Announcements

ASX-listed vanadium player TNG Limited has taken another step towards development of its vanadium-titanium-iron project in the Northern Territory, securing a $10 million strategic investment deal with a leading Indian mining conglomerate. TNG sees the deal with Vimson, a family-owned Indian resources company, as another milestone on its move towards making its flagship 100 percent-owned Mount Peake Project a reality.

With the bulk de-watering phase now complete, Strike Energy is carefully managing drawdown at its historic Jaws-1 super-deep coal seam gas well in SA with gas flows expected to start soon. it’s a case of softly softly for Strike who is methodically seeking to prove its theory that coal seam gas can in fact be accessed economically from over 2km down hole.

Anglo Australian Resources has gone back to the future to squeeze more ounces out of a gold prospect near Kalgoorlie that netted it a tidy sum of gold back in 2006 and 2007. The company has kicked off a 70 hole drill campaign to revisit the Mandilla project where it previously identified a near-surface weathered bedrock target with a strike of more than 1.5km.

Southern Gold’s JV partner in South Korea, Bluebird Merchant Ventures, is set to increase its pre-development activities at the historical Gubong gold mine over the next few months, including all necessary approvals and the granting of a “permit to develop” the underground operation. Progress is also reported for the Kochang JV, with Bluebird due to report on the feasibility of re-starting that underground mine in late October.

Venus Metals has executed a farm-in and JV agreement with AIC Resources, for that company to earn an 80% interest in 5 exploration tenements within Venus’ Doolgunna project near the Plutonic gold mine in WA. The deal requires AIC to spend $175,000 over a 2 year period. The tenements are prospective for volcanic-hosted massive sulphide mineralisation similar to the nearby DeGrussa copper mine and shear-hosted gold deposits such as Plutonic.

Tyranna Resources has started its resource development infill drilling program at the Jumbuck gold project, located west of BHP’s Olympic Dam mine, in the highly prospective Western Gawler Craton in SA. The project has existing mineral resources of 8.7 million tonnes @ 1.1g/t gold for 319,000 ounces. The program will target the Campfire Bore prospect to upgrade the JORC status of the deposit’s inferred mineral inventory totalling 109,000 ounces.

Kalia Limited has announced that a detailed geophysical survey is well underway at its Mt Tore JV tenements on Bougainville Island in the PNG. The highly anticipated exploration program across its porphyry copper-gold assets is ramping up with geological reconnaissance and geochemical sampling underway in the Aita area. The company’s active engagement of local communities is bearing fruit now, with a number of areas already approved for on-ground exploration activities.

Versatile ASX listed telco Vonex’s recent trial marketing campaign in south-eastern Queensland to increase brand awareness and gather market intelligence has resulted in a 114% increase in daily average Vonex website and a spike in converted sales. The company’s major marketing push in October will target areas where the NBN is available but not connected yet, or construction is complete and the area is becoming available.

Geopacific Resources has improved its understanding of the mineralisation controls at the Great Northern prospect at its Woodlark gold project in Papua New Guinea after making a number of gold hits including a top intercept of 21.77g/t gold. Follow-up drilling will be carried out to further define the mineralisation and move it towards the resource category.

St George Mining has confirmed that mineralisation at its Investigators nickel-copper prospect near Leonora in W.A becomes thicker in the down dip direction after intersecting 8.4m @ 2% nickel, 0.96% copper, 0.06% cobalt and 2.59g/t total PGE from 199m. Further step-out drilling is underway while down-hole electromagnetic surveys are being run near one of the very strong conductors.

Greenland Minerals and Energy is completing an optimisation program at its Kvanefjeld rare earths project in southern Greenland that will simplify project construction, minimise civil earth works and reduce associated capital costs. Recent onsite engineering studies by a multi-disciplinary team of engineers are expected to reduce the amount of construction effort required for the civil construction, port and plant sites.

Mineral sands miner Image Resources has unearthed anomalous, shallow gold intersections during its first-pass drill program at the Erayinia prospect, located east of Kalgoorlie. The best result was 20m @ 0.7g/t gold from 40m down-hole, including 4m @ 1.2g/t gold from 48m and 4m @ 1g/t gold from 56m. The company will conduct a larger program of aircore drilling now to test 7km of prospective strike extensions.

Celebrated conglomerate gold specialist Novo Resources will acquire two strategic gold projects 80km south of Port Hedland. The company will fund exploration for two years to farm into Pioneer Resources’ Kangan gold project to earn a 70% interest for a consideration of $600,000 in cash and scrip. Novo will also acquire 4 key tenements from a private company in the area for cash and shares totalling A$8m.

A Perth based ASX listed junior has quietly been sweeping up big swathes of lucrative acreage in Alaska’s hottest oil province known as the North Slope with the truth diviner in the form of a drill rig about to be put to the test in coming months. 88 Energy will soon drill a well targeting up to 400 million barrels at its Western Blocks project in the region.

Terrain Minerals has reported excellent metallurgical gold recoveries averaging over 96% from ore composites of its oxidised, transitional and fresh ores at the Great Western project, near Leonora in W.A. The results imply that a conventional milling and processing route is likely to be suitable for the company’s future ore production. Terrain also submitted works proposals for exploratory drilling at its Wild-viper project that surrounds Great Western.

Artemis Resources has recovered 225 ounces of gold nuggets to date from its ongoing conglomerate gold exploration play at the 47K Patch and Purdy’s Reward discoveries, just south of Karratha, in the western Pilbara region of W.A. The company is working with CSIRO and is currently completing a geophysical survey over 47K Patch. Bulk sampling will be carried out once all data is consolidated, integrated and processed.

