Announcements

With inflation rising across the globe and western economies imposing sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Goldman Sachs, of the world's largest investment banks, has hiked the prices of its commodities forecasts, citing supply disruptions that it says could drive the price of gold towards US$2,500 per ounce this year.

Image Resources has tabled a timely resource update on seven of the eight projects recently acquired in WA’s historic Eneabba mineral sands mining district, located 275km north of Perth. The total mineral resources for all seven stands at 199Mt grading 2.8 per cent THM with 5.5Mt of contained heavy minerals at 84 per cent VHM.

ASX-listed explorers Okapi Resources is poised to unleash the diamond drill bit at its Enmore gold project in northern New South Wales after scoring a string of “exceptional” hits in a maiden drilling campaign at the venture late last year. The 11-hole program will follow up on previous work at the Sunnyside prospect, that the company says remains open at depth and along strike.

St George Mining has confirmed the potential to produce two commercially viable concentrates with metallurgical test work displaying nickel grades of 11.5 per cent with 3.32 grams per tonne palladium, 0.65 g/t platinum and 0.61 per cent cobalt and copper at 27.8 per cent with 12.4 g/t palladium, 1.9 g/t platinum and 2.6 g/t gold. Importantly no deleterious elements that could affect the saleability of the concentrates were identified.

White Cliff Minerals is set to offload a pair of its non-core assets after entering into a deal with GenX Resources to farm-out its Coronation Dam and Ghan Well nickel-cobalt projects in Western Australia. According to the company, the impending transaction reinforces its strategy of focussing on its wholly owned lithium and rare earths projects in the state.

ASX-listed Barton Gold has plenty of drill targets to go after in South Australia’s Gawler Craton after processing of gravity survey data has confirmed previously identified priority structural targets. The findings have corroborated the explorer’s geological understanding of the Tarcoola project and will assist in refining its targets for an upcoming drilling campaign.

Quantum Graphite’s plan to manufacture thermal energy cells using its own graphite deposit in SA for retrofitting coal-fired power stations has jumped to the next stage. A newly commissioned report has suggested its technology, that is jointly being developed with Sunlands Co, is one of the most promising of the available long duration thermal energy storage solutions.

Meeka Gold Limited has confirmed the presence of rare earths mineralisation with wide hits grading above 1000ppm total rare earths from aircore drilling completed last year at the company’s Circle Valley project in WA. The aircore chips were initially only tested for gold however handheld XRF analysis displayed elevated rare earths spurring on a multi-element re-assay that confirmed the rare earths mineralisation.

Triangle Energy’s new board has laid out its plan for the road ahead since taking control of the Perth Basin operator, focusing firmly on the $11 million final shipment from the BP Kwinana facility in June. The company has just completed a strategic review that aims to preserve and increase production across its portfolio of assets.

ASX-listed Okapi Resources has its sights set on a drilling campaign at its Rattlesnake prospect after a 28-piece rock chip sampling program yielded grades as high as 1.24 per cent triuranium octox

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.