en.Wedoany.com Reported - Osmond Resources (ASX:OSM) has obtained exceptional assay results from drill hole SOR-08A at its flagship Orión EU critical minerals project in the Jaén province of Andalusia, southern Spain. This hole is part of an infill reverse circulation drilling program targeting the heavy mineral-rich quartzite layers of the Pochico Formation.
The main intersection, starting at a downhole depth of 209.9 meters, returned 2.70 meters at 10.75% titanium dioxide (TiO2), 3.82% zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), 815 ppm hafnium dioxide (HfO2), and 0.78% total rare earth oxides (TREO). Within this, from 210 meters depth, a 2.10-meter interval graded 12.59% TiO2, 4.55% ZrO2, 969 ppm HfO2, and 0.925% TREO; and from 210 meters depth, a 1.20-meter interval graded 17.16% TiO2, 6.55% ZrO2, 1,401 ppm HfO2, and 1.32% TREO. Additionally, indicative heavy mineral grades from 209.7 meters depth include 9.0% rutile, 5.7% zircon, 3.4% ilmenite, and 0.7% monazite.
These results establish mineralization continuity in the South Block, correlating with the rich mineralized layers found in the Avellanar Block and historical drill hole SOR-02, located 2.86 kilometers to the west. They also confirm that mineralization extends over 1.25 kilometers to the east-southeast of the original discovery hole, expanding the target area and resource potential of the project's South Block. Drill hole SOR-07A encountered the expected Pochico Formation quartzite at a downhole depth of 311.8 meters, further supporting the South Block's potential, with laboratory assay results expected to be released within the next three to four weeks.
In the Avellanar Block, surface channel sampling has extended the strike length of the prospective formation by over 550 meters. Seven samples collected from the main and upper mineralized layers returned grades of up to 8.67% TiO2 and 2.68% ZrO2 over a 235-millimeter thickness.
Osmond expects that the SOR-08A assay results will materially enhance the project's upcoming maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and scoping study. The company has added an additional 4.1 square kilometers to the South Block's mineral resource definition target, complementing the already defined 2.1 square kilometers in the Avellanar Block. Geological modeling and metallurgical data from the South Block will be integrated into the scoping study, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the third quarter of 2026. The Orión project, covering 232 square kilometers, is located within a hard-rock mineral sand geological system in southern Spain. Osmond Resources is an exploration and development company focused on critical mineral assets in Europe and Australia.
