Bulls N' Bears (Commercial Content)

Metal Hawk has launched a diamond drilling program at its Kanowna East project in the West Australian Goldfields region as it looks to chase up a raft of shallow nickel hits struck by a previous explorer. The multi-hole campaign will be steered by JV partner IGO and will test southern extensions of the nearby Silver Swan nickel sulphide deposit.

Podium Minerals continues to extend its Parks Reef platinum group metals deposit in WA’s Mid West region, with assays from an additional 4 RC holes sunk as part of its stage 10 drilling program delivering solid intercepts including 14m at 1.65 grams per tonne three-elements platinum-group metals from 133m. The results show the miner has intersected the operation’s mineral-laden orebody every time it has fired up the drill rig.

Smart home technology company Zimi has seen record device pairings in three of the last four months which the company says shows an accelerated market adoption as it prepares to launch into an adjacent smoke detection market. Zimi estimates the global smoke detector market will grow to about US$3 billion in five years.

Junior explorer DiscovEx Resources has improved the prospectivity of its Spartan gold anomaly after a phase 2 infill and extensional soil sampling program added results up to 544 parts per billion gold. The target sits inside the larger Edjudina project about 250km north-east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

An interim mineralogical report from the University of Queensland on Asra Minerals’ Yttria deposit at its Mt Stirling project in WA’s eastern goldfields has confirmed the heavy rare earths discovery is suitable for low-cost processing. The company says its initial findings indicate Yttria is a regolith-hosted deposit with the bulk of rare earths associated with secondary oxide minerals that are easy to process.

Junior explorer Godolphin Resources has launched a four-hole diamond drilling program to follow up on high grade mineralisation struck by a previous explorer at its rare earths project near Temora in central-west NSW. The campaign will also focus on delivering core samples for mineralogical analysis, flow-path testing and metallurgical test work.

ASX-listed mining software firm K2fly has tabled record growth in key metrics for the June quarter and the 2022 financial year after continuing its hot streak of contract wins. The company posted record results in annual recurring revenue, invoices raised and cash receipts in addition to closing out the financial year with a cashflow-positive quarter of $1.7 million.

Estrella Resources has extended its T5 deposit by 300m south after step-out diamond drilling hit semi-massive nickel-copper sulphides. The explorer says its hole, part of the company’s Carr Boyd project in WA’s Goldfields region, intersects 1.8m of semi-massive to globular sulphides from 929m came within a broader 21.2m mineralised zone. Down-hole electromagnetic surveys are set to commence soon at the project.

Godolphin Resources has hit a broad intersection of anomalous copper at its Yeoval South prospect near Orange in NSW, just 350m south of the operation’s existing 12.8 million tonne mineral resource. The broad hit of 276m grading 0.12 per cent copper from 128m came from a two-hole, 900m program aiming to test the southern extensions of the mineral resource and homing in on copper at depth.

CZR Resources has moved swiftly to kick off drilling in order to establish a definitive feasibility study for its Robe Mesa iron ore project in WA’s Pilbara region after receiving heritage approval last month. The company is targeting the northern extension of Rio Tinto’s neighbouring Mesa F deposit as it aims to grow its iron ore inventory and increase production rate up to three million tonnes per annum from 2mtpa as outlined in CZR’s pre-feasibility study.

Perth-based American West Metals has kicked off a maiden drilling program at its Storm project on Somerset Island in Nunavut, Canada, where a number of high-grade copper targets will be tested. The campaign follows up on a raft of solid historical hits including 110m at 2.45 per cent copper from surface and 56.3m grading 3.07 per cent copper from 12.2m.

After a major metal discovery only 200m from its fence line, junior explorer Conico will embark on a 5000m diamond and RC drilling program at the company’s Mt Thirsty project in search of platinum group metals and lithium. With all relevant approvals in order and target generation nearing completion, the maiden program, 16km north-north-west of Norseman in WA, is set to kick off early next month.

Recently renamed Meeka Metals continues to return high-grade gold results at its Murchison project in Western Australia with shallow air-core drilling intersecting thick gold zones at its St Anne’s prospect. The company says its latest results confirmed gold mineralisation over a 1km strike length across a 7km gold shear system that also hosts its nearby Turnberry deposit. Assay highlights from St Anne’s show a 32m intersection going 2.2 g/t from 48m including 20m at 3.31 g/t gold.

ABx Group subsidiary Alcore has completed the commissioning of three laboratory reactors in its efforts to produce a high-value essential ingredient for aluminium smelting from a smelter waste product. If its process is successful, it would deliver the bonus benefit of providing a local supply of the essential ingredient aluminium fluoride in addition to providing a waste disposal solution.

West Perth-based explorer Zuleika Gold has appointed Jonathan Lea as Managing Director, aiming to use his combination of geology and corporate experience of 35-plus years to drive the junior explorer’s pursuit of opportunities. Lea’s career spans gold, iron ore and base metals in open- cut and underground operations in Australia and overseas. Most recently he was Managing Director of Ozz Resources.

Galan Lithium has appointed former SQM Hydrogeology Superintendent Alvaro Henríquez as its new Exploration Manager. Henríquez will be responsible for ramping up the company’s exploration and development efforts at its battery metal projects in Australia and Argentina. He has more than two decades’ experience in the mining sector and will join Galan from one of the world’s largest lithium producers.

