Odessa Minerals Limited (ASX: ODE) has announced its intent to commence a maiden 10,000m air-core drilling program across its Lockier Range and Lyndon projects in Western Australia. The company is currently engaged in the necessary administrative processes, including applications for Programs of Work, and is securing drilling contractors to execute the campaign. This drilling is scheduled to take place during the September 2026 quarter.

Ahead of the drilling, the company has initiated a winter field program led by Omni Geoscience. This preliminary phase is designed to refine existing exploration targets and identify precise drill collar locations. The field work will focus heavily on the Mt Yaragner target, where earlier surface sampling identified pathfinder elements that suggest the presence of a carbonatite system. Geological mapping and additional sampling will be used to better define the geological architecture of the site before the drills arrive on location.

"We are pleased with the progress being made towards the first drill testing of our priority rare earth targets at our Gascoyne Projects. The upcoming winter field program will refine these targets ahead of the planned maiden 10,000m air-core drilling campaign, representing an important step in evaluating the Project's potential for carbonatite-hosted rare earth mineralisation." — Tim Goldsmith, Executive Chairman

The upcoming field activities will also extend to the Southern Pegmatite Field. Previous surface sampling in this area returned values of up to 1,911 ppm Li₂O, indicating the potential for a fertile lithium system. The current work aims to determine the orientation and geochemical profile of these pegmatites to ensure that the maiden drill program is optimally positioned to test the extent of the mineralisation.

This exploration effort is informed by previous surface data, including rock-chip sampling that revealed REE-bearing ironstone caps at Lockier Range with combined La, Ce, and Y values reaching 1,098 ppm. These results provide the technical foundation for the current target refinement phase. By systematically mapping these zones, the company aims to move from surface-level evidence to subsurface testing. The transition to a 10,000m air-core program represents a significant scaling of the exploration activities at these sites, marking the first time the company has moved to test the depth potential of the geological anomalies identified through its initial geochemical and mapping efforts. The company expects these programs to provide substantial insight into the economic prospectivity of the Gascoyne assets.

Read the full announcement: Planned Exploration and Drilling Activities