Matt Birney

A second batch of assay results from a further eight reverse circulation holes through Superior Resources’ Steam Engine prospect has got pulses racing at the company, with impressive gold grades including 7 metres at 3.7 g/t gold which contained 4m at 5.0 g/t. The results are from the company’s 13,000-metre drilling campaign at its Greenvale project, approximately 210km west of Townsville, Queensland.

Auger geochemical sampling by ASX-listed explorer, Todd River Resources has outlined three zones with elevated levels of nickel-copper-platinum group element mineralisation at its 100 per cent owned Berkshire Valley project in Western Australia, 100km north of Chalice Mining’s spectacular Julimar discovery. The company says the zones cover some three kilometres of strike and are associated with a strong, complex magnetic feature interpreted to stem from mafic and ultramafic intrusions.

Conico has discovered a new massive sulphide prospect at its Ryberg project on the east coast of Greenland. The company has wasted no time in getting the drill rods spinning and has commenced ploughing the first hole into the newly-named Cascata prospect whilst sulphide hits at its existing Sortekap and Miki prospects continue to stack up. Molybenite has also been added to the cocktail of minerals present.

Valor Resources is on a roll in Canada with the budding explorer identifying new high-grade uranium mineralisation from rock chips at the company’s Hook Lake project in Canada’s famed Athabasca uranium basin. Additional silver, lead and high-grade rare-earths mineralisation with key rare earth elements neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium have added some unexpected value to the project.

Diamond drilling by PolarX at its high-grade Caribou Dome copper prospect in Alaska has intercepted massive sulphides in the opening holes of its 1500m diamond drilling program. Several 2m - 11m thick zones of possible copper-bearing massive sulphides were logged in the first three drill holes of the drill program that is designed to test three new targets and provide fresh samples for metallurgical test work.

Native Mineral Resources has successfully completed a four-hole diamond drill program and is set to deliver a thousand tonne bulk quartz gold vein sample to a toll treater from its Music Well project in WA with a view to determining the extent and grade of its exciting quartz vein target. The drilling was co-funded under WA’s government-backed Exploration Incentive Scheme.

After a significant weather-related exploration setback at its exciting Yidby gold discovery in the Murchison region of WA, Surefire Resources is back in the field with a turbocharged exploration program that will look to follow up on prior stellar drill results. The drill rods are set to start turning again in September, a drone survey has been commissioned and a 500-strong soil sampling campaign has now been completed.

Aldoro Resources has its sights on a potential world-class rubidium resource at its Niobe prospect in WA’s Mid West. It has defined an early target of 33,000-150,000 tonnes rubidium oxide, a commodity that sells for more than A$1.4 million a tonne. Aldoro is keen to start the drills spinning in September at the pegmatite project, which will also target lithium potential.

ASX listed Valor Resources has finalised the evaluation of targets at its Cluff Lake uranium project in Canada and will kick-off a boots-on-ground exploration program in September to further assess the highest priority targets. Initial exploration targeting was conducted using all available geological and geophysical datasets to prioritise areas for further ground reconnaissance to be completed.

ASX-listed junior explorer Okapi Resources has finalised the purchase of a portfolio of high-grade uranium projects in the United States in a deal it says is transformational. The Perth-based company assumes 100 per cent ownership of the brownfields uranium assets following the recent completion of an all-scrip acquisition of private Australian group Tallahassee Resources.

ASX listed Legend Mining has boosted the known extent of the mineralisation at its flagship Mawson nickel-copper sulphide project in WA. The mineralised intrusive footprint at Mawson now extends more than 1.4 kilometres, with gravity modelling suggesting the intrusion potentially extends across more than 3 kilometres of strike and importantly, there is a big increase in the size of the magnesium-oxide rich ultramafic core.

ASX-listed explorer Victory Mines has delivered further encouraging results from a recently completed drilling campaign at its Coogee gold-copper project near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia where a 1km strike length has now been identified. Latest hits include a broad 32m intercept going 1.44 g/t gold and 8m at 3.59 g/t gold. Assays from 17 holes are pending.

ASX-listed aspiring Vietnam nickel developer Blackstone Minerals has engaged the Korea Development Bank and corporate adviser BurnVoir Corporate Finance to jointly pull together a debt funding package for the development of its Ta Khoa nickel project about 160 kilometres west of Hanoi. Perth-based Blackstone is currently contemplating a potentially “vertically integrated” upstream and downstream lithium-ion battery metals processing operation at Ta Khoa.

ASX-listed premium potassium mineral fertiliser hopeful Trigg Mining is edging closer to finalising a scoping study on the proposed development of its high-grade Lake Throssell sulphate of potash project about 170km north-east of Laverton in Western Australia. The Perth-based company, which recently tabled a maiden indicated resource estimate for Lake Throssell, says it aims to wrap up the study by the end of next month.

Element 25 has completed its ramp up to Stage 1 production levels at the company’s flagship Butcherbird manganese mining operation in Western Australia. The company says the mine has now achieved a “steady state” of manganese output and is looking to manufacture a high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate product for use in the burgeoning lithium-ion battery market.

Blackstone Minerals has tabled a head turning 375 metre nickel sulphide intercept from recent drilling at its Ban Phuc deposit in Vietnam. The company’s ongoing diamond drilling program is designed to upgrade much of the existing resource to the coveted “measured and indicated” status, however exploration now appears to be also extending the ore system at depth.

