Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) has delivered another strong batch of niobium results from its Aileron Project, with high-grade infill hits at Green and open-ended mineralisation at Emily.
At Green, drilling returned 19.7m @ 5.3% Nb₂O₅ from 76.2m within a broader 92.4m @ 2.0% Nb₂O₅.
Other hits included 33.7m @ 3.8% Nb₂O₅ and 45m @ 2.9% Nb₂O₅.
Starter-pit grades getting stronger
Those numbers sit well above Green’s current resource grade of 1.6% Nb₂O₅ at a 1% cut-off.
That matters because the current infill program is targeting areas that could support high-grade starter pits.
The aim is not just more tonnes.
It is better-quality tonnes in the right place.
Figure 1: Green Deposit – Niobium – AEM Layered Earth Inversion (LEI) DS55 showing arcuate conductive feature coincident with the outline of the weathered carbonatite complex and MRE.
Emily keeps ending in mineralisation
Emily is also adding weight.
New aircore results include 7m @ 3.1% Nb₂O₅ to end of hole and 16m @ 2.4% Nb₂O₅ within 67m @ 1.0% Nb₂O₅, also ending in mineralisation.
That is why the diamond rig has now moved in.
Encounter is drilling beneath earlier shallow holes to test whether the high-grade zone continues at depth and to collect metallurgical samples.
Figure 2: Emily Drill Plan (Magnetics TMI 1vd) – Mineralised carbonatite expanding with additional high-grade niobium mineralisation intersected.
Three rigs, plenty still coming
More than 40,000m has already been drilled at Aileron this year, with another 30,000m planned across three rigs.
Executive Chairman Will Robinson said Green is delivering some of the project’s strongest grades to date, while Emily is starting to look increasingly relevant to the development schedule.
What’s next
Diamond drilling continues at Emily ahead of an updated MRE, while Green gets more infill work aimed at resource upgrades and starter-pit definition.
Aileron already had size.
Now Encounter is working on the grade, depth and mine sequence.
