Tivan Hits 18m at 25% Fluorite Grade Across Multi-Reef NT Discovery
Key Takeaways
- Every one of the 58 Stage Two RC holes at Tivan's Sandover Fluorite Project intersected fluorite mineralisation, confirming system-wide continuity across seven reefs drilled over 5,884m.
- The programme's standout result — 18m at 25.1% CaF₂ from 30m, including 7m at 54.9% CaF₂ — came from Reef C, which remains open at depth and along strike in both directions.
- Reef E delivered an average downhole thickness of 8.9m at 20.5% CaF₂ across all 14 Stage Two holes, with a programme-high single intersection of 3m at 74.3% CaF₂ recorded in the same reef.
- Tivan acquired Sandover for $1 million in November 2024; the company has now signed an MOU with Sumitomo Corporation to negotiate commercial agreements for the project's collaborative development and product distribution.
- Stage Three resource-definition drilling and initial metallurgical testwork are the next catalysts, with 20 of the 58 Stage Two holes co-funded by the NT Government under its Round 18 Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations grant.
Tivan’s Sandover Fluorite Project delivers high-grade results across multiple reefs
Tivan Limited has returned broad, high-grade fluorite intersections across multiple reefs from its Stage Two RC drilling programme at the Sandover Fluorite Project in the Northern Territory, with results described by the company as exceeding expectations and highlighting potential for a world-class fluorite discovery. The programme comprised 58 RC holes totalling 5,884m drilled across seven fluorite reefs, located approximately 230km north-east of Alice Springs. Every single hole intersected fluorite mineralisation, a result that signals system-wide continuity across the project.
The top intercepts from the programme include:
- 18m at 25.1% CaF₂ from 30m (including 7m at 54.9% CaF₂ from 36m) — SAF26_REXP019
- 17m at 19.9% CaF₂ from 92m (including 6m at 45.9% CaF₂ from 93m) — SAF26_REXP033
- 21m at 14.5% CaF₂ from 88m (including 7m at 33.4% CaF₂ from 89m) — SAF26_REXP027
The programme-high single intersection was 3m at 74.3% CaF₂ from 28m (SAF26_REXP031). Mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth across three priority reefs, indicating strong potential for further expansion of the mineralised footprint.
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Stage Two drilling in focus — what the results reveal
Three reefs emerge as priority targets
Stage Two drilling identified Reefs A, C and E as the three priority vein systems for future resource-focused drilling. Approximately 2.25km of outcrop has now been confirmed across these three reefs, with mineralisation remaining open along strike and at depth in each case.
Reef E was the standout performer across the programme. All 14 Stage Two holes intersected a sub-vertical to steeply dipping hydrothermal fluorite-quartz-barite vein, returning an average downhole thickness of approximately 8.9m at an average grade of 20.5% CaF₂. The best intersections from Reef E included:
- 17m at 19.9% CaF₂ from 92m (SAF26_REXP033)
- 10m at 30.6% CaF₂ from 39m (SAF26_REXP028)
- 21m at 14.5% CaF₂ from 88m (SAF26_REXP027)
- 11m at 27.5% CaF₂ from 27m (SAF26_REXP031)
Reef C delivered the standout result of the entire programme. Hole SAF26_REXP019 returned 18m at 25.1% CaF₂ from 30m, including a high-grade sub-interval of 7m at 54.9% CaF₂ from 36m. Reef C remains open at depth and along strike in both directions, and has been identified as one of the three priority systems for future resource-focused drilling.
Reef A was tested over an 800m strike length in Stage Two, with all 10 holes intersecting high-grade fluorite mineralisation. The vein system remains open in both directions along strike and at depth, with the best hole (SAF26_REXP007) returning 28m at 11.3% CaF₂ from 89m.
Key results at a glance
| Hole ID | Reef | From (m) | Intersection | High-grade sub-interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAF26_REXP019 | Reef C | 30m | 18m at 25.1% CaF₂ | 7m at 54.9% CaF₂ from 36m |
| SAF26_REXP033 | Reef E | 92m | 17m at 19.9% CaF₂ | 6m at 45.9% CaF₂ from 93m |
| SAF26_REXP027 | Reef E | 88m | 21m at 14.5% CaF₂ | 7m at 33.4% CaF₂ from 89m |
| SAF26_REXP028 | Reef E | 39m | 10m at 30.6% CaF₂ | — |
| SAF26_REXP031 | Reef E | 27m | 11m at 27.5% CaF₂ | 3m at 74.3% CaF₂ from 28m (programme high) |
| SAF26_REXP007 | Reef A | 89m | 28m at 11.3% CaF₂ | — |
What is acidgrade fluorspar and why does it matter?
