Garthowen Project

High Grade Tungsten Exploration Project

The Garthowen Project is our flagship tungsten exploration project, located 20km north of Tamworth in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. This nationally significant asset is the highest-grade tungsten deposit in NSW and is positioned in a prime geological setting with significant exploration potential to delineate additional tungsten deposits. Our exploration and development work is focused on realising the full potential of this project, which is crucial to the Australian tungsten supply chain.

Our recent geological assessments have confirmed significant mineral resources, positioning Garthowen as a strategic hub for tungsten production. As demand for this critical mineral grows, we are proud to explore and develop one of Australia's most promising tungsten sites.

Our goal is to bring this project into production while adhering to the highest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.

Project Highlights

  • Significant high-grade tungsten mineralisation identified through exploration.

  • Strategically located near infrastructure, including transport and energy facilities.

  • Advanced metallurgical testing has confirmed the potential for high recovery rates.

  • Promising exploration targets to grown resource base.

As we advance the Garthowen Project, we are committed to working with local communities, stakeholders, and regulatory authorities to ensure sustainable development and economic benefits.

Geology

The tungsten is hosted in the minerals scheelite and powellite and is the result of chemical interaction between mineralising fluids from the intruding Inlet granite and the limestone rich Glencairn Formation. This chemical interaction forms what geologists call skarn mineralisation and is a common style of tungsten mineralisation.

The Garthowen project is located along the southern margin of the New England Orogen and straddles the large regional scale Peel-Manning Fault system. Several granite plutons have intruded the sedimentary and volcanic sequences within the project giving rise to different type of mineralisation including tungsten, molybdenum, copper and gold.

Garthowen Tungsten Deposit

The Garthowen Tungsten Deposit was discovered in the late 1960s and a JORC (2004) Resource estimate of 1.29Mt @ 0.61% WO₃ and 0.05% Mo was defined in 2008.

Tungsten is found in scheelite and powellite minerals that are associated with skarn mineralisation within limestone and marble adjacent to Inlet Monzogranite.

Following the 2008 resource estimation, drilling intersected a high-grade zone of 42m @ 2.09% WO₃ and 0.17% Mo.

Metallurgical test work has been completed with high recoveries to produce WO₃ and Mo concentrate.

Kensington Tungsten and Gold Prospect

Shallow drilling has defined extensive tungsten mineralisation that defines a resource estimate (non-JORC compliant) of 4.2Mt @ 0.174% WO3 (0.1% WO₃ cutoff) that was completed in 1983. The tungsten mineralisation remains open in all directions.

Several historic gold mines occur in the Kensington Prospect, but no production figures have been recorded. Gold mineralisation has been intersected in drilling for over 1km strike length and remains open in all directions. The gold mineralisation is located on flexure of the major Peel Fault structure, which is a common structural trap for gold mineralisation.

Drilling has identified widespread gold mineralisation, results include:

  • 109m @ 0.69 g/t Au incl. 23m @ 1.6g/t Au

  • 171m @ 0.32 g/t Au incl. 15m @ 0.93 g/t Au

  • 14m @ 1.78 g/t Au (EOH)

The gold mineralisation is open along strike and down dip.

Tungsten Prospects 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Five additional tungsten skarn prospects are situated around the margin of the Inlet Monzogranite and have similar styles of mineralisation to the Garthowen Tungsten Deposit. Rock chip assays of up to 0.2% WO₃ for Prospect 3, 0.23% WO₃ for Prospect 5 and 0.74% WO₃ for Prospect 6 have been recorded.

Exploration to date is very limited across all five prospects. Only Prospects 5 and 6 have had limited drill testing by previous explorers and the targets have not been adequately tested.

Copper Mine Prospect

Historic production of 1,600t @ 6.2% Cu, 8.4 g/t Au & 153 g/t Ag was mined via a 80m deep shaft.

Calc-silicate skarn and breccia mineralisation at the Garthowen Copper Mine is interpreted to be sub-vertical and occurs in garnet rich calc-silicate skarn altered limestone with sulphide minerals including chalcopyrite, bornite and molybdenite.

Drill Intercepts include:

  • 75m at 1.02 g/t Au, 0.87% Cu, 0.09% Mo, 0.06% Bi, and 22 g/t Ag from 136m, incl. 27m at 1.60 g/t Au, 1.66% Cu, 0.18% Mo, 0.1% Bi, and 39 g/t Ag from 136m.

  • 1.6m @ 3.51 g/t Au, 16 g/t Ag, 0.47% Cu and 0.89% Mo.

  • 0.9m @ 35 g/t Au, 17 g/t Ag, 0.98% Cu

There has been limited drilling, testing mineralisation and Firestone Metals has identified several high priority EM geophysical targets along strike of the Garthowen Copper Mine.

Mt Patterson Gold Mine Prospect

Historic mining from 1920-1935 via adit, shafts, and open pit that produced 50 t of ore at 1.8 g/t Au. Gold bearing quartz veins are hosted in altered andesitic breccia that strikes north-south for 400m and is approximately 100m wide, and rock chip assays up to 42 g/t Au, 220ppm Bi and 60ppm Te have been recorded. The prospect is underexplored with no drilling conducted to date.

Namoi Copper Mine Prospect

Mining occurred from 1903-1911with ore assaying up to 10.8% Cu, 304 g/t Au and 23 g/t Ag. The copper mineralisation at Namoi Copper Mine prospect is associated with quartz veining and  is hosted within silicified and hornfelsed sediments and andesite. The prospect is underexplored with no drilling conducted to date.

Moly Prospect

Molybdenum + W, Au Ag, Bi mineralisation is associated with sheeted veins within Garthowen Creek Adamellite. The mineralised zone is 17m wide and contains individual veins up 40cm that assay to 2.0% Mo, 6.6 g/t Au, 5.1 g/t Ag, Bi 0.22%, W 866ppm from rock chip samples. The prospect is underexplored with no drilling conducted to date.