- 01Drilling resumes at Nightflower—the first since 2008.
- 02Targeting Digger Lode (silver-lead polymetallics).
- 03Rig: UDR650 on site after land access.
Tartana Minerals (ASX: TAT) has started drilling at its Nightflower silver project in Far North Queensland, the first program at the project since 2008.
The campaign follows completion of a Conduct and Compensation Agreement and site-access works that allowed Tartana to mobilise its truck-mounted rig to the project, about 40 kilometres north of Chillagoe.
Initial drilling is focused on silver-lead-dominant polymetallic mineralisation within and around the historically defined Digger Lode system, where the company is seeking geological information to refine subsequent exploration.
Tartana has also completed field reconnaissance and rock-chip sampling across the Digger and Terrace lodes, with laboratory assay results pending and the combined work set to inform the next exploration phase.
Drilling Returns to Digger Lode
The Digger Lode hosts historical workings across a broader mineralised system that Tartana is now testing through drilling, field mapping, and sampling.
The current campaign follows access preparations completed after the land agreement, with the company using its UDR650 rig to begin work at Digger.
“Commencing drilling at Nightflower is an important milestone for Tartana and follows the work undertaken over recent weeks to finalise land access and get our team and drill rig onto site,” executive chair Sonny Didugu said.
“The results from this work will guide how we sequence the next phase of exploration, including further work across Digger and the Terrace Lode to the south.”
Tartana intends to use this sequenced strategy rather than commit immediately to a larger campaign across the project.
Previous Exploration Target
Digger hosts a previously reported Exploration Target ranging from 2.75 million tonnes at 364 grams per tonne silver equivalent (AgEq), containing about 32 million ounces AgEq, to 5.36Mt at 270g/t AgEq for about 47Moz AgEq.
The AgEq calculation incorporates silver, gold, copper, zinc, lead, and antimony, using 2024 year-to-date metal prices and metallurgical recoveries derived from work commissioned by Risla Enterprises in 1991.
The lead concentrate is expected to be a saleable product with the contained metals payable, and the company believes that all metals included in the calculation have reasonable potential to be recovered and sold.
In parallel with drilling, Tartana collected rock-chip samples from historical workings, outcrop, and other areas of geological interest across Digger and Terrace, with the latter lode not drilled since 1990.
The company plans to integrate drilling, assay and field-mapping results with its review of historical exploration data before determining the next phase of work across both lodes.
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