Fluorite is a naturally occurring mineral (calcium fluoride, or CaF₂) that is mined as ore, then processed into commercial fluorspar products. The most valuable of these is acidgrade fluorspar, which requires a purity of 97% CaF₂ or higher and serves as the primary feedstock in the production of hydrofluoric acid. Downstream from there, hydrofluoric acid is a critical input for lithium-ion battery manufacturing, semiconductor production, and a wide range of industrial processes — all of which are strategically important to modern economies.
The Australian Government added fluorine to Australia’s Critical Minerals List in December 2023. There is currently no domestic fluorspar or fluorite production in Australia. Global supply is dominated by China, Mexico, South Africa and Mongolia, a concentration that creates a clear strategic gap that domestic producers could potentially fill.
Tivan’s ambition is to become a long-term acidgrade fluorspar producer, and the Sandover results are providing early-stage encouragement that the project’s material may be processable to that specification. A preliminary review of deleterious element compositions from Stage Two drilling returned positive indicators: arsenic levels were well below 2 ppm in tested holes, phosphorous levels were low and consistent with prior drilling, calcite was almost entirely absent in the priority A, C and E reefs, and baryte was generally coarse-grained, which is promising for effective separation. These findings support the previous conclusion that an on-specification acidspar product could potentially be produced from Sandover mineralisation, though metallurgical testwork will be required to validate this.
Grant Wilson on Sandover’s world-class potential
Grant Wilson, Executive Chairman, Tivan Limited
“Since the start of Tivan our Board has been focused on the acquisition and development of long-duration assets that can support our corporate trajectory and the intrinsic value of our balance sheet. Today illustrates the first, but not the last, example of those efforts. We acquired the Sandover Fluorite Project for a million dollars in November 2024, when there was no understanding of its significance. Through diligent efforts over the past two years, and our strong relationships in Central Australia, we have today demonstrated its world-class potential. Open at strike and at depth, Sandover now represents long-term security of supply of high-grade fluorite for our trusted partners in Japan.”
The acquisition context here matters. Tivan acquired the Sandover Fluorite Project for $1 million in November 2024. What the company has now confirmed through systematic drilling is a high-grade, multi-reef fluorite system with open extensions at depth and along strike.
The “trusted partners in Japan” Wilson references are Sumitomo Corporation and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), which hold a joint venture interest in Tivan’s Speewah Fluorite Project in Western Australia. Tivan also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sumitomo Corporation to progress good faith discussions with the intent of negotiating commercial agreements for the collaborative development, financing, operation, marketing and distribution of product from the Sandover Fluorite Project.
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What comes next — Stage Three and the path to a maiden resource
The company has outlined a clear set of next steps as it advances Sandover toward a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE):
- Integrate Stage Two drilling results with surface mapping, geochemical sampling and the project’s magnetic survey data to develop an Exploration Target for the fluorite mineralisation — an initial assessment of the potential scale and grade range of the system.
- Design and plan a Stage Three drilling programme focused on resource definition via RC and diamond drilling.
- Undertake initial metallurgical testwork using PQ diamond core samples, with the key aim of demonstrating preparation of an on-specification acidspar product.
- Obtain the relevant clearances and approvals from the Central Land Council and NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment prior to commencing Stage Three.
It is worth noting that 20 of the 58 Stage Two holes were co-funded by the NT Government under a grant awarded to Tivan in June 2025 through the Round 18 Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations programme. External co-funding of this kind signals independent validation of the project’s merit and reflects disciplined cost management during the exploration phase.
Sandover sits alongside the Speewah Fluorite Project in Western Australia as the two pillars of Tivan’s fluorite strategy. Speewah is more advanced, with a Definitive Feasibility Study currently underway and the Sumitomo Corporation and JOGMEC joint venture in place. Sandover is at the exploration stage, but with an Exploration Target and maiden MRE now on the horizon, the gap between the two projects may narrow faster than the $1 million acquisition price in 2024 would have suggested possible.
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