Doug Bright

Aurumin Limited's first RC drilling program, along with pulp re-sampling of old holes, has thrown up some high-grade iron hits at its Central Sandstone project in WA’s Mid West region, including a best 10m at 62% iron. The 2000m drilling campaign across two of Aurumin’s three granted mining leases was co-funded as part of private company Newcam Mineral’s due diligence before exercising its option to enter a joint venture with Aurumin.

Neometals has responded to the current heady gold prices and somewhat lukewarm battery metals market with a strategic re-evaluation of its Barrambie gold project in WA’s Murchison region. The company says it has identified “a compelling opportunity” to use its in-house expertise, infrastructure, strategic position and existing Barrambie exploration target to bring a gold prospect to a decision to mine status in the second half of 2026.

American West Metals has entered into a partnership and funding agreement for the development of its 2200-square-kilometre Storm copper project in Nunavut, Canada, which will underpin the project’s long-term future. The binding agreement with Ocean Partners Holdings includes an US$2M (A$3.32M) private placement, provision of up to 80% of initial capital for project development and Ocean Partners’ offtake of 100% of the project’s copper and silver production.

Aurumin has launched a 1250m reverse circulation drilling program at the 64,700-ounce Gwendolyn gold deposit in its Johnson Range project, between Southern Cross and Sandstone. The validation and infill campaign is the first drilling undertaken since 2013 at the 803,000-tonne, 2.51g/t resource and, in the current heady gold price market, it has the potential to prove up an impeccably timed resource development opportunity.

Aurum Resources will kick off a maiden diamond drill program this month at its newly acquired Boundiali South tenement in Cote d’Ivoire to pursue some big hits from previous reverse circulation drilling, including a 20m intercept at 10.45 grams per tonne (g/t) gold. With government approvals on track, Aurum sees no further impediment to future exploration or obtaining mining rights for the prospect.

Novo Resources will launch a 2000m reverse circulation drilling program this month at Tibooburra in northwestern NSW to test high grade gold results from soil and rock chip geochemistry and other exploration. Recent surface sampling at the Clone prospect produced results of 89.6g/t and 41.9g/t gold in mullock around old workings and 31.4g/t and 10.4g/t gold from quartz vein outcrop along a 700m strike.

St George Mining has delivered a maiden resource estimate for its Araxa carbonatite-hosted niobium and rare earths deposit from the world’s premier niobium-producing region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The estimate comprises a globally significant deposit containing 280,000 tonnes of niobium pentoxide and 1.7 million tonnes of total rare earth oxides, which are both in high global demand.

Meeka Metals has installed its newly acquired 750kW per hour ball mill at its 1.2-million-ounce Murchison gold project development, 50km north of Meekatharra in the Murchison Goldfields in Western Australia. The ball mill is arguably the heart of the processing plant, and its installation is sure to be celebrated, although it is but one item in Meeka’s dizzying inventory.

Aurum Resources has taken a key step towards the establishment of an open pit mining operation at its Boundiali project in Cote d’Ivoire following the appointment of local specialist consultancy firm Envitech to undertake an environmental and social impact study of the venture. The study will cover five deposits within the company’s BD, BM and BST (Nyangboue) licences, which make up three of the company’s four tenement areas.

Strickland Metals has added 143,400 ounces of gold to the combined mineral resource for its Horse Well camp, boosting its resource to 4.68 million tonnes at a respectable 1.94 grams per tonne for 291,500 ounces. Combined with the 108,900 ounce Dusk ‘til Dawn deposit, the update lifts the total Yandal project inferred resource to an imposing 8.17 million tonnes at 1.52 g/t gold tonne for 400,400 ounces of gold.

Strickland Metals has reinforced its drilling capacity at its Rogozna gold-base metals project in southern Serbia with the addition of a fifth rig, which has already begun work at its Obradov Potok prospect. Coincident multi-element gold-arsenic soil and an induced polarisation anomaly with surface hydrothermal alteration were identified at the 4sqkm prospect, which is 3.5km southwest of the company’s 5.3-million-ounce gold equivalent Shanac gold resource.

Aurum Resources has spectacularly ticked another box in a recent string of gold hits at its Boundiali project in Cote d'Ivoire, with an 83m best run assaying 4.87g/t gold from 106m at the company’s BD Target 1. Two runs in Aurum’s primary 83m intercept jagged 6.29m at 34.94g/t gold and 8m at 14.81 g/t gold.

BMG Resources will accelerate its exploration efforts at the company’s Bullabulling and Invincible gold projects in WA, motivated by high gold prices and recent nearby acquisitions by two big-name mining investors. Both projects contain favourable gold mineralisation in big structures, which they share with other significant projects being advanced by Mark Creasy and Tim Goyder.

Greentech Metals has entered into binding agreements for two of its non-core exploration licences and a single prospecting licence, which will allow the company to focus on its nearby Whundo copper project. The adjoining tenements include one prospecting licence that is yet to be granted and enclose a total 930ha. The deal allows buyer Errawarra Resources to consolidate prospective ground around its 363ha Elizabeth Hill silver mine lease.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has completed a maiden reverse circulation drilling program to test its recent Lighthorse gold discovery at the company’s Pinjin project, 140km northeast of Kalgoorlie. KalGold drilled 16 holes along three 100m-spaced lines for 2446m to a maximum downhole depth of 222m. The laboratory assays are now being fast-tracked.

Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits examine some notable drill intercepts revealed on the ASX this week, including Axel REE’s 8m hit going 13,604ppm TREO from 55m at its Caladao project in Brazil. Other interesting intercepts were reported by Resouro Strategic Metals from its Tiros project in Brazil and Caspin Resources’ Bygoo tin project in NSW.

