Bulls N' Bears (Commercial Content)

Estrella Resources has declared a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 0.86 million tonnes at 0.66 per cent nickel and 0.42 per cent copper at its T5 deposit in the Goldfields region of WA. The company says the latest estimate underpins an updated JORC exploration target of five to seven million tonnes at 0.7 to 1.5 per cent nickel and 0.3 to 0.5 per cent copper for the basal contact at its wholly owned Carr Boyd nickel project 80km north-east of Kalgoorlie.

Perth-based explorer White Cliff Minerals is now a step closer to a maiden drill program at its Hines Hill rare earths project after securing a land access agreement to launch the probe about 200km east of Perth in WA. The explorer now plans to submit a program of work to the Department of Mines ahead of a projected 100-hole, 3000m AC drilling campaign.

Tambourah Metals has received a boost to the lithium prospectivity of its Russian Jack project in the Pilbara after the Geological Survey of WA confirmed the presence of abundant pegmatite veins and dykes. The company is currently compiling data on the project that includes the GSWA WAROX dataset that highlights four areas of significant pegmatite outcrops across two tenements at the site, whilst a rock chip sampling program is also beefing up its gold numbers.

First pass drilling by ABx Group between its two rare earths discoveries in Tasmania has confirmed a contiguous 6.5km mineralised channel with the results to feed into a maiden resource estimate. Results from the thick and shallow zone include 21m at 2511 parts per million total rare earth oxides from 2m downhole and another 8m hit grading 1556ppm total rare earth oxides also from 2m.

Buru Energy CEO Thomas Nador says Origin Energy’s decision to quit upstream exploration provides clarity for Buru on its joint venture with the company – the Rafael gas discovery in WA. “We can now concentrate on getting on with it, to work closely with a possible new partner to develop and commercialise this quality project and to deliver the value we know is there,” he said.

Equities firm MST Access believes changes to the Government of Mongolia’s mining code has the potential to benefit foreign investment with revisions to the nation’s laws expected later this year. One of the potential beneficiaries of the proposed changes is ASX-listed Xanadu Mines that is aiming to develop its Kharmagtai copper-gold project in Mongolia.

Conico has logged zinc, lead and copper sulphides from a 10-hole diamond drill campaign at its Mestersvig project in Greenland consistent with the historic Blyklippen zinc-lead mine at the site. Eight of the 10 holes completed intercepted disseminated, heavily disseminated or matrix sulphides during the program that was testing for extensions to the known mineralised vein system identified at the Blyklippen and Sortebjerg prospects about 13km along strike from one another.

Galan Lithium has taken a vital step in establishing itself as South America’s next battery metals producer after lodging an application to establish a permanent 200-person camp at its flagship Hombre Muerto West brine project in Argentina. The company plans to launch commercial production in 2025 and will initially use the facility to accommodate the operation’s construction workforce.

Meeka Metals’ latest assay results from its Circle Valley project near Esperance have uncovered record grades of rare earth elements almost tripling the project’s previous highs. The mineralisation included high grades of the valuable “magnet” rare earths that have strong diversified demand. Meeka’s shares popped more than 8 per cent to an intra-day high of 7.5 cents on the news.

With a drone magnetic survey and positive rock chip assays, Infinity Mining has confirmed two compelling magnetic targets adjacent to historical gold workings at the company’s Chicago gold project in WA’s Central Goldfields region. The anomalous rock chips going up to 2.37 grams per tonne gold were collected in proximity to its magnetic targets and have inspired the explorer to plan a round of RC drilling.

New assay results suggest American West Metals has nailed a parcel of new mineralisation about 250m from its existing West Desert deposit in Utah. The mixed metal strikes include a 0.92m interval running a serious grade of 20.4 per cent zinc from 459.31m that sits amongst a cocktail of anomalous copper, gold, silver and indium hits.

Second phase drilling has confirmed mineralisation at the Calarie gold project in New South Wales extends at depth and is open along strike for joint venture partners Godolphin Resources and Orange Minerals. The 1170m campaign saw five diamond drill holes sunk into the site to test mineralisation below previous workings and to confirm results of two historical RC holes that intersected mineralisation.

Explorer Strickland Metals has confirmed the presence of mineralised extensions beneath its existing Millrose resource near Wiluna in WA after completing a 130m step-out program at the site. The diamond probe nailed two high-grade intercepts running 5m at 5.3 grams per tonne gold from 239m and 5.9m grading 6.1 g/t gold from 258m. The hits sit inside a larger 38.2m parcel going 2.5 g/t from 234m.

Askari Metals has received initial high-grade gold results from a third phase of RC drilling at the company’s Burracoppin gold project in WA’s Wheatbelt region. In June a total of 40 RC holes were drilled and now the assays are in from the first nine holes around the project’s Christmas Gift prospect. Broad zones of gold mineralisation have been defined confirming a southern extension of gold at the prospect including a 10m hit at 1.38 g/t gold from 34m.

A cancer treatment licenced by ASX-listed Radiopharm Theranostics has been recognised with another endorsement from the US Food and Drug Administration after receiving rare paediatric disease designation. The approval is for a tumour-killing antibody known as DUNP19 used to treat osteosarcoma — a type of bone cancer that primarily affects children, adolescents and young adults.

Lithium and gold explorer Octava Minerals hit the ASX boards today opening at $0.27 as it eclipsed its issue price of $0.20 by 35 per cent. After a fully subscribed initial public offering the company successfully raked in $6m with most of the funds earmarked for exploration at the company’s flagship Talga lithium joint venture in WA’s East Pilbara region.

