[Ferro-Alloys.com] High-Grade Ira Miri Manganese Results Continue, Werumata Drilling Completed

Estrella Resources Limited (ASX: ESR) is pleased to announce further standout assay results from drilling at the Ira Miri Manganese Prospect (Figure 1) and completion of RC and diamond drilling at the Werumata Limestone Deposit in Timor-Leste.

Commenting on the broad and high-grade assay results, Managing Director Chris Daws said:

“The consistency of high-grade manganese intersected at Ira Miri continues to underline the quality and potential scale of this system, particularly given its favourable metallurgical characteristics.

In parallel, the company has completed drilling at Werumata and identified a potentially economic marl unit materially enhances the strategic value of the limestone project.

Together, these outcomes position Estrella well as we move into the next phase of evaluation and development across our Timor-Leste portfolio.

With multiple prospects and an expanding dataset, Estrella is well positioned to identify opportunities for significant discoveries in Timor-Leste. Go Estrella!”

Ira Miri Update

Estrella has successfully completed 45 diamond drill-holes at Ira Miri, for a total of 1,532.50m. Of these, 29 passed through the manganese-bearing horizon of the Noni Formation, with 16 drill-holes intersecting significant mineralisation.

These exceptional results complement existing assays, with Estrella reporting very high-grade mineralisation in initial drill holes, including: 6.45m @ 51.7% Mn (EMDD001) and 8.05m @ 53.0% Mn (EMDD002).2 These results were followed-up with further high-grade discoveries, including: 0.4m @ 58.02% Mn from 18m (EMDD030) and 1.5m @ 55.1% Mn from 1.4m (EMDD026)3.

The grades and widths of mineralisation intersected by drill-holes EMDD039 and EMDD040 are highly encouraging and the Company will continue to assess its targets for follow-up drilling.

Modelling of these latest results may either represent a layer of manganese mineralisation overlying mineralisation intersected by EMDD001, EMDD002, EMDD003, EMDD022 and EMDD023, or may be the same layer, either folded or off-set by a fault.

Regardless, the general orientation and style of the mineralisation reported appears similar (see Figure 3 and Figure 4 for the location of the cross-section) and further exploration is warranted

The mineralisation intersected in the latest Ira Miri drill-holes (EMDD037 – EMDD042) possesses

favourable characteristics, typical of low-iron, high silica stratiform manganese deposits (Table 2). These results highlight the economic potential of the mineralisation and are consistent with previously reported results (Table 3).

Table 2: Summary of mineralisation intersected by EMDD037 – EMDD040 at Ira Miri

Table 3: Summary of mineralisation intersected by EMDD026 – EMDD036 at Ira Miri (reported previously)

Werumata Update

Drilling has concluded at the Werumata Limestone Deposit, with the completion of 33 RC drill-holes (Figures 5 and 6) for a total of 2,804m, and 9 diamond core drill-holes for a total of 913.10m, bringing the combined total to 3,717.10m drilled.

The campaign targeted two large limestone plateaus with a target of defining an Inferred Mineral Resource, compliant with the JORC Code (2012), in excess of 500Mt of limestone.

While assaying and interpretation activities are ongoing, completion of the drilling programme has revealed the following about the known exposed calcium carbonate rocks:

• Range of thickness of Baucau Limestone is 0m (eroded) to 87m

• Range of thickness of Batu Putih chalk is 0m (absent) to 38m

• Range of combined thickness of Baucau & Batu Putih = 29m to 112m

• Average thickness of combined limestone + chalk = 57m

In addition, a “limey clay” unit and a glauconitic unit have been intersected underlying the chalk and are likely to be the previously unknown basal component of the Batu Putih formation. The “limey clay” is a highly weathered marl, which is a rock comprised of a varying mixture of calcium carbonate (and possibly other carbonates) and clay or silt.

Importantly, marl can have a high calcite content and potentially can be used for acid-neutralisation in the same way as limestone or chalk. Consequently, the marl unit may be economically significant and be incorporated into the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Werumata Limestone Deposit.

In some parts of the deposit, there are layers of coarse gravel and conglomerate in between the Baucau Formation and the Batu Putih Formation and sometimes occurs as thin lenses in the base of the Baucau Formation. These layers are probably part of the Ainaro Gravel formation.

There are also layers of brown or grey “limey gritty clay” beneath the limestone of the Baucau Formation (Figure 7), of which they may be an unknown basal unit.

Next Steps

All the samples of limestone to be assayed are in Dili and although a large batch of samples have progressed for export, the majority of samples await inspection by government agencies. This approval process will continue, however the Company advises that timing is anticipated to be affected by government holidays during the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

• [Editor:tianyawei]