High-Grade Silver and Base Metals Confirmed at Prospect Hill – A Polymetallic Opportunity Emerging in South Australia
- Noel Ong
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
Announcement
High-Grade Silver & Base Metals confirmed at Prospect Hill 4 December 2025 (click here to view the announcement)
Heavy Rare Earths Limited (ASX: HRE) has released new findings that reshape the potential of its Prospect Hill Project in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia. What was once viewed primarily as a tin-focused system is now revealing a strong polymetallic signature, supported by historic drilling that confirms significant silver, copper, lead, and zinc mineralisation alongside high-grade tin (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Drilling of South Ridge Tin Prospect – 2017 (source: HRE)
The project sits within the Curnamona Craton, a region known for its polymetallic systems and uranium–rare earth potential (Figure 2). With access to decades of historical data, HRE is moving rapidly to define a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the South Ridge Prospect.
Figure 2: Location of HRE projects in the Curnamona Craton, South Australia. (source: HRE)
The Business of the Company: Focus – Prospect Hill
Heavy Rare Earths Limited is an Australian exploration company with a portfolio centred on uranium and critical minerals across South Australia and Western Australia. Its core strategy is to unlock multi-commodity value in Tier-1 jurisdictions, with Prospect Hill positioned as a near-term resource development target backed by extensive historical exploration datasets.
Highlights – High-Grade Silver & Base Metal System Emerging at South Ridge
(Figure 3)
Figure 3: Summary of outcropping geology in EL5891 and location of prospects. (source: HRE)
HRE’s reassessment of historical drilling has confirmed multiple high-grade polymetallic intervals at South Ridge, adding a new dimension to the previously recognised tin system.
Key highlights include:
• Standout High-Grade Silver and Base Metals Intercept (Table 1)
1m @ 282 g/t Ag, 1.87% Cu, 3.48% Zn, 3.16% Pb, and 2.9% Sn in drillhole PHRC05 (14–15m).
Table 1. Significant intervals of base metal (Cu+Zn+Pb) + Ag mineralisation from historic South Ridge Sn prospect data (using 0.1% Cu cutoff – no internal dilution). Data from historic company reports
This interval represents one of the highest silver grades recorded at the project and confirms a strong association between base metals and tin.
• Wider Mineralised Zone at South Ridge
Prior drilling confirms tin mineralisation over 500m strike and to 120m depth.
Significant high-grade tin previously reported includes 3m @ 4.85% Sn.
• Multiple Silver-Bearing Intervals Above 1 oz/t Ag
Historic holes such as PHRC04, PHRC023, PHP006, and others consistently report silver values >40 g/t, with associated copper, lead, and zinc.
• Polymetallic Potential Emerging
Data suggests South Ridge hosts structurally controlled tin with overprinting or adjacent silver-base-metal zones, indicating a potentially larger polymetallic system than previously understood.
• Ready Pathway to Resource Definition
The project benefits from a substantial existing dataset:
71 RC drillholes (5,698m)
350 rock samples, 4,520 soil samples, 305 stream samples
40 trenches, 19 percussion holes, detailed mapping, and petrography
This dataset gives HRE a unique advantage in fast-tracking a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate.
Leadership Commentary
Chair of the Board, Gabriel Chiappini, commented:
“The Heavy Rare Earths team are pleased to report that initial findings from the analysis of the extensive historical database acquired with the Prospect Hill project, indicates the project appears to have strong potential as a polymetallic deposit, with RC drill intercepts grading up to 282 g/t Ag, copper grades up to 1.87%, zinc grades up to 3.48%, and lead up to 3.16%.
These are highly significant results, and are primarily from the South Ridge target, from which the Company has already reported high-grade tin results, including 3m at 4.85% Sn. The Company plans to achieve a maiden mineral resource estimate quickly from this target, given the rich dataset that includes assays from 56 drill holes + 25 trenches, and this additional data demonstrating the presence of high-grade silver and base metals opens the door to South Ridge becoming a significantly more valuable polymetallic deposit.
The prior array of drill hole assay results further enhances the Company’s commodity exposure, which also includes Uranium, Scandium, Dysprosium, Yttrium, Rare Earths, and Tin. We understand that the South Ridge project is predominantly a Tin prospect; however we plan on testing the prospectivity of these additional metals by way of a maiden drilling program at South Ridge.
Board appointments in recent weeks, including Dr Amanda Buckingham (NED) and Mr Graeme Morissey (NED), mark a full refresh of HRE’s board with highly experienced, successful, and driven professionals, and we look forward to working together to accelerate exploration at Prospect Hill and HRE’s other projects.”
About the Project
(Figure 4)
Prospect Hill comprises three contiguous tenements (EL5891, EL6271, EL6933) totaling 75 km², hosting Palaeoproterozoic volcanic rocks known for polymetallic mineralisation. The South Ridge Prospect, located within the Mt Painter / Mt Babbage inliers, contains tin-rich shears and additional Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag zones (Figure 4).
Previous explorers have identified Sn-rich vein systems, high-grade tourmaline-cassiterite pods, and geochemical anomalies. The geological setting suggests granite-driven mineralised systems typical of the Sn-granite model.
Figure 4: Outcropping secondary Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag + Sn mineralisation at South Ridge Prospect (source: HRE)
Near-term Milestones to Watch
HRE’s immediate focus includes:
Maiden drilling program at South Ridge to upgrade to a JORC-compliant MRE
Targeted drilling for strike extension and depth continuation of Sn + Ag-base metal zones
Field investigations to map the relationship between tin and polymetallic mineralisation
Follow-up drilling at additional prospects: Petermorra, Black Rock, Fly Hill
Metallurgical testwork from new diamond drilling samples
Samso Concluding Comments
The Prospect Hill Project is an example of how legacy exploration data can fundamentally shift a project’s valuation proposition when reassessed with a modern lens. Tin already presented a compelling exploration case due to its strategic importance in electronics and solder demand, but the confirmation of significant silver and base metals adds potential.
The current narrative is aiming for a polymetallic system, which can paint a different picture for HRE at Prospect Hill. The geology is shaped to be consistent with the mineralisation narrative, so if taken singularly, this is prospective. However, like all things in the mineral exploration world, it is never simple, and it is never what it seems. This is where investors who are attuned with the technical aspects of projects need to take special care to take things on a plate.
As we all say in the industry, let the drilling happen, and the truth machine is never wrong. Historical data is great, and the refinement of the data can make projects glow sincerely or not. Hence, DYOR and keep a handle on the excitement.
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