James Pearson

White Cliff Minerals has dished up more promising rock-chip samples from a maiden program at its Great Bear Lake project in Canada, including hits of up to 42 per cent copper, 17.4g/t gold and 716g/t silver. Management believes the discovery of consistent high-grade copper, gold and silver occurrences across a relatively small portion of the project underscores the district's significance.

Allup Silica has beefed up the leadership team tasked with producing a prefeasibility study on its mineral sands project in Western Australia's Eucla Basin by installing Simon Finnis as its new managing director. The company has also added experienced mineral sands operator Peter Secker as a non-executive director as it ramps up its plans to develop the McLaren valuable heavy mineral sands project.

Latitude 66 has found evidence of high-grade gold hits after digging through historical data from its K8 target in northern Finland and says the findings support the company’s previous strong assay results and is further evidenced through recent geophysical work at the site. The data was previously compiled from drilling campaigns run by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and former project owner Belvedere Resources.

Aruma Resources has acquired three new projects featuring copper and uranium in South Australia and Queensland, adding to the company’s three-project rare earths and lithium portfolio in Western Australia. The new projects include the Wilan iron oxide-copper-gold-uranium project on SA’s Olympic Dam doorstep and the Queensland-based Fiery Creek copper play and Bortala copper operation that both sit within the State’s Mt Isa region.

Horizon Minerals is wasting no time getting the diggers to work at its Phillips Find gold project near Coolgardie in WA following a recent merger with Greenstone Resources. A joint venture agreement has been finalised with BML Ventures to mine 200,000 of ore, which will be toll treated at the nearby Greenfields Mill during the next 11 months to produce almost 15,000 ounces of gold.

Radiopharm Theranostics has banked US$2 million from American medical giant Lantheus for the sale of two preclinical antibody assets that target and help to diagnose aggressive cancers. Lantheus is also set to tip in a further US$5 million via a placement at 5c a share – a 42 per cent premium to today’s price – with an option for another US$5 million investment within six months.

Meeka Metals has appointed top-gun mine site executive Matthew O’Hara to lead the construction phase for its 100 per cent-owned flagship Murchison gold project in Western Australia’s Mid West region. The company has today confirmed that funding is imminent, site environmental permits have been secured and a bigger-than-planned ball mill will be delivered by September, bringing the project another step closer to production.

Strickland Metals 40m step out with the drill rig at its Warmblood prospect near Wiluna has paid big dividends after the company nailed the down plunge extension of the higher up mineralisation. Management says it can now track the strike extent of the mineralisation at Warmblood covering a 1.4km trend and notably, the grade appears to be increasing at depth.

Buru Energy has significantly increased the contingent resource estimate for its Rafael discovery in Western Australia’s onshore Canning Basin, with a 3D seismic survey boosting the company’s projected gas and condensate volumes. Key findings have revealed that the gross recoverable 1C volumes have risen to 85 billion cubic feet of gas and 1.8 million barrels of condensate, enhancing management’s hopes of pursuing an LNG development.