Sky Metals’ Tallebung drilling push: shallow resource and pit design notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on Australian Mining
30 Second Briefing
Sky Metals has started a >150-hole drilling campaign at its Tallebung tin–tungsten–silver project in New South Wales after new diamond core results pointed to resource growth potential. Recent drilling returned 17m at 0.70 per cent tin, 0.03 per cent tungsten trioxide and 14.8g/t silver from 26m depth, including higher-grade internal intervals. The scale of the programme suggests a focus on expanding shallow mineralisation, with implications for open-pit geometry, geotechnical characterisation of near-surface host rocks and future mine design.
Technical Brief
- Diamond drilling is being used, enabling oriented core, structural logging and detailed geotechnical characterisation.
- Tin–tungsten–silver association suggests complex polymetallic veining, relevant for metallurgical testwork and processing route selection.
- Shallow mineralisation intercepts reduce drill metre costs and support rapid infill for resource reclassification.
- New intersections at Tallebung provide fresh core for density measurements, rock mass rating and pit slope design inputs.
- Expanded drilling grid will refine orebody geometry, informing staging of any future open pit pushbacks.
- Similar tin–tungsten projects use such campaigns to upgrade Inferred to Indicated resources ahead of scoping or PFS.
Our Take
The earlier Tallebung drilling piece from 23 June 2026 in our database also highlighted shallow tin mineralisation, so this >150‑hole campaign in New South Wales likely aims to convert those extensions into a more continuous, near‑surface resource envelope attractive for open‑pit scenarios.
With tin and tungsten both tagged in relatively few of the 1242 Mining stories compared with bulk commodities, Sky Metals’ Tallebung project sits in a smaller cohort of Australian critical‑metal plays where even moderate grade continuity can be strategically important for downstream users seeking non‑Chinese supply.
The reported 17m intersection from 26m depth at Tallebung, combining tin, tungsten trioxide and silver, suggests a polymetallic system where by‑product credits could materially influence cut‑off grades and pit shell optimisation if similar intercepts are repeated across the planned drill grid.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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