Tartana Minerals has launched the first drilling campaign at the Nightflower silver project, 40km north of Chillagoe, in 18 years.

The company is targeting silver-lead mineralisation within and around the Digger lode system, which hosts a previously reported exploration target of 2.75Mt at 364g/t silver equivalent.

“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,” Tartana Minerals (ASX: TAT) executive chairman Sonny Didugu said.

“Nightflower has not been drilled since 2008 despite the scale of the previously reported exploration target at Digger and the historical workings extending through the broader project area.

“Our immediate focus is on testing the Digger lode and building our understanding of the system through drilling, field mapping and sampling.”

The company recently completed a conduct and compensation agreement covering Nightflower and subsequently undertook access works to enable mobilisation of Tartana’s truck-mounted drill rig to the project.

It has also completed field reconnaissance across the Digger and Terrace lodes and collected rock-chip samples. The Terrace lode, south of Digger lode, has not been drilled since 1990.

The exploration target calculated for Nightflower ranged from 2.75Mt at 364g/t AgEq for about 32Moz AgEq (lower range) to 5.36Mt at 270g/t AgEq for about 47Moz AgEq (upper range)..

Silver equivalent grades for the Nightflower exploration target were calculated by Bluespoint Mining Services using 2024 metal prices of $US27/oz for silver, $US2265/oz for gold, $US9241/t for copper, $US2710/t for zinc, $US2135/t for lead and $US10,000/t for antimony.

The corresponding metallurgical recoveries to lead concentrate, sourced from Askew (1991), were 90 per cent for silver, 70 per cent for gold, 80 per cent for copper, 30 per cent for zinc, 90 per cent for lead and 80 per cent for antimony.

Tartana Minerals recently underwent a major leadership overhaul. An extraordinary general meeting in August passed resolutions to remove Stephen Bartrop and Mat Hancock as directors. A resolution to remove Alistair Lewis as a director was withdrawn, given his resignation.

The board subsequently conducted a corporate and strategic review covering operations, financial position, corporate governance, and tenement portfolio.

Mr Didugu said Tartana had not scratched the surface of what its expansive portfolio of base and precious metals projects held.

Tartana holds one of the largest tenement positions in the Chillagoe and Herberton regions as well as the Tartana copper sulphate pentahydrate plant.