Matt Birney

Greenland Minerals now has a formal means for the Chinese processing of its rare earth concentrates from the massive Kvanefjeld project in Greenland that contains the radioactive elements uranium and thorium. This follows its largest shareholder Shenghe Resources Holding forming the China Nuclear Hua Sheng Mining joint venture with subsidiaries of China National Nuclear Corporation.

Wireline logs at Calima Energy’s first well at the revered Montney oil and gas play in Canada have returned porosities and hydrocarbon saturations comparable to those in adjacent producing wells. Analysis of the log and core data also confirmed the presence of three zones that match those already targeted by other operators in the region. The company has also spudded the first of two horizontal wells.

MGC Pharmaceuticals has secured approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration to start the Phase IIB clinical trial of its CogniCann medical cannabis treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. The company’s manufacturing facility in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has also secured a permit to extract and develop its own Phytocannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Australian Potash has hit a major milestone with the manufacture of high grade sulphate of potash at its pilot processing plant in Perth that exceeded its previous expectations of product quality. The 98% purity SOP product was generated from the first raw salt products from the pilot pond network at the company’s Lake Wells SOP project, located about 180km northeast of Laverton in the Goldfields region of WA.

Terrain Minerals plans to undertake a 650m RC drilling campaign at a priority and potentially high impact gold target under transported soil cover at the Wild-Viper project tenement north of Leonora in WA. A successful drilling program will validate the company’s structural geological model and potentially unlock the multiple targets it has identified throughout the tenement.

Kalia Limited’s preliminary interpretation of new geophysical data over its Mt Tore JV tenements located on Bougainville Island in PNG has identified intrusive geological complexes and structural pathways for potential mineralisation. Imagery produced from the survey data is being used by Kalia personnel on-site for the generation of new exploration targets.

PharmAust has received new data from Canada’s BRI Biopharmaceutical Research that a specific combination of diet and excipient could double the amount of its Monepantel anti-cancer drug that can be delivered into the bloodstream of dogs. This could increase the flexibility for dosing schedules of Monepantel and potentially simplify the treatment of canine cancers.

Nzuri Copper has extended copper mineralisation to 1.2km of strike at its Kasangasi prospect, located 20km west from the flagship Kalongwe deposit in the DRC. Results of up to 15m @ 1.07% copper from 83m down-hole were returned. The company also reported impressive cobalt results from the Monwezi 7 prospect, saying the prospect has potential to be a key, near-mine, additional source of high-grade cobalt feed.

Coolgardie Minerals has started mining the higher grade oxide ore at its Geko pit near Bullabulling in WA under the second stage of its three stage mine plan. About 260,000 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 2.23g/t gold will be mined during this stage. Ore with a grade exceeding 2.75g/t gold will be offered to Northern Star Resources under the existing ore sale agreement.

King River Resources has recovered up to 92% vanadium in heated sulphuric acid vat leaching metallurgical test work on coarse lump ores from its massive Speewah project, located near Kununurra in the Kimberley region of WA. The company says the encouraging results support the development of an alternative ore processing route for its flagship vanadium project that could drastically lower capital and operating costs.

Middle Island Resources pocketed $1.4m last week from an entitlements offer to shareholders that closed well over-subscribed in a challenging market. The funds were raised primarily for key exploration and development activities at the company’s Sandstone gold Project in WA’s Murchison region. This will include completing work on the flagship Two Mile Hill tonalite deeps deposit and diamond drilling three intriguing lookalike gravity targets nearby.

Adriatic Metals has intersected a stunning 72m long diamond drill intersection grading 18.3% zinc, 10.7% lead, 2.5g/t gold, 211g/t silver, 2.5% copper and 25% barite from 206m down-hole at its emerging Rupice prospect in Bosnia. The new result extends mineralisation 30m down-dip and down-plunge to the north. A maiden mineral resource estimate for Rupice prospect is expected in the first half of 2019.

Aspiring ASX listed satellite telco, Sky and Space Global, has signed a reseller MoU with Spanish telco Global Telesat and a trial service agreement with Brazil’s Telespazio Brasil. Global Telesat will explore how the Sky and Space’s nano-satellite based, narrow-band communications services can be incorporated into its network and improve its offering.

Artemis Resources has discovered multiple exploration targets from a geophysical interpretation of its high-resolution, aeromagnetic survey over its Armada prospect in the emerging Paterson Ranges in the eastern Pilbara of WA. Two new priority targets lie in a 6km long corridor, directly along strike and north of Greatland Gold’s spectacular new Havieron copper-gold discovery. Gravity surveys will now be undertaken to better define the highest priority targets.

