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Eastern Metals Limited (ASX: EMS) (“Eastern Metals” or “the Company”) is pleased to advise that Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling has commenced to test newly identified high-priority targets at its Cobar Project in the southern Cobar Basin, NSW (refer to Figure 1).
HIGHLIGHTS
- Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling is underway to test new, high-priority areas at the Company’s Cobar Project in the Cobar Basin, NSW.
- The ‘Kelpie Hill’ and ‘Windmill Dam’ targets, located to the north and south of the high-grade Evergreen Zone within EL6321, have previously returned strongly anomalous base metal grades in surface rock chip sampling.
- The drilling is designed to further unlock the potential along the highly prospective Woorara Fault, a key regional structure associated with mineralisation in the southern Cobar Basin.
The drilling will initially focus on the Kelpie Hill and Windmill Dam targets, located to the north and south of the high-grade Evergreen Zone at Browns Reef (EL6321), both of which returned highly anomalous grades from surface rock chip sampling. In-fill and extensional drilling is also planned at other areas within the tenement including at Evergreen (refer to Figure 2).
The drilling program, which is expected to comprise approximately 2,000 metres, will be undertaken by Drillit Consulting Pty Ltd – an experienced drilling contractor based in the Cobar Basin. The drilling is expected to take three weeks to complete (weather dependent), with initial assay results expected in September 2024.
Eastern Metals’ Chief Executive Officer Ley Kingdom said: “Strong alteration at surface and rock chip sampling across Kelpie Hill and Windmill Dam have returned anomalous copper, lead, zinc and silver results, which lie along the highly prospective Woorara Fault along strike from Evergreen. We are delighted to now be drill testing these new and exciting base metal targets.”
Figure 1: Location of the Cobar Project, southern Cobar Basin, NSW and EL6321, ‘Browns Reef’.
EL6321 Browns Reef Overview
Browns Reef (EL6321) is an advanced exploration project located 5km west of Lake Cargelligo in the southern Cobar Basin, NSW. It is a structurally controlled, polymetallic system extending along the inferred Woorara Fault and the Preston Formation and Clements Formation contact.
Assay results from recent fieldwork programs to the north and south of the known high-grade mineralisation at Evergreen have returned highly anomalous grades from surface rock chip samples.
Mapping and pXRF traverses along the Woorara Fault, a regional-scale structure related to known mineralisation at the high-grade Pineview and Evergreen zones, identified new anomalous zones north and south of Evergreen, named “Kelpie Hill” and “Windmill Dam”.
Kelpie Hill is located approximately 700 metres to the north-west of Evergreen, and Windmill Dam is 500 metres to the south-east. Refer to Figure 2.
The pXRF demonstrated that soil anomalism of lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) were readily traceable within the soil profiles and decreasing Pb results could effectively map out the basalt and Clements Formation contact zones. Rock chip samples paired with the pXRF readings were able to distinguish further prospective zones to the south and north of Evergreen.
The RC program has been designed to test whether the anomalous grades from surface rock chip samples and results from pXRF soil readings represent further zones of mineralisation between Pineview and Evergreen and, potentially, to the north of Evergreen.
Figure 2: Location of Browns Reef, EL6321 and the Pineview, Evergreen, Kelpie Hill & Windmill Dam prospects.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company’s planned activities, including mining and exploration programs, and other statements that are not historical facts. When used in this document, the words such as “could”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “potential”, “should” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. In addition, summaries of Exploration Results and estimates of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves could also be forward looking statements.
Although Eastern Metals believes that its expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements.
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This article includes content from Eastern Metals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
EMS:AU
Silver Price Update: Q2 2025 in Review
Unlike gold, however, silver also saw gains as industrial demand strained overall supply.
What happened to the silver price in Q2?
The quarter opened with the price of silver sinking from US$33.77 per ounce on April 2 to US$29.57 on April 4. However, the metal quickly found momentum and climbed back above the US$30 mark on April 9.
Silver continued upward through much of April, peaking at US$33.63 on April 23.
Volatility was the story through the end of April and into May, with silver fluctuating between a low of US$32.05 on May 2 and a high of US$33.46 on May 23.
Silver price, April 1 to July 17, 2025.
Chart via Trading Economics.
At the start of June, the price of silver soared to 14 year highs, opening the month at US$32.99 and rising to US$36.76 by June 9. Ultimately, the metal reached a year-to-date high of US$37.12 on June 17. Although the price has eased slightly from its high, it has remained in the US$36 to US$37 range to the end of the quarter and into July.
Silver supply/demand balance still tight
Various factors impacted silver in the second quarter of the year, but industrial demand was a primary driver in both upward and downward movements. Over the past several years, silver has been increasingly utilized in industrial sectors, particularly in the production of photovoltaics. In fact, according to the Silver Institute’s latest World Silver Survey, released on April 16, demand for the metal reached a record 680.5 million ounces in 2024.