ASX-listed Si6 Metals has engaged monitoring platform Socialsuite to streamline the explorer’s disclosure and reporting process for its recently adopted environmental, social and governance, or “ESG” framework. The company says there are increasing expectations on mining and exploration companies to improve ESG performance and believes the framework outlined by the World Economic Forum is the most appropriate for the explorer.

Valor Resources continues to make headway at its Picha project in southern Peru with recent channel sampling at the operation’s Ichucollo target delivering a raft of notable hits, including 12m at 1.1 per cent copper with anomalous silver. Importantly, more than 30 of the 132 channel samples delivered encouraging assays above 0.5 per cent copper with some running up just shy of 8 per cent copper and 100 grams per tonne silver.

Asra Minerals is just weeks away from completing its updated gold mineral resource estimate for its Mt Stirling project in WA’s eastern Goldfields region that will prioritise the site’s open-pit potential. The 74 square kilometre project is 20km north of Leonora and currently has a JORC-compliant resource of about 118,400 gold ounces. Asra says at least 167 holes will be included in its upcoming figure.

Podium Minerals’ Parks Reef platinum group metals project in the Mid West region of WA is looking like the gift that keeps on giving after the explorer’s latest round of RC drilling. The Perth-based company’s assay results from nine holes delivered a raft of solid strikes including 6m at 1.39 grams per tonne three-elements platinum-group metals from 177m and 2m going 2.27 g/t 3E PGM from 121m.

Okapi Resources has launched a helicopter-supported review at its wholly owned Newnham Lake and Perch projects, part of its larger Athabasca Basin uranium tenements in Canada. The work is part of a maiden exploration program including prospecting, outcrop sampling and vegetation analysis to help identify favourable structural settings for uranium mineralisation.

Galan Lithium believes it holds an “outstanding” set of well results after an initial pumping test at its wholly owned Hombre Muerto West lithium brine project in Argentina's Catamarca Province. The company says the bumper grade of greater than 910 mg/L will roll into a definitive feasibility study for the operation, earmarked for later this year for territory with a proven track record from its big-hitting neighbours.

The joint venture between DiscovEx Resources and Carnaby Resources has its sights on yet another set of compelling drill targets at its Greater Duchess copper-gold project near Mt Isa in Queensland after an aeromagnetic survey underlined a strong structural corridor between and beyond its previously defined Nil Desperandum and Lady Fanny prospects. The results form part of an exploration ramp-up at the operation.

Panther Metals has struck a series of bonanza, shallow gold hits from its Burtville East gold project near Laverton, WA, including 1m going 478 g/t gold from 28m, 1m grading 125 g/t from 34m and a further 1m at 79 g/t gold from 27m. The company says visible gold was also panned from another hole and follow-up work is now being planned.

Triangle Energy has secured a new export route for its Cliff Head oil to Asian crude markets, loading out 24,500 barrels through a newly established facility at the Port of Geraldton with another 25,000–30,000 barrels to be added in the next six weeks. The deal allows the company to move past this year’s closure of BP’s Kwinana crude oil handling centre.

Venture Minerals’ JV earn-in with Chalice Mining received a boost after Chalice defined two new nickel-copper-PGE targets through a recently completed auger soil geochemistry campaign at the duo’s South West project about 240km south of Perth in WA. The anomalies are associated with the company’s previously defined Thor target that has drawn comparisons to Chalice’s revered Julimar discovery.

BMG Resources is ploughing through the metres with two diamond holes from an eight-hole 3700m campaign nearing completion at the operation’s Capital prospect in the Wiluna region of WA’s Mid West. Visual inspection of the drill core suggests the company is closing in on intersecting the predicted extensions of the high-grade East and West gold lodes about 250m along strike.

Neometals’ joint venture partner Primobius has signed a binding co-operation agreement with a subsidiary of luxury vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz to help develop lithium-ion battery recycling solutions. The deal with German carmaker's subsidiary LICULAR is part of negotiations to design and construct a 10 tonne per day integrated battery recycling centre in southern Germany.

Strickland Metals has been given the green light to explore the main structure of its Millrose gold project near Wiluna after receiving heritage clearance from the Tarika Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation in addition to program of work approval from the West Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. The company can now focus on several high-priority areas along strike of the main 13km structure.

St George Mining’s maiden drilling program at its Paterson copper-gold project in WA’s east Pilbara region is in full swing with three more drill holes returning encouraging signs. The explorer says the lithologies intersected in all three drill holes appear consistent with those known to host major copper-gold deposits in the Paterson province.

Empire Energy has started the much-awaited fracking of its Carpentaria-2H well, the longest horizontal well drilled in the Beetaloo sub-basin as it attempts to unlock the potential of the prospective multi-trillion cubic feet NT gas play. The company has pumped the first of a 25-stage frack in its 1250m-long hydraulic stimulation program it is planning for last year’s C-2H gas discovery.

They say if you want to go elephant hunting you must go to elephant country and when talking mineral endowment, Mongolia is clearly elephant country. The ridiculous scale of Rio Tinto’s part-owned Oyu Tolgoi mine is just one truly biblical example and Xanadu Mines is also turning heads in the country with its Kharmagtai project, now thought to be one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold resources controlled by a junior explorer.