Stelar Metals Ltd (SLB.ASX) Spectacular High-Grade Tungsten at Hill of Leaders Project
Stelar Metals Limited (ASX:SLB) has announced assay results from the Phase 2 surface sampling and geological mapping program completed at its Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project (EL33232) in the Northern Territory.
The Phase 2 results returned outstanding tungsten grades in the context of global tungsten deposits with seven of the 29 samples reported in this release, approximately 24% of the samples, exceeding 1% WO3.HOLA039 returnedthe highest grade of 12.45% W (15.69% WO3), however is not an isolated result with HOLA036 returning 6.16% W (7.76% WO3) and a further five samples returning >1% WO3.
Highlights
- Exceptional high-grade tungsten assays returned from Phase 2 surface sampling and mapping at the Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project, including:
o 15.69% WO3 (12.45% W) - HOLA039
o 7.76% WO3 (6.16% W) - HOLA036
o 4.96% WO3 (3.94% W) - HOLA006
o 4.45% WO3 (3.53% W) - HOLA031
o 2.95% WO3 (2.34% W) - HOLA012
- Seven samples exceed 1% WO3, approximately one in four of all samples assayed.
- Mineralisation confirmed across the mapped corridor, with highly anomalous and highgrade tungsten returned from multiple discrete sample sites rather than a single isolated occurrence, supporting potential for a system of meaningful scale.
- Significant proportion of Phase 2 samples collected from ground never previously sampled by Stelar, with high-grade tungsten returned from within this newly tested ground extending beyond the Phase 1 samples footprint.
- Phase 2 mapping has materially advanced drill targeting ahead of Stelar's maiden 3,000m RC drilling program commencing in coming weeks.
- Extraordinary tungsten sector tailwinds with China's export controls on tungsten remaining in force, the US Department of War prohibition on Chinese-sourced tungsten taking effect 1 January 2027, and APT pricing at historic highs.
Executive Chairman, Stephen Biggins, commented:
"These are the results every explorer hopes for and very few see. Fifteen percent WO3 at surface, backed up by a further six samples above one percent, tells us Hill of Leaders is a high-grade tungsten system of genuine substance.
"Importantly, the Phase 2 fieldwork sampled ground we had not covered before, and so to find more tungsten is compelling. Just two field programs in and the system is bigger than when we started. That's the pattern you want to see ahead of a first drill program.
"The Phase 2 fieldwork has given us the geological framework to target our drilling properly and the timing couldn't be better. The world has spent a decade talking about dependence on China for critical minerals and now commodity prices are following the rhetoric.
"Our job is to move fast and prove up the potential scale of what we have foundat Hill of Leaders. With our maiden RC bedrock drilling and regional geochemical programs commencing soon, Stelar is entering an exciting phase of pre-discovery exploration with potential for a genuine first-mover tungsten discovery."
Spectacular High-Grade Tungsten Mineralisation
Tungsten mineralised vein swarms containing spectacular high grades of tungsten as scheelite and wolframite were observed in a number of different orientations, and mineralisation was observed to persist beyond the veins and into the surrounding altered granitic wallrock (Figures 1 & 2*, Table 1*).
Phase 2 Expanded The Mineralised Footprint Into New Ground
The Phase 2 program was largely directed into ground that had not been sampled during the Phase 1 fieldwork program (Figure 3*). While Phase 1 established the presence of tungsten mineralisation within a defined area, Phase 2 was deliberately designed to test whether that mineralisation continued beyond it, which has now been successfully confirmed.
The high-grade results are distributed across multiple sample sites identified during mapping, rather than clustered at a single point (Figure 3*). Phase 2 samples were taken where possible from insitu exposures, mostly in old workings, or from mining spoils adjacent to old workings.
Notably, Phase 2 sampling results highlighted the area north and south of the old Doria workings, where samples of spoils from shallow trenches returned grades of 15.7% and 7.77% WO3 respectively (HOLA036 and HOLA039) (Figure 3*).
Previously unmapped workings were also discovered west of Hill of Leaders at sample sites HOLA009 and HOLA010 (Figure 3*).
Importantly, mineralisation remains open in all directions and substantial areas of the large 450km2 Exploration Licence remain untested.
Next Steps
1. Finalisation of drill targeting integrating Phase 2 mapping, UHD Magnetics structural interpretation and geochemistry, under the direction of newly appointed Exploration Manager Andrew Bennett.
2. Preparing for drilling contractor mobilisation for the maiden RC drill program.
3. Commencement of the 3,000m maiden RC drilling program at Hill of Leaders, targeted for late August/early September.
4. Exploration potential beyond Hill of Leaders will be targeted with the assistance of the newly acquired detailed geophysical data and systematic regional geochemical sampling.
5. Continued assessment of strategic and corporate opportunities to accelerate the Company's tungsten position.
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/85ZJA6OE
Stephen Biggins Executive Chair Stelar Metals Limited info@stelarmetals.com.au +61 8 8372 7881 Jason Mack Senior Communications Advisor White Noise Communication jason@whitenoisecomms.com +61 400 643 799
News Provided by ABN Newswire
