Noronex Extends Alaska Tin Zone Beyond 1km as Assays and Drilling Plans Near
Key Takeaways
- Noronex has mapped the northern greisen at Sleitat to more than 1km of strike, substantially beyond the area tested by historic drilling.
- The 100% acquisition of the Alaska project has closed, following shareholder approval on 4 September 2026 and option exercise on 7 September 2026.
- Historical drilling returned 29.1m at 1.56% tin and 28g/t silver, including 3.1m at 12.55% tin, and the company calls it open at depth and along strike.
- A 250 line-kilometre survey at 50m spacing replaces roughly one-mile government data, with interpretation due October 2026 and 150 rock sample assays due November 2026.
- Joe Piekenbrock, who was on the Cominco team that discovered Sleitat, joins the Advisory Board as drill permitting and an updated JORC Exploration Target move forward.
Maiden Sleitat exploration completed, northern greisen extended beyond 1km
Noronex (ASX: NRX) has completed its maiden field and geophysical programs at the 100%-owned Sleitat Tin-Tungsten-Silver Project in Alaska, and the acquisition of a 100% interest in the project has now closed. For anyone watching tin exploration in Alaska, the headline is the mapped northern greisen, now more than 1km in strike length.
That is “substantially beyond the area tested by historic drilling,” according to the company. In plain terms, the known mineralised zone at Sleitat may be larger than past drilling suggested, though assays are still to come.
Headline figures from the program:
- 150 rock samples collected across the Project
- Approximately 250 line-kilometres of magnetics and radiometrics at 50m line spacing
- Approximately 1,400m of shallow historical drilling to be integrated with the new data
- Joe Piekenbrock appointed to the Advisory Board
The company describes the work as the first systematic modern exploration of the broader mineralised system at Sleitat. It builds the dataset that supports planning for the proposed maiden drilling program.
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What did the program deliver?
Field mapping and sampling
Mapping during the September 2026 field program extended the northern greisen system to more than 1km east-west. Historical drilling was concentrated within a relatively limited portion of the known surface expression, so the expanded footprint matters for assessing the wider system.
The 150 samples have been submitted for multi-element analysis, metallurgical testing and ore sorting, with assay results expected in November 2026. Those results are intended to help show how tin, tungsten and silver mineralisation is distributed across the mapped system.
High-resolution geophysics
Noronex flew approximately 250 line-kilometres of airborne magnetics and radiometrics at 50-metre line spacing. Historical government surveys used approximately one-mile spacing, so the new survey is a substantial step up in resolution.
The company calls this the first modern detailed geophysics across the Project. Initial data have been received, and a separate update on the results and their geological interpretation is expected during October 2026.
Historical drilling context
The table below shows historical results first reported to the ASX on 13 July 2026. These come from 14 holes drilled in the 1980s and mid-2000s, not from new Noronex drilling. The company characterises the results as “wide open at depth and along strike.”
| Hole | Interval | Sn grade | Ag grade | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass 84-06 | 29.1m | 1.56% | 28g/t | Including 3.1m @ 12.55% Sn, 198g/t Ag from 20.4m |
| Cass 88-08 | 47.9m | 0.40% | n/a | Including 9.45m @ 2.99% Sn, 124g/t Ag from 3m |
| Cass 06-10 | 19.8m | 0.71% | n/a | From 3m |
| Cass 06-11 | 23.47m | 0.36% | n/a | From 36.6m |
| Cass 84-03 | 6.1m | 0.8% | 25g/t | From surface |
Sn is the chemical symbol for tin and Ag for silver, while g/t means grams per tonne. These are the benchmarks the new work aims to build on.
Tin exploration explained: why greisen systems and geophysics matter
Noronex describes Sleitat as a tin-bearing greisen system. A greisen is a type of rock host for mineralisation, and mapping where it outcrops at surface shows how far the known tin-bearing system may extend.
Magnetics measure variations in the magnetic properties of rocks, while radiometrics measure natural radioactivity at surface. Tighter line spacing means more data points across the ground, which gives a sharper picture and, in turn, better-defined drill targets than the roughly one-mile historical spacing.
A JORC Exploration Target is a range-based estimate of the potential size and grade of mineralisation, prepared under the JORC Code, Australia’s reporting standard. It is not a resource, but investors watch for one because it signals how a company sizes up its project ahead of drilling. Noronex expects the new datasets to support an updated one for Sleitat.
Joe Piekenbrock joins the Advisory Board
Mr Piekenbrock joins as an Advisory Board member, not a Director. His credentials, as outlined in the announcement:
- Over 35 years of experience in the mining exploration and development industry.
- Member of the Cominco Alaska exploration team responsible for the discovery of the Sleitat Tin Deposit, the Whistler Copper Deposit, the Shotgun Gold Deposit and the giant Pebble Copper-Gold Deposit.
- Vice President of Exploration for NovaGold Resources from 2003 to 2011, and later Senior Vice President of Exploration for NovaCopper (now Trilogy Metals).
- Winner of the Thayer Lindsley medal for International Discovery in 2009 and the Colin Spence award for International Discovery in 2015.
For you as an investor, the relevance is first-hand knowledge of Sleitat’s geology and discovery history, which the company says will provide valuable technical input as it prepares for its maiden drilling campaign.
James Thompson, Chief Executive Officer
“We are also delighted to welcome Joe Piekenbrock to the Noronex Advisory Board… His first-hand knowledge of Sleitat, combined with decades of Alaskan exploration and operating experience, will be exceptionally valuable as we advance the Project.”
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What are the upcoming catalysts and next steps?
The announcement sets out a clear run of near-term events:
- October 2026: geophysical interpretation and a separate update on the results.
- Later in October 2026: review of the 1,400m of core from 14 drill holes at the Alaska Geologic Materials Center in Anchorage.
- November 2026: surface sample assay results.
- Drill permitting activities, expected to commence shortly.
- An updated JORC Exploration Target and targeting for the proposed maiden drilling program.
On the corporate side, shareholders approved the transaction at the General Meeting on 4 September 2026, and the option was exercised on 7 September 2026. Further details are set out in the ASX release dated 13 July 2026.
Chief Executive Officer James Thompson summed up the outlook:
James Thompson
“The next few months will be an active period for Noronex…”
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