- 01Three holes hit prospective quartzite; assays pending.
- 02Third rig added to accelerate infill drilling at Orión.
- 03Work targets upgrade of 44.7Mt Inferred resource.
Osmond Resources (ASX: OSM) has intersected prospective quartzite in its first three completed holes of a new drilling phase at the Orión EU Critical Minerals Project in southern Spain.
The intersections provide additional geological evidence for the company’s planned mineral resource estimate upgrade, although laboratory assays are still pending.
The infill program targets an area of the existing resource classified as Inferred, where more drilling is intended to improve confidence in the mineralised sequence.
Osmond has brought a third drill rig to site to accelerate the program while another two holes are already underway.
Testing Resource Confidence
Drilling resumed on 7 October following the northern summer break, with the completed holes positioned at two existing drill sites in the Avellanar area.
Each intersected the Pochico Formation quartzites at depths comparable with nearby holes, supporting the geological interpretation of the prospective layers.
The three downhole quartzite intervals measured between 2.6 metres and 3.2m, with their true thicknesses to be established through further analysis.
Core from the prospective intervals has been sampled and submitted for assay, while two additional holes are in progress at separate Avellanar locations as the expanded drilling fleet works to gather more information for the resource reassessment.
Existing Mineral Resource
Orión hosts a maiden MRE of 60 million tonnes, including 15.3Mt in the higher-confidence Measured and Indicated categories and 44.7Mt classified as Inferred.
That estimate averages 9.39% titanium dioxide and 3.06% zirconium dioxide, alongside rare earth and hafnium mineralisation contained in the quartz-rich Pochico Formation.
The resource encompasses just 7.9 square kilometres within the broader project area of approximately 232km² across 772 Spanish mining units.
Its valuable heavy minerals (VHM) include rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite, with the existing estimate indicating an average 16.2% VHM content.
Osmond has a 76% beneficial interest in the project, which is located in Jaén Province in Andalucía and is being investigated for potential critical mineral production.
Assays Determine Upgrade Potential
The immediate task is to establish whether the new geological intersections carry grades consistent with the surrounding resource, rather than treating continuity alone as a resource increase.
Additional drilling is designed to refine confidence in an area of Inferred mineralisation, where classification remains dependent on sufficient geological and grade information.
Osmond is seeking to fast-track its work at Orión following an October scoping study that considered a potential development focused on the Main Seam.
That study remains preliminary, with further drilling, technical assessment, and funding required before any production plan can proceed.
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