Sky and Space Global has developed new network management and data compression software for its 200 telecommunications “nano-satellites” that are set to be blasted into space in 2019. The company is also developing an autonomous management system and fuel optimisation software that together will allow the nano-satellite constellation to be operated autonomously.

Myanmar Metals has completed its scoping study for the Bawdwin base metal project in central Myanmar, saying that it will redevelop the historical mine, starting with a low cost, low strip ratio cutback of the high grade China Lode over a 13-year initial mine life, which will accelerate its cash flow position. The milestone precedes a PFS due in early 2019, along with a maiden ore reserve estimate.

Australian Potash and Salt Lake Potash have signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation agreement to study the potential cost savings from sharing infrastructure at their respective Lake Wells projects in the Goldfields region of W.A. The joint study will initially focus on joint infrastructure developments and will also study the potential for cost sharing on common evaporation and salt processing facilities.

Lithium Australia will send samples of its lithium iron phosphate cathode powders produced from its VSPC plant in Brisbane to Chinese battery manufacturers for testing. The company has already completed a number of pilot-plant production runs and is seeking confirmation of the high capacity of its battery cathode material from the lucrative Chinese lithium battery manufacturing market.

Having just banked a maiden resource estimate at its Razafy graphite project, BlackEarth Minerals has now commenced a regional exploration program at its Maniry and Ianapera projects in Madagascar. The company is planning close spaced trenching and sampling work to outline future high grade drilling targets and is now looking to also table its scoping study for Razafy and a resource estimate for the Haja prospect later in the year.

Surefire Resources has confirmed thick, high grade, vanadium rich magnetite mineralisation in three separate ore horizons from a drill program at its Unaly Hill project near Sandstone. The best result was 50.8m grading a very respectable 0.55% vanadium pentoxide from 298m down-hole, which included 9m @ 0.89% vanadium oxide from 306m. Ore composites will now undergo comprehensive testing to determine the characteristics of the upgraded concentrates.

Kairos Minerals has identified a new conglomerate gold target at its Croydon Project in the Pilbara region of W.A after stumbling across a bonanza gold nugget patch just weeks after starting its conglomerate exploration program. Additional mapping, stream sediment sampling and metal detecting is currently underway in earnest now whilst diamond drilling will determine the overall dimensions of the find.

ASX listed Australian Potash has been granted the mining leases it requires to develop and operate the Lake Wells sulphate of potash project that is located 180km northeast of Laverton in the Goldfields region of W.A. The company’s field work over the next quarter will include its geotechnical program and additional work required for a reserve estimate. It plans to report the results of its DFS in 2019.

Terrain Minerals has unearthed some encouraging base metals and gold results from its maiden drill program at the Red Mulga project, near Geraldton. A highly anomalous result of 5m grading 0.15% nickel and 0.35% chromium from 33m down-hole was returned from a mafic schist in the south of the project and elevated levels of copper to 0.74% and zinc and gold were also located in rocks to the north.

Artemis Resources has reported exceptional high grade cobalt results and solid gold and copper numbers, from a drill campaign at its Carlow Castle project near Karratha in W.A. Results include a new cobalt zone at the Quod Est prospect that produced 17m @ 0.61% cobalt, 1.86g/t gold and 0.05% copper from 88m down-hole. The company also outlined high-grade ore intercepts from infill drilling at the nearby prospect areas.

Venus Metals’ farm in partner Lepidico has intersected multiple zones of lithium-rich mineralisation whilst drilling at the company’s Youanmi project tenements in the Murchison region of W.A. Lepidico reported intersections up to 9m thick of lepidolite mica from the recently completed drill campaign and it has secured an option to earn up to 80% of the lithium rights on an exploration licence located 20km from Venus’ Youanmi gold operation.

Lithium Australia is now the sole owner of the Sadisdorf lithium project in far east Germany where recent drilling returned very wide intersections of lithium after the transfer of project licences was approved by the Upper Mining Authority of Saxony. The company is currently progressing a scoping study for the project that is based on using its “SiLeach” technology to unlock the project’s potential.

Northern Minerals has discovered new, thick, rare earth mineralisation, rich in the sought-after element dysprosium. The find come courtesy of a drilling campaign on its Dazzler and Iceman prospects, 15km south of the company’s operating Brown Range mine, in the southern Kimberley region of W.A. Best results came from Dazzler, which returned 18 metres grading 9.1% total rare earth element oxide, incorporating a significant 0.86% dysprosium oxide content.

Metalicity has received the first payment of CAD$500,000 for the sale of its West Australian zinc projects after Canadian spin-off Kimberley Mining successfully completed the first tranche of its CAD$2m seed capital raising. The company will also receive CAD$20m worth of Kimberley shares and a CAD$4m payment on successful completion of Kimberley’s IPO in the December quarter this year.

Galena Mining’s resource extension drilling of the “apron zone” at its Abra lead-silver project near Meekatharra continues to extend the known mineralisation, with results of 16.2m @ 9.2% lead and 44g/t silver from 373m down-hole, including 4.5m @ 15.1% lead and 44g/t silver from 384.7m. The current campaign is proving up mineral resources that will be incorporated into the company’s PFS, due for release later this quarter.

King River Copper has reported another outstanding gold drill result from a narrow, but ultra-high grade vein at its Mt Remarkable gold project near Kununurra in W.A. The intersection of 6m @ 60g/t gold from 24m down-hole, included an exceptional, 0.3m @ 354g/t gold from just 24.7m. Additionally, the company said that scoping study results for its separate Speewah vanadium and fluorite projects will be reported by month’s end.