ASX-listed biotech Phylogica has continued its march towards commercialisation of its potentially game-changing biological “peptide” vaccine, with the Perth company set to release results from in-vitro testing by mid-2019. Phylogica says its vaccine is able to provoke an amplified immune response against diseased tissue including viruses and cancer. The vaccine is based on technology that allows drugs to fully penetrate cell walls in order to deliver a drug payload.

Kairos Minerals has uncovered widespread gold anomalies over more than 10km strike at its emerging Croydon gold project, located about 120km southwest of Port Hedland in Pilbara region of WA. Encouraging assay results up to 1.53g/t gold were returned from stream sediment sampling, with most of the new anomalies recorded from the same rock unit that hosts Novo Resources’ 667,000 ounce Beatons Creek gold resource further east.

Spectrum Metals has generated multiple, high priority drill targets from a regional exploration auger geochemical sampling program at its newly acquired Penny West gold project, located in the Murchison mining district of WA. The company said it will drill the Columbia-Magenta prospect in the coming weeks and also target high grade gold mineralisation beneath the historic Penny West open pit shell.

Aspire Mining has reported that the expected supply and demand gap in the high quality, “fat” coking coal market in China over coming years will assist in fast tracking the development of its Ovoot coal project in north western Mongolia. The company recently finalised a $15m financing package for the project and is now debt free and fully funded through to the completion of all required feasibility studies.

Blina Minerals NL has taken an 11% shareholding in public unlisted Australian exploration company, Condamine Resources, who is developing a suite of interesting looking gold plays in New Zealand. Condamine holds 4 high grade projects in the historical Reefton Goldfield on the South Island of New Zealand and the investment by Blina will provide additional funding for Condamine to start drilling campaigns, programmed for the first half of 2019.

Image Resources has banked its first cheque from the export of heavy mineral sands concentrate from its zircon-rich Boonanarring mineral sands mine located in the North Perth Basin region of WA. The first bulk shipment of about 10,000 wet metric tonnes of concentrate was shipped from Bunbury Port this week, with payment secured via a letter of credit from Image’s Chinese off-take partner, Natfort.

Calima Energy has successfully intersected the target Montney formation in the first of three gas wells completed in British Columbia, Canada, reporting that a 230m vertical section of the rock sequence was recovered at a depth of about 1.5km below surface. The company said that elevated gas readings were encountered during the drilling program, with gas escape bubbles noted at the base of the drilling rig during operations.

Strike Energy has agreed to share the rig mobilisation costs with another Perth Basin operator to drill its exciting West Erregulla gas permit just north of Perth in WA, with the program expected to kick off in May. Recent reprocessed 3D seismic work produced gas volume estimates ranging between 607 and 1,296 billion cubic feet for the Kingia-High Cliff targets, with a best estimate of 916 bcf.

ASX listed Biotech upstart PharmAust says that its ongoing clinical research in Melbourne is demonstrating that its anti-cancer drug, Monepantel’s principle end-product, metabolite Monepantel Sulfone, retains the same biological activity as the drug itself. The metabolite shows little side effects upon healthy, non-cancerous cells and works together with Monepantel, producing a “double kick” in eliminating cancer cells. Reduced dosing treatments are envisaged for upcoming canine and human trials.

Caravel Minerals has drilled multiple zones of thick copper mineralisation at the Dasher prospect within its namesake project, located northeast of Perth in the Wheatbelt region of WA. Best intersections include 56m @ 0.53% copper from 18m down-hole and a new deeper discovery of 31.7m grading 0.42% copper from 146m down-hole that included a higher grade 13.7m section going 0.61% copper from 164m.

Metalicity has appointed Non-Executive Director Mathew Longworth as its new Chief Executive Officer to drive the company’s new focus on the exploration for copper and nickel in the sought after Paterson province of the Pilbara region in Western Australia. This follows founding Managing Director Matt Gauci’s decision to step down from his position with effect from 10 January 2019.

Rare earth element developer Greenland Minerals has chosen leading Chinese technical group BTMR Laboratories to supervise the optimisation of its Kvanefjeld project ore flotation circuit in southern Greenland, based on recent work showing recoveries above 80% and concentrate grades exceeding 22% rare earth oxide. The encouraging metallurgical results are likely to materially reduce operating and capital expenditure requirements at the massive project.

Azumah Resources has unearthed more high grade gold hits of 1m @ 140.49g/t gold from 208m down-hole and 5m @ 6.02g/t gold from 214m at the Kunche deposit of its flagship Wa project in Ghana. This has extended mineralisation at Kunche to about 200m below surface, confirming that the mineralisation of the deposit extends to depth and remains open at present

Classic Minerals has exercised an option to fully acquire two exploration licences over the prospective Kat Gap gold project at the southern end of its under-explored Forrestania gold project, near Southern Cross in WA. Drilling programs for Kat Gap will kick off later this month, to follow up on existing shