Matt Birney

Classic Minerals has confirmed more high-grade gold at its Forrestania gold project in WA. The results come from a short infill reverse circulation drilling campaign conducted in November last year. The company plunged 13 holes into the Wheatbelt for 1,419 metres at the Lady Ada and Lady Magdalene prospects. Significant intercepts from Lady Ada include a 1m high-grade hit grading a rich 74.8 grams per tonne gold.

Askari Metals has got its hands on another prospective lithium exploration license within the Arunta Pegmatite Province in the Northern Territory for an initial six year period with extension options available. The company took control of the exploration license covering its Barrow Creek lithium project following the issuance of 269,542 shares at $0.371 for a total consideration of $100,000 paid to Consolidate Lithium Trading.

Great Southern Mining is eyeing off WA’s latest nickel discovery after a recently completed infill Fixed- Loop Electro-Magnetic survey at its wholly owned East Laverton project confirmed the presence of compelling bedrock conductors. According to the company, the two anomalies will be drill tested in the weeks ahead, with the larger kilometre-scale target the first in line.

Venus Metals Corporation has identified a strong lithium anomaly in recent soil sampling at its Bridgetown East project just 20 kilometres southeast of the world-class Greenbushes mine in southwest WA. The phase 3 geochemical soil sampling recorded anomalous results up to 148 parts per million lithium across a 300 metre by 400m parcel of land with potential remaining open to the north.

North American-focused oil producer 88 Energy has spudded its Merlin 2 well in Alaska, chasing what could be a potential company-making 652 million barrels of oil prospect following up last year’s Merlin 1 discovery. Merlin 1 didn’t flow oil to surface, however post-well analysis successfully demonstrated the presence of light oil with 41 feet of net payzone across three reservoir targets.

Phase one testing in the United States of one of Chimeric Therapeutics’ latest cancer fighting innovations has yielded exciting final toxicity and anti-rejection testing results as it looks to roll out its ground-breaking cell therapy technology. The company says results were extremely encouraging and demonstrated an optimal safety profile with strong early signs of clinical benefit for patients.

Estrella Resources has hooked onto more nickel sulphides at its flagship Carr Boyd nickel-copper project 80 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. A single diamond drill hole yielded a significant strike of 8.07m grading 4.37 per cent nickel and 0.75 per cent copper within a larger zone of 16.2m running 3.12 per cent nickel and 0.60 per cent copper from 192.35m downhole

Calidus Resources appears to be making inroads into the new energy space after its recently spun-out company, Pirra Lithium identified pegmatite across an over 1-kilometre strike range at its Spear Hill project in WA’s prolific East Pilbara region. According to the company, it has since bagged up over 30 rock chips samples with assay results yielding grades of up to 2.3 per cent lithium oxide.

DiscovEx Resources’ joint venture partner, Carnaby Resources, has intersected a high-grade 27 metre copper zone in a step out diamond drilling program at the Nil Desperandum prospect, part of the larger Greater Duchess project near Mt Isa in Queensland. According to the company, its latest probe suggests the mineralised system boasts both grade and range given it was sunk over 120m from the initial discovery hole.

Aurum Resources has finished a maiden 18-hole drill program at its prospective Penny South gold project. The company is chasing targets with distinct similarities to its neighbours, the well-endowed Penny West historical mine and the ever-expanding Ramelius Resources’ owned Penny North deposit. Despite some drilling delays Aurum hit numerous prospective shear zones with sulphides and quartz veining that it plans to send for priority assay.

Cell therapy trailblazer Chimeric Therapeutics has struck a deal to outsource the time sensitive collection, transport and delivery of feedstock materials from donors in addition to final clinical drug therapy products to biotech supply chain specialist Be The Match BioTherapies. The 30-year veteran has sourced, collected and delivered cells from more than 100,000 donors around the world for time-critical cellular therapies.

Torian Resources has re-confirmed higher concentrations of Yttrium and associated critical heavy rare earths after further assay work using “fusion digestion” was shown to dissolve the refractory heavy rare earth solution and liberate Yttrium much more effectively. The pulp ore samples analysed were sourced from the company’s newly discovered Yttria rare earth prospect within its Mt Stirling gold project in WA.

Emu NL is narrowing in on nickel targets at its Graceland and Viper projects in WA after EM surveys identified anomalies over previously recognised gravity and soil sample anomalies. The company is now planning for a 2,500-3,000 metre rotary core drilling program in the second quarter of 2022 with the recent events in Europe driving nickel prices to 11-year highs.

Brightstar Resources has picked up a crucial piece of acreage that connects its south and north Cork Tree Well tenure, offering the company an unfettered opportunity to explore the area. The acquisition extends its second prospective exploration trend parallel to historic workings over unbroken ground. Curiously Brightstar picked up the connecting ground within the lucrative Laverton gold belt for just $10,000 cash.

Alaska-focused oil explorer 88 Energy’s Project Icewine has received a boost after light oil was recovered across a brace of separate production tests at Pantheon Resources’ Talitha-A well, about 4.5 kilometres from the Icewine acreage. According to the company, the results at the well are highly encouraging given first pass mapping suggests parallel reservoir sequences sit between the zones.

ASX-listed gold producer Wiluna Mining says it has arrangements in place to sell all its concentrate to alternative destinations after suspending further concentrate shipments to Russia. Following the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the producer has immediately suspended one shipment of gold concentrate that had set sail to Amursk, Russia and another that had just left its facility in Wiluna.

Aldoro has nailed its nickel targets delivering improved intercepts from the latest drilling at its Narndee project in WA. Significant results include up to 4.26 metres grading 1.22 per cent nickel. The reported intercepts represent a marked improvement in width over the previously encountered single metre grading 1.35 per cent nickel from 192m downhole.

Classic Minerals has wheeled in its heavy machinery, recommencing trial mining as it edges towards production at the Kat Gap gold project in WA. The explorer’s bulk sample mining efforts were put on hold due to wet weather in spring last year. According to the company, the main ore zone will be exposed for the first time in approximately two weeks.

Infinity Lithium Corporation's wholly owned Spanish subsidiary, Extremadura New Energies has reinforced its provincial links by becoming a member of the local business organisation in Cáceres. The company says the move will allow it to gain a comprehensive understanding on how to deliver its San José lithium project to the people of western Spain.

Torian Resources has delivered gold results up to 18.5 g/t gold at the Mt Stirling project as it builds towards a resource upgrade by mid-April. Key structures are interpreted to be open along strike and at depth providing down dip and along plunge structural gold target zones as the company looks to build resources.

Blackstone Minerals has made a strategic investment in ASX-listed Corazon Mining’s historically significant Lake Lynn nickel-copper-cobalt project northwest of Thompson in Manitoba, Canada. The initial investment of about $2 million will earn Blackstone a 14.32 per cent stake in the exploration and development company. The addition will bolster the company’s upstream supply for its vertically integrated business strategy.

American West Metals could have a growing resource on its hands after racking up over 330 metres of visual zinc and copper mineralisation outside the historical resource zone at its West Desert project in Utah.

Podium Minerals has boosted its exploration target at its Parks Reef project in WA with recent drilling underscoring a larger target over 12km that encompasses the 2.8 million ounce combined platinum, palladium and gold resource. The revised target of 70Mt to 75Mt at 1.2 g/t to 1.6 g/t gold for 2.7Moz to 3.8Moz platinum-palladium-gold has been estimated by projecting the mineralised zone currently within the inferred mineral resource model.

Drilling at Strickland Metals’ Iroquois discovery has returned high-grade zinc-lead results of 8m at 5.2 per cent zinc and 5m grading 10.1 per cent zinc-lead. The highest grade was contained in a broad zone giving 18m at 4.2 per cent combined zinc-lead. The company notes the discovery lies along strike from Rumble Resources’ Earaheedy project.

ASX-listed Askari Metals has completed the second phase of on-ground exploration at the Barrow Creek lithium project in the Northern Territory’s highly prospective Arunta pegmatite province. The work was designed to systematically explore outcropping lithium-caesium-tantalum type pegmatites where initial reconnaissance sampling had confirmed the presence of lithium mineralisation identifying up to 817 parts per million lithium oxide.

Middle Island has locked onto copper mineralisation at its Barkly copper-gold project in the Northern Territory. In a purposeful pursuit of iron-oxide copper gold style mineralisation, the company will shed its gold assets and launch into further exploration of the prospective Tennant Creek region. The impending sale of the $14m market capped company’s Sandstone gold project for $12m in cash and shares presents an eye-catching valuation on Middle Island's remaining Tennant Creek operations.

Neometals now has direct access to European capital markets and The City of London after its shares commenced trading on the UK AIM market completing dual listing for the battery metal recycling company. In the immediate aftermath of the listing, that raised no additional capital, Neometals’ shares on the ASX traded from $1.20 prior to the listing to $1.48 at the close of trade Wednesday.

Petrology studies have confirmed primary nickel sulphides at Emu’s Sunfire nickel-copper-PGE project near Bridgetown in the southwest of WA. Historical reports accompanying two diamond drill holes from 1970 identified the presence of the nickel-bearing minerals “pentlandite” and “millerite” from relatively shallow depths of 65 metres to 140m with the revelation to drive an aggressive exploration programme later this year.

Junior gold explorer Kalgoorlie Gold Mining, or KalGold has locked in a diamond rig and RC rig to continue its exploration work following in the wake of a 3,519m program at the company’s flagship Bulong Taurus gold project near Kalgoorlie in WA. Whilst drill assays are pending, a series of shallow auger results have returned confirming extensive gold anomalism south and southeast from the La Mascotte prospect for up to 1.5km.

Gold and base metals explorer Godolphin Resources have added another string to its bow after entering into a two-tranche farm-in and joint venture agreement with private exploration outfit EX9 to earn up to a 75 per cent stake in the Narraburra Rare Earth Element, or “REE” Project located some 15 kilometres north of Temora in central west NSW.

Aruma Resources has burst onto the lithium scene with a flurry of shallow, thick pegmatite drill intersections showing visible spodumene across a strike length of over 500m at its Mt Deans lithium project approximately 170 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie in WA. Pegmatites were intercepted in all eight holes drilled to date with one near-surface hit displaying a 25m thick vertical body of the prospective host rock.

180 pages of bidder’s and target’s statements are on the way out to Torrens Mining and Coda Minerals shareholders as the two companies try to bring the exciting Elizabeth Creek copper cobalt project in South Australia under one roof in a $23 million merger proposal. The Emmie Bluff discovery is amongst the largest known sediment-hosted copper deposits in Australia.