Announcements

Mineral explorer Valor Resources continues to deliver the goods at its Picha copper and silver project in southern Peru. Recent channel sampling by the company at two separate areas has returned a 40.5 metre long surface channel grading 0.49 per cent copper at its Cumbre Coya prospect, with a 17.6m channel going 1.95 per cent copper also unearthed at the Maricate prospect some 500m away.

DiscovEx Resources has unveiled a series of potential walk-up drill targets across two of its gold projects in the mineral-rich Yilgarn Craton in WA. Soil geochemical sampling at its Edjudina project near Kalgoorlie has unearthed a suite of compelling drill targets, whilst auger drilling at the Newington project, some 65km from Southern Cross, has identified potential extensions to the Newfield Central and Dawsons high-grade quartz lodes.

Wiluna Mining Corporation’s massive development program at its namesake WA gold operation looks set to continue bringing home the bacon with drilling over the Happy Jack and East Lode areas delivering a symphony of high-grade gold intersections. Notable results included 3.72 metres grading 5.31 grams per tonne gold at the former and 7.75m going 13.27 g/t gold at the latter.

In the final stretch of a long race to reach a coveted cup, ASX-listed Buru Energy has encountered hydrocarbons above the targeted Ungani Dolomite at Rafael 1 in the oil-rich Canning Basin of northern Western Australia. With the well at 3,872m and a finish line of 4,000m the board and investors are keenly awaiting the news to come.

Horizon Minerals has increased the mineral resource estimate at its recently acquired and well-advanced Cannon gold project, located a short trucking distance from the company’s flagship Boorara gold project on the south east fringes of Kalgoorlie. The mineral resource review was conducted independently and upgraded the current estimate by over 8,000 ounces gold to 32,070 ounces grading an impressive 4.29 grams per tonne gold.

ASX-listed, King River Resources has upped the ante in its push to produce high value aluminium precursor compounds used in lithium-ion batteries. Laboratory test work on the company’s already developed 5N purity Type 1 precursor has now added to King River’s repertoire of products with development of a Type 2 precursor - an aluminium compound for use in lithium-ion battery cathodes.

Barton Gold has discovered a new 800m long gold lode at its Tunkillia gold project in South Australia. First assay results from the phase 1 drilling program have confirmed a significant shallow gold zone located approximately 500m northwest of the main 223 deposit. The new 223 North discovery extends the total mineralised strike at Tunkillia by around 30 per cent to 3.3km.

Quantum Graphite has racked up a slew of solid graphite hits at its Uley 2 and Uley 3 prospects in South Australia. Noteworthy grades include 7.9 metres grading 10.8 per cent total graphitic content from 36.9m, a 14.2m intercept going 8.0 per cent total graphitic content from 62.8m downhole and 17.9m grading 6.6 per cent total graphitic content from 34.7m.

Comet Resources could be about to dust off the maracas after assays from an eight-hole, 2,250 metre drilling program completed at its Santa Teresa Gold project in Mexico delivered a suite of high-grade gold hits which included “bonanza” grades. Some of the better intersections included 1.2 metres grading 63.2 grams per tonne gold from 124.8m.

Zuleika Gold has revived its 2021 drilling program at its flagship Zuleika and Credo projects near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, targeting a series of priority prospects with over 8,000 metres of aircore and RC drilling. The company says the campaign is aimed at following up strong scores from previous drilling where results included an 11m hit going 1.3 grams per tonne gold from 40m.

Aurum Resources is set to hit the boards at the ASX after an oversubscribed initial public offering of nickel-copper explorer Aldoro Resources’ gold assets. Aurum has raised $5 million to fast track the development of its underexplored gold projects in WA’s East Murchison region. Aurum will prioritise its Penny South gold project that already has some cracking drill results that were inexplicably never followed up.

Estrella Resources has intercepted three zones of nickel-copper sulphides with a 60 metre step-out diamond drill hole below its T5 nickel-copper discovery near Kalgoorlie in WA. The company says each of the three zones contained thick widths of massive sulphides over the last 170m of the drill hole.

The rods are spinning at Aruma Resources' Salmon Gums gold project in WA’s goldfields region. The Perth-based junior explorer has planned up to 5,000 meters of reverse circulation drilling in its maiden drill program that will test multiple geochemical targets over an 8.5km stratigraphic trend that is directly along strike from JV partners Pantoro-Tulla’s high-grade Scotia Gold project.

Oar Resources has kick started a maiden diamond drilling campaign at its Douglas Canyon gold project in Nevada, USA. The company has initiated a four-hole, 1000m program targeting near-surface mineralisation in the first two holes and testing down dip depth extensions with the latter two holes. Results from previous exploration at the project include grades as high as 18 grams per tonne gold and 398 g/t silver.

Industrial innovation specialist Aurora Labs has hit an important milestone in the development of its signature 3D metal printing technology, with an independent evaluation demonstrating its effectiveness and the company declaring the product “commercially ready”. Aurora has completed successful trial printing of stainless steel components for customers that include BAE Systems Maritime Australia for the Navy’s Hunter Class Frigate Program.

Blackstone Minerals has attracted $55 million in fresh funding, courtesy of a seriously oversubscribed placement to help realise its dreams of establishing an integrated “green” nickel project in Vietnam. The placement was backed by Shaw & Partners, Evolution Capital & PAC Partners, all of whom acted as joint lead managers to the placement.