A life cycle assessment of Blackstone Minerals’ proposed upstream and downstream nickel business has confirmed its process of producing nickel-cobalt-manganese precursor products will be one of the greenest pathways to supply the growing lithium-ion battery industry. The study found Blackstone’s flagship Ta Khoa project could produce 1kg of precursor cathode active material at a cost of 9.8kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, substantially lower than the industry average of 16.1kg.

Multi-metal explorer Conico has detected copper sulphide mineralisation at a number of prospects explored as part of a recently completed diamond drill campaign at its Ryberg project in Greenland. The 11-hole program was targeting copper, nickel, gold and platinum group elements at the company’s Sortekap, Miki, Cascata and Pyramid prospects that were identified from previous field campaign data.

Infinity Mining has confirmed mineralisation of up to 6489 parts per million rubidium in rock chip assays from pegmatites at its South Tambourah project in the east Pilbara region of Western Australia. The commodity is principally used to make speciality glasses such as fibre optic cables and its discovery sets up another commercial avenue for the lithium-focused operation.

An exploration blitz combining air-core drilling and electromagnetic surveys has identified highly prospective new targets for Legend Mining across its Rockford multi-metal project in WA’s Goldfields region. The company says the site’s potential has been highlighted by the recent discovery of nickel-copper occurrences at Legend’s Mawson and Octagonal prospects that sit within the greater Rockford project.

Lithium and gold explorer Octava Minerals is set to light up the ASX boards this Friday with a trio of projects across Western Australia, the world’s premier mining district. The new listing kicks off with the company’s flagship Talga lithium project just 10km north-east of ASX-listed Global Lithium Resources’ Archer deposit of 10.5 million tonnes going 1 per cent lithium oxide.

Mineral explorer Godolphin Resources has had a 25-hole, 1,500m diamond drilling program at its Narraburra rare earth project near Temora in central-west New South Wales waved through by the state's resources regulator. The company plans to use the campaign to modernise the operation’s existing resource up to a JORC 2012 standard.

Radiopharm Theranostics has partnered with a US research centre to launch Radiopharm Ventures — a joint venture that aims to develop radiopharmaceutical therapeutic products to help in the fight against cancer. The new company has been created in partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre and will initially focus on developing at least four therapeutic products based on the centre’s intellectual property.

Middle Island Resources has been buoyed by visual analysis of a completed maiden drill program at its Crosswinds copper prospect in the NT where the company is targeting iron oxide-copper-gold alteration. The company says iron oxide-copper-gold hematite alteration, including carbonate, potassic feldspar, sericite and biotite alteration has been visually observed in all four completed holes.

ASX-listed mineral explorer Surefire Resources has tabled a clutch of high-grade, heavy metal hits following a reconnaissance rock chip sampling and mapping exercise at its Kooline lead-silver project, about 200km from Paraburdoo in WA. The bumper results include 16.2 and 14.2 per cent lead with traces of anomalous silver running 41 and 55 grams per tonne.

Altech Chemicals has forged a JV partnership with German research group Fraunhofer ITKS to commercialise a large-scale energy storage alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The new technology uses table salt and nickel and the partners argue it churns out safer, longer-term power solutions without the concern of price hikes and supply chain issues associated with critical metal-infused devices.

Neometals’ joint venture offspring Primobius has finalised an internal engineering cost study for a first stage shredding plant of a potential 50tpd integrated lithium-ion battery recycling operation on a greenfields site in Germany. In a European first, the new design will cater to electric vehicle car makers by integrating the processing of larger units arising from end-of-life electric vehicles in addition to cell production scrap.

Metal Hawk and farm-in partner Falcon Metals are set to follow up historical results at the duo’s Viking gold project in WA’s highly prospective Albany Fraser Province with a 1600m RC drilling campaign in coming weeks. Falcon listed on the ASX last December and is the spin-off of heavyweight mineral explorer Chalice Mining’s gold interests with an earn-in stake in the Viking project that is located 30km southeast of Norseman.

Recent drilling in a gold search by Venture Minerals at its Kulin project in Western Australia has uncovered an intriguing complement of nickel- copper sulphides. The identification from diamond drill core of the ore sulphide mineralogy confirms the fertility of a duo of 20km-long interpreted layered mafic-ultramafic intrusive suites over the company’s tenure that sits along strike of Chalice Mining’s mammoth Julimar nickel-copper-PGE discovery.

The dust clouds from a maiden drill campaign are billowing in Western Australia’s Kimberley with Askari Metals kicking off a 2500m RC program at its Horry copper-gold project. The program is targeting the site’s Horry Horse copper prospect that was identified as a high-priority target after rock chip samples returned results up to 8.5 per cent copper, 0.71 grams per tonne gold and 42 g/t silver.

ASX-listed energy technology company Altech Chemicals is weeks away from getting construction underway at its game-changing battery-boosting production facility in the German state of Saxony after ramping up building activity at the site. A previously completed preliminary feasibility study suggests the plant could deliver a net present value of US$507 million.

Classic Minerals has been given the green light to begin production at its Kat Gap gold mine near Southern Cross after officially receiving WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety approval. The Kat Gap deposit hosts almost 93,000 ounces of an inferred mineral resource at 2.96 grams per tonne gold and is the principal contributor to the company’s total gold inventory of more than 400,000 ounces.