit in June 2024, and later discoveries at Green and Emily.
This exploration has shown the presence of shallow high-grade mineralisation open along strike and at depth, with reverse circulation (RC) drilling being progressed to extend this and improve its definition.
Executive chairman Will Robinson said the exploration work conducted throughout 2024 had outlined mineralisation which could become “one of the world’s most significant undeveloped niobium resources”.
“This early success highlights the exceptional geological potential of the Aileron project and the broader West Arunta region,” he said.
“This is only the beginning. The strike-extensive carbonatite systems of the West Arunta represent an unusually mineralised suite of intrusions, and Encounter is committed to unlocking their full potential through a focused and systematic exploration program.”
Encounter shares have risen since the news, and at 10:26 AEST, they were trading at 20 cents – a rise of 5.26% since the market opened.
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