Artificial intelligence, vehicle electrification and grid infrastructure all contributed to demand growth
At the same time, mine supply has failed to keep up, with the institute reporting a 148.9 million ounce production shortfall. This marked the fourth consecutive year of structural deficit in the silver market.
In a June 11 interview with the Investing News Network (INN), Peter Krauth, editor of Silver Stock Investor and Silver Advisor, said deficits are likely to get worse in the coming years as aboveground stockpiles are chipped away.
“(We have) flat supply, growing demand — demand that’s nearly 20 percent above supply," he said. "And our ability to meet those deficits is shrinking because we’re tapping into these aboveground stockpiles that have shrunk by about 800 million ounces in the last four years, which is equivalent to an entire year’s mine supply. So it’s the perfect storm."
But industrial demand can send the silver price in either direction.
The chaos caused by Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs has caused some consternation among investors.
While gold and silver have traditionally both been viewed as safe-haven assets, silver’s increasing industrial demand has decoupled it slightly from that aspect. When Trump announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, silver was impacted due to fears that a recession could cause demand for the metal to slip.
Although the dip in silver was short-lived, it was one of its steepest falls in recent years.
In an email to INN, Julia Khandoshko, CEO of Mind Money, said a recession could have consequences for silver, but she wouldn't expect them to last long:
“If a global recession really starts, silver will most likely nosedive momentarily. In terms of its 2025 performance, silver growth has been largely bolstered by consolidated precious metals group appreciation, additionally beefed up by relative USD weakness."
Geopolitics and the silver price
Adding to the tailwinds is a growing east-west divide. Due to its usage in industrial components, particularly those related to the military and energy sectors, and its role as a safe haven, silver is being influenced by geopolitics.
June’s price rally came alongside growing speculation that Israel was preparing to attack Iranian nuclear sites. Investors became concerned that war could disrupt international trade and oil movements in the region.
Ultimately, their concerns were proven right, and Israel launched attacks on June 12; the US then bombed key nuclear facilities on June 21. While the escalation is new, the underlying politics have been simmering for years.
Sanctions against Russia have strengthened support among the BRICS nations, which have been working to reduce their reliance on US dollar assets, such as treasuries, and increase trade in their own currencies.
But they may also be working to separate themselves from western commodities markets. In October 2024, Russia floated the idea of creating a precious metals exchange to its BRICS counterparts. If established, it could shake up pricing for commodities like silver, allowing Russia to circumvent sanctions and trade with its bloc partners.
While the exchange is still just an idea, a bifurcated world is not. While the US has targeted most nations with tariffs, it has singled out China. Much of the first half of the year saw the world’s two largest economies escalate import fees with one another, with China even restricting the export of rare earth elements to the US.
Discussions on national security and critical minerals have been at the forefront for the last several years. Still, they have become even more pronounced with the US and China on tense footing.
In a July 9 interview with INN, economist and author Dr. Nomi Prins suggested that national security demands are likely to offset the impact of any economic downturn on the broader economy.
“Even if that’s going to happen, industrial use value — building infrastructure, building national security, national energy priorities — needs a lot of silver, and there just simply isn’t enough supply out of the ground to meet the demand. That’s long-term demand above the ground. This has been a thing, but right now, because of these geopolitical forces and realignments, silver is going to drop more into that industrial role,” she said.
Silver price forecast for 2025
Overall, the expectation is that without new mine supply and dwindling aboveground stockpiles, silver is likely to remain in deficit for some time. Other factors, like Trump tariffs and geopolitics, aren’t likely to disappear either.
Demand could ease off if a global recession were to materialize, but safe-haven investing could offset declines.
For his part, Krauth thinks the silver price is likely to remain above the US$35 mark, but it could fluctuate and he suggested a rally in the US dollar could push the silver price down. However, he also sees some pressure easing on the recession side of the equation if the US signs tariff deals that would eliminate some uncertainty.
“US$40, let’s say by the end of this year," he said, adding, "Frankly, I could see something really realistically above that, maybe an additional 10 percent if the scenario plays out right."
He doesn’t think that’s the end. In the longer term, Krauth sees silver going even higher. He pointed to the current gold-silver ratio, which is around 92:1, compared to an average of 60:1 over the last 50 years.
“So we could go to, who knows, somewhere like maybe 40 or 30 to one in the ratio. That would be tremendous for silver — that could bring silver above US$100. I’m not saying that’s happening tomorrow, but in the next couple of years I would say that’s certainly something that could easily be in the cards,” Krauth said.
Fundamentals and geopolitics aligned for silver in the first half of 2025, and barring a recession, they are likely to provide tailwinds in the second half. Whether the price climbs or continues to find support at US$35 is yet to be seen.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