ASX-listed gold developer, Classic Minerals has nailed multiple high-grade gold intercepts from depth extension drilling at its Kat Gap project 170km south of Southern Cross in WA. Best numbers include a cracking 1m interval going 44.43 g/t gold within a wider 6m intersection grading 8.94 grams per tonne gold from 142m. Classic recently commenced trial mining at Kat Gap in anticipation of full-scale production planned for next year.

Si6 Metals has completed the purchase of its Monument gold project west of Laverton in Western Australia. The company sealed the deal by exercising its option over the project and making a final payment of just $400,000 in cash and shares to the previous owner of the project, the Tim Goyder-backed explorer DiscoverEx.

ASX-listed Buru Energy has spudded a second highly anticipated well in its exploration program in the Canning Basin, Western Australia’s largest onshore basin. The Rafael 1 conventional oil exploration well located 150 kilometres east of Broome is targeting 69 million barrels of oil. A seismic program to define new prospects for future drilling is next on the agenda.

Impact Minerals looks to be sneaking up on a large copper system at Apsley in New South Wales. The company says its analysis of surface and drilling data indicates it may be touching on the margins of a porphyry copper-gold system not dissimilar to Newcrest’s nearby Cadia-Ridgeway mine. Apsley’s geochemical footprint extends over more than a kilometre along strike and up to a kilometre in width.

Blue Star Helium has clinched a vital initial consent from US authorities as part of a new protracted pathway towards an eventual approval allowing it to drill a first exploration well at its exciting Las Animas helium project in Colorado. The ASX-listed US helium player now hopes to secure an all-important drilling permit in relation to its planned maiden well at the project’s Enterprise prospect later this year.

ASX-listed Kingwest Resources has kicked off an aircore drilling campaign at its Lake Goongarrie project 90km north of Kalgoorlie. The campaign taking aim at litho-structural targets will punch out 5,000m of drilling with first assays expected in a couple of weeks. Final assays from recent drilling at “target A9” show a headline hit of 5m going 8.31 grams per tonne gold.

Emu NL is back on the bit in Western Australia with the tenacious ASX-listed explorer set to plough more than 6,500 metres of drilling into its Monte Cristo and Gnows Nest gold discoveries south of Yalgoo. Previous drilling over the prospects uncovered a bounty of high-grade mineralisation, with better intercepts including an impressive 3m at 42.17 grams per gold from 77m.

Great Southern Mining has uncovered another cluster of high-grade gold hits from the exciting Southern Star deposit at the ASX-listed company’s Duketon gold project about 45 kilometres north of Laverton in WA. The pick of the latest batch of assays from its maiden RC drill program at Southern Star are 7m at 13.9 g/t gold from 123m including 1m at a bonanza 91.7 g/t.

ASX-listed Legend Mining has kicked off a regional exploration program at its Rockford project in Western Australia’s famed Fraser Range. The diamond drill rods are now spinning into nickel-copper prospects along the western structural corridor with four holes, totalling 1800m, to be punched into the Magnus and Octagonal intrusive complexes. Another 100 aircore holes will be ploughed into regional targets to test geophysical and geochemical targets.

ASX-listed Coda Minerals continues to ring the till with a bevy of high-grade copper and gold intercepts at its Emmie Bluff Deeps deposit, which is located 100km south of Olympic Dam in South Australia. Latest numbers include 24 metres at 2.2 per cent copper, 0.3g/t gold and 8.9g/t silver. Peak grades of 15.3 per cent copper and 4.49 g/t gold confirm the deposit’s potential to host a large-scale, vertical mineralised structure of substantial thickness, according to Coda.

NSW gold and base metals explorer Godolphin Resources has kicked off a new round of drilling at its Lewis Ponds polymetallic project in the revered Lachlan Fold Belt as it looks to grow its already impressive existing mineral resource. The company plans to put down four RC holes zeroing in on the project’s Quarry lode, which occurs outside the current boundaries of the Lewis Ponds mineral resource estimate.

Aldoro Resources continues its tour-de-force in Western Australia’s resurgent Murchison mineral field and is now testing a series of new nickel targets including a pair of strong off-hole conductors that were lit up by geophysics below its flagship VC1 discovery. The company recently completed its maiden drilling program over its exciting VC1 target, returning solid intercepts of massive nickel sulphides.

Globe Metals & Mining has released a barnstorming feasibility study on the proposed development of its Kanyika niobium project in Malawi in south-eastern Africa. The study foreshadows a cracking total EBITDA figure for Kanyika of US$3.74 billion across an initial mine life of 23 years. It follows hot on the heels of the recent formal granting of a mining licence covering the project by the country’s Mines Minister.

ASX-listed junior explorer Aruma Resources is on the cusp of a maiden reverse circulation drill program at its Mt Deans lithium project about 10km south of Norseman in Western Australia. The Perth-based company says it plans to put down 12 RC holes for an aggregate drilling coverage of about 1,000m starting next month, following the recent completion of a requisite comprehensive flora and fauna survey.

Strickland Metals has launched an aircore campaign at the Horse North prospect at its Horse Well gold project on the north-eastern flank of the Yandal-Millrose greenstone belt in WA’s north-eastern Goldfields. The 10,000-metre drilling program will be focused largely on a three-kilometre section of the regional Celia shear zone that hosts the nearby resource for the multi-deposit Horse prospect of just over 148,000 ounces of gold.

ASX-listed Venture Minerals is on the verge of shipping its first iron ore from its Riley mine in north-west Tasmania having chartered a bulk carrier vessel that will transport the ore in early September. The milestone achievement comes after the mine reached steady state production enabling enough ore to be generated for continuous haulage to the Port of Burnie for export.