ASX-listed junior explorer, Latitude Consolidated is cranking through its reverse circulation drill program at its Turnberry South project in WA where it has hit visible gold in one hole associated with silica-chlorite-epidote altered siltstone. All holes drilled as part of the second phase have intercepted a veined and strongly altered zone at the target depth with sulphide mineralisation observed in the rock chips.

Galan Lithium is moving ever closer to commercialisation and becoming Argentina’s next lithium producer. The company reported it has now received critical government permits that allow it to commence building Stage 1 of its pilot plant and new camp accommodation at its flagship Hombre Muerto West lithium brine project in South America’s prolific ‘Lithium Triangle’.

Aldoro Resources has intersected 6.7 metres of strong magmatic sulphide mineralisation in diamond drill core at its Narndee Igneous Complex tenements located 90 kilometres south-southwest of Mount Magnet in WA. An RC rig has now mobilised to Narndee to commence infill drilling between the existing diamond drill holes to achieve a JORC compliant resource.

Bardoc Gold is continuing to deliver significant shallow gold intercepts at its North Kanowna Star project near Kalgoorlie. Noteworthy drill results include 9 metres grading 2.45 grams per tonne gold from 61m, 1m going 18 g/t gold from 47m and 3m grading 5.63 g/t gold from 69m. North Kanowna Star is 29 kilometres southeast of Bardoc’s 3 million ounce namesake project.

Tambourah Metals has put its foot on an additional 381.5 square kilometres of exploration ground prospective for copper, gold, nickel and platinum near Chalice Mining’s exciting Julimar discovery. The company’s landholding in the area is now set to cover a whopping 780 square kilometres with the new ground also very close to Caravel Minerals’ namesake copper project that hosts a massive 1.86 million tonnes of contained copper.

Empire Energy looks to be making a lot of powerful friends after rubber-stamping a memorandum of understanding with Northern Territory Government-owned Power and Water Corporation for the potential sale and transportation of gas from Empire’s NT assets. The budding partnership could see Empire leverage Power and Water's McArthur River Gas Pipeline that intersects its Carpentaria-1 and Carpentaria-2H wells.

Todd River Resources has unveiled a trilogy of anomalous PGE hits from a five-hole reverse circulation drilling program at its Nanutarra nickel, copper and PGE project in the Gascoyne. The company says one of the holes intersected a strong PGE anomalism that is believed to be linked with elevated nickel and copper and correlates with anomalous values identified in historic shallow drilling.

ABx Group has secured $4 million from existing shareholders through a share purchase plan to advance its Deep Leads rare earth element project in Tasmania. The money was raised off the back of a bonanza rare earth drill hit going at 3,306 parts per million total rare earth oxides.

Venture Minerals could be in for a memorable Christmas after a downhole transient electromagnetic survey at its Orcus prospect within the Golden Grove North project in WA’s Mid West uncovered a mammoth 500m long by 240m deep conductor under high-grade zinc-copper-gold intersections. It produced assays up to 7.6 per cent zinc, 1.3 per cent copper, 2.2 g/t gold and 22 g/t silver.

ASX-listed Great Southern Mining is looking to close the year on a high as it looks to follow up some intriguing gold sniffs at its 1,000 square kilometre Edinburgh Park project in north Queensland. The company’s landholdings in the sunny state are within shouting distance of Evolution Mining’s million-ounce-plus Mt Carlton gold-silver-copper mine.

Manganese producer, Element 25 has delivered multiple breakthroughs in its efforts to tap into the flourishing lithium-ion battery industry by producing a high-purity manganese product from its Butcherbird mine in WA. Optimisation test work on a flowsheet designed to convert manganese concentrate into battery-grade manganese material has reportedly reduced reagent consumption and residue production in the conversion process. The outcome could potentially slash operational and capitals costs of the venture.

Impact Minerals’ maiden soil sampling program has pleasantly surprised with a grab bag of noteworthy rare earth elements targets emerging across the Arkun project in southwest Western Australia. The soil anomalies occur over hundreds of metres and have snagged both light and heavy rare earths in an area that has never previously been explored for rare earths.

Comet Resources is set to become a key player in the lucrative downstream processing of lithium-ion battery anode material after vending-out its Springdale graphite project to International Graphite - an Australian manufacturer of high-value graphite products for supply to global markets. International Graphite plans to list on the ASX early next year with Comet in line to own a 25 per cent stake in the graphite manufacturer after the listing.

Perth-based Lithium Australia looks to have its eyes set on systematically progressing its battery production expertise with its wholly owned subsidiary, VSPC rubber stamping a three-way deal with the Australian Research Council and the University of Technology Sydney, to conduct research and development for solid-state lithium metal battery technology. The company says the technology will spearhead the next generation of lithium batteries.

Native Minerals has spotted what it believes to be a significant iron-oxide copper-gold anomaly from a maiden high-resolution magnetic drone survey at its 100 per cent owned Nullarbor tenements in WA. The new target area is perched on a low seismic zone with a large-scale structure and low resistivity readings, similar to the enormous Olympic Dam IOCG deposit. Drill target planning is currently underway.

Perth-based Venus Metals’ Henderson project north of Menzies in WA could turn out to be a triple header with the company recently completing a hard-rock lithium sampling and mapping program at the gold and nickel site. A suite of 97 rock samples were bagged during the renaissance trip which sought to review the lithium potential of the company’s landholdings with assays currently pending.