Novo Resources is set to kick off a maiden air core drilling program before month’s end to test a promising part of the Sholl Shear in its Balla Balla gold project in WA’s West Pilbara region. The program will target structurally complex zones in and near the shear. The ancient fertile structure is one of four main fault and shear zones that make the region ripe for exploration.

Aurum Resources has scored another big hit from its Boundiali project in Côte d'Ivoire, intercepting 9m at 24.61g/t gold from 221m, including 4m at 54.64g/t from 222m. The 4m hit includes 1.3m going 156.61g/t gold. The discovery was made in one diamond hole put into the company’s BM Target 3. A second hole intercepted 2.68m assaying 10.94g/t gold from 45.7m, including 1.68m running 16.88g/t.

Red Metal’s first scout diamond drill hole at its Bluebush silver-lead-zinc prospect in northwest Queensland has delivered 73m at 9g/t silver, including a 12m hit at 19g/t silver. The runs include base metal hits, with the 73m interval assaying 990ppm lead and 256ppm zinc from 301m and the 12m assaying 2446ppm lead and 780ppm zinc from 362m.

Larvotto Resources has bought a homestead and wedding venue near its Hillgrove antimony-gold project in NSW to comfortably house and support a growing permanent workforce. Larvotto will pay $3m in cash plus $600,000 in shares for the 95-bed property. The company aims to start production at the mine in early 2026.

Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits this week examines some notable intercepts revealed on the ASX, including Rox Resources’ hit in Western Australia of 6m at 19.08g/t gold from 220m, including 3m at 36.87g/t from 221m. Koba Resources also reported good results at its Yarramba uranium project in South Australia and Ausgold Limited struck gold at its Katanning gold project in WA’s Wheatbelt.

Strickland Metals has launched a 50,000-metre diamond drilling program, the biggest yet at its Rogozna gold and base metals project, in the giant Tethyan Metallogenic Belt in southern Serbia’s Raška district. The campaign aims to expand the existing combined 6.69-million-ounce gold equivalent resource at Rogozna and if possible, improve grades and iron-out grade variation and spatial distribution in its resource models.

Terrain Minerals is busy pursuing three gold projects, including two in WA’s Mid West region and a newish gold project in Queensland, along with gallium, rare earths and nickel-copper plays on the go in WA. It is currently planning new drilling campaigns for the three gold targets.

This week’s Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits examines some notable drill intercepts revealed on the ASX, including Mithril Silver and Gold’s 4.95m intercept in Mexico assaying 20.5g/t gold and 1833g/t silver. Variscan Mines’ San Jose Mine in Spain and Redcastle Resources’ Queen Alexandra project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields also reported some interesting drill hits.

Meeka Metals’ reverse circulation drilling west of its current Turnberry South stage one open pit design has nailed a string of gold runs with a best intercept of 21m at 5.13g/t gold, including 5m going 15.65g/t. The top intercept was obtained from 51m. With most other hits from less than 83m downhole, the new shallow high-grade zone will likely justify westward expansion of the pit design.

ABx Group is examining its options to monetise its bauxite projects - the biggest gibbsite-type bauxite deposits in eastern Australia - to capitalise on increasing bauxite prices and supply shortages. The company is in talks about potential offtake deals, direct investment and asset purchases and is also updating its resource figures and mine studies to support the earliest possible start to production.

Quantum Graphite and its JV partner Sunlands Energy have received a big federal government tick that will help develop the companies’ graphite hub on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. The hub will support the biggest commodity-focussed graphite supply chain between Australia and the US, centred around Quantum’s flagship Uley 2 graphite project and using Sunlands’ associated manufacturing, logistics and inventory management facilities.

Uranium American Resources is making a strategic pivot from its gold-silver focus in the US State of Nevada under its old Tonogold Resources shingle, with a rebrand reflecting the company’s greener uranium and vanadium focus. The company last year acquired three low-risk west-central US projects known for their historic uranium and vanadium production, which are also close to relevant mines and processing plants.

This edition of Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits examines some notable drill intercepts revealed on the ASX, including Tanami Gold’s Central Tanami project in the Northern Territory, which intersected 3.80m at 268.34g/t gold from 317m. James Bay Minerals’ Independence gold project in Nevada, Lode Resources’ Montezuma antimony project in Tasmania and Titan Minerals’ Dynasty gold-silver project in Ecuador also reported interesting drill hits.

Lindian Resources has signed a milestone works contract for an access road and civil works at its Kangankunde rare earths project, saying the deal shows the strength of the Malawi-based project. The US$1.3m contract is the first to be awarded to advance the project and includes primary highway access, internal access and other site works.

Neometals Ltd has launched a maiden drilling campaign at its Barrambie project in WA’s Barrambie Greenstone Belt, where records indicate more than 27,000 ounces of gold were produced at an average grade of 27.8 grams per tonne. From reviews of multiple historic mine records, Neometals estimates an initial project exploration target of between 8 million tonnes at 1.3g/t and 10.5mt at 2.3g/t for 335,000 and 775,000 ounces of gold respectively.

St George Mining has engaged one of the world’s leading authorities in niobium ore processing, Ricardo Maximo Nardi, to its high-grade niobium-rare earths Araxá project in Brazil’s Minas Gerais region. Nardi comes to the project with more than 30 years of experience in processing high-purity niobium oxide and its typical by-products, including barite, magnetite, phosphate and rare earth elements.