High-Grade Antimony Discovery Bolsters iTech Minerals' Critical Minerals Portfolio
iTech Minerals Ltd (ASX: ITM) has identified two substantial high-grade antimony zones at its Reynolds Range project in the Northern Territory, significantly expanding the company's critical minerals potential beyond its established graphite assets.
Breakthrough Discovery Reveals Extensive Antimony Mineralisation
The company has mapped two separate antimony-rich veins extending over 300 meters each at the Sabre and Falchion Prospects, with exceptional rock chip assays including:
- 30.6% Sb and 2.5 g/t Au at Sabre
- 29.7% Sb and 4.8 g/t Au at Sabre
- 24.6% Sb and 21 g/t Au at Sabre
- 15.9% Sb and 5.0 g/t Au at Falchion
These newly identified zones appear to have been largely overlooked by previous explorers who primarily focused on gold mineralisation. According to iTech, the high-grade antimony zones were likely missed due to deeper weathering of antimony sulfides resulting in poor surface exposure.
"While one high-grade antimony rock chip existed within historical exploration data at Reynolds Range, there was no indication of continuity or extent of mineralisation," said Managing Director Mike Schwarz. "iTech has now identified the source of the high-grade antimony as coming from >300m long veins at both the Sabre and Falchion Prospects."
Strategic Significance of Antimony
Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by major economies including the United States, European Union, and Australia due to its essential applications in flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, and defence technologies. With limited global production concentrated in China, new antimony discoveries at Trigg Minerals outside these regions carry significant strategic value.
The mineralisation at Reynolds Range appears substantial, with mapping and historical drilling suggesting thicknesses exceeding 14 meters. Importantly, the high-grade zones disappear under cover and remain open along strike and at depth, presenting significant exploration upside.
Comprehensive Mineralised System Emerging
The Sabre and Falchion antimony zones aren't isolated occurrences. Together with the previously identified Lander prospect, they form part of a mineralised corridor extending over 2.5 kilometres. This sits within a much larger antimony anomaly in lag soil that stretches over 6 kilometres, suggesting potential for additional discoveries beneath thin cover.
Most historical drilling at both prospects wasn't assayed for antimony, leaving the newly identified zones essentially untested. Only two holes at Sabre and three at Falchion have been drilled close to the high-grade antimony veins mapped at surface.
Gold-Antimony Association Enhances Economic Potential
A particularly compelling aspect of the discovery is the consistent association between high-grade antimony and gold values. At Sabre, rock chip samples yielded up to 24.0 g/t gold alongside substantial antimony grades, while Falchion samples returned up to 5.0 g/t gold with antimony values exceeding 15%.
This gold-antimony association at Ricciardo could significantly enhance the economic potential of any future resource, providing multiple revenue streams from a single deposit.
Upcoming Drilling Program
iTech has already secured heritage approvals to drill test these targets and is currently obtaining the necessary government permits for a drilling campaign scheduled to commence in late October or early November this year.
The program will focus on testing the depth extent of antimony mineralisation beneath the highest-grade surface outcrops, which haven't been properly evaluated by historical drilling.
What Are Antimony Oxides?
The high-grade antimony zones at Reynolds Range contain stibiconite, an antimony oxide mineral formed by the weathering of primary antimony sulfide (stibnite).
In mineral deposits, primary antimony sulfides like stibnite (Sb₂S₃) often undergo oxidation near the surface due to exposure to air and water. This weathering process transforms the sulfides into oxide minerals like stibiconite, which is a hydrated antimony oxide with the formula Sb₃O₆(OH).
Importantly for investors, while these oxides represent the weathered portion of the deposit visible at surface, they often indicate the presence of primary sulfide mineralisation at depth. The upcoming drilling program will test whether higher-grade primary antimony sulfides exist beneath these surface expressions.
Investment Thesis: Diversified Critical Minerals Exposure
iTech Minerals presents a compelling investment case based on its diversified portfolio of critical minerals assets:
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Emerging Antimony Player: The Reynolds Range discovery positions iTech as one of few ASX-listed companies with significant antimony exposure at a time when secure supply chains for critical minerals are increasingly valuable.
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Established Graphite Portfolio: The company's Lacroma and Campoona graphite deposits in South Australia provide exposure to battery materials as the world transitions to electric vehicles.
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Multiple Commodity Exposure: Beyond antimony and graphite, iTech's projects hold potential for copper, gold, and lithium, offering investors broad critical minerals exposure through a single stock.
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Near-Term Catalysts: The upcoming drilling program at Reynolds Range later this year provides a clear path to value creation in the short term.
Why Investors Should Follow iTech Minerals
iTech Minerals has strategically positioned itself at the intersection of critical minerals and battery materials markets—two sectors facing strong demand growth driven by technological advancement, electrification, and national security concerns.
The Reynolds Range antimony discovery at Hurricane significantly enhances the company's portfolio, potentially adding a high-value critical mineral to its existing graphite assets. With antimony prices having risen substantially in recent years due to supply constraints, new deposits outside of China hold particular strategic and economic value.
With multiple drill-ready targets, established resources in graphite, and exploration potential across several in-demand commodities, iTech offers investors a diversified entry point into the critical minerals space with near-term catalysts for growth.
As the company prepares to drill test its newly identified antimony zones in the coming months, investors should watch closely for results that could validate what appears to be a significant critical minerals discovery. Furthermore, recent high-grade gold results from other companies in the region highlight the broader exploration potential across multiple commodities.
In addition, companies like Warriedar Resources have recently uncovered high-grade antimony in their gold deposits, suggesting a regional trend that adds further credibility to iTech's discoveries at Reynolds Range.
Looking for the Next Major Critical Minerals Discovery?
Discover why significant mineral discoveries like iTech's high-grade antimony find can lead to substantial market returns by exploring Discovery Alert's dedicated discoveries page at https://discoveryalert.com.au/discoveries/, where proprietary Discovery IQ technology helps investors identify actionable opportunities ahead of the broader market.
