Octava Starts First Sweeney’s Drilling in Decades at Federation

Highlights

• Drilling has restarted at Sweeney’s for the first time in decades

• The program targets sulphide feeder mineralisation open at depth

• Modern drilling aims to clarify geometry and scale of the system

Octava has commenced its first drilling in decades at the Sweeney’s prospect in Western Tasmania. The program targets sulphide feeder mineralisation open at depth and aims to clarify scale and continuity.

Exploration stories change quickly when a project moves from historic data into fresh drilling. Octava Minerals (ASX:OCT), an exploration company active in Western Tasmania, has commenced the first drilling program in almost five decades at the Sweeney’s prospect within its Federation project. The aim is to test sulphide feeder-style mineralisation that historic work indicates may continue at depth, and to improve understanding of the shape and potential scale of the mineralised zone using modern targeting.

What is the Federation project and where is it located?

Federation is a base and precious metals project in Western Tasmania, positioned west of Zeehan in a region known for established mining activity. The project covers a broad tenement area and sits within reach of existing mining centres and infrastructure, including regional processing capability and power supply options. For explorers, proximity to infrastructure can matter later in the project lifecycle because it can influence development pathways if results support further work.

What is being drilled at the Sweeney’s prospect?

The current program is focusing on the semi-massive sulphide “feeder” mineralisation at Sweeney’s. In simple terms, a feeder zone is commonly interpreted as a channel or conduit where mineral-rich fluids moved through the rocks and deposited sulphides. These zones can be important because they may:

• carry stronger grades,

• extend to depth,

• help explain the geometry of mineralisation above.

Octava’s target is the deeper sulphide mineralisation that remains open, rather than only the shallower expressions.

Why does “first drilling in almost 50 years” matter?

Long gaps in drilling usually mean the project has been under-tested by modern standards. Even if historic drilling confirmed mineralisation, decades-old programs often leave key questions unanswered, such as:

• the true orientation and continuity of the mineralised zone,

• the width consistency and depth extent,

• whether there are parallel zones nearby,

• how the mineralisation links into the broader system.

Restarting drilling is effectively the step that turns a historic concept into a present-day dataset.

What did historic drilling indicate?

Historic drilling at Sweeney’s intersected sulphide-bearing mineralisation and suggested the system may remain open at depth. The update also notes that despite earlier drilling campaigns in the broader region, the full shape and tonnage potential of the Sweeney’s mineralisation is not well defined. This is a common situation in older exploration areas where drilling was designed to confirm occurrences rather than systematically define a resource-style geometry.

What is the geological setting, and why is it relevant?

The project area sits on the margin of a granite dome (the Heemskirk granite) with multiple phases of intrusion and mineralisation. The update references large faults acting as pathways for hot, metal-bearing fluids. This matters because structure is often the “plumbing” that controls:

• where sulphides are deposited,

• how mineralisation plunges and continues at depth,

• the potential for repeated mineralising events.

Understanding the structural controls can improve targeting efficiency and help interpret results as drilling progresses.

What style of mineralisation is being targeted?

The historic interpretation described includes a steeply dipping mineralised zone containing sulphide minerals, with a link to greisen-style tin mineralisation above. In practical exploration terms, this suggests a system with:

• a sulphide-rich feeder zone below, and

• mineralisation expression above that may differ in dominant minerals.

The current drilling focus is on the feeder-style zone that remains open, which is often where modern drilling can add the most value in clarifying the system.

What should readers watch next?

For a program like this, the next watchpoints are typically:

• whether drilling confirms continuity and thickness at depth,

• whether grades remain consistent as the target extends,

• whether the plunge and orientation match historic interpretations,

• whether additional zones emerge nearby,

• how quickly drilling results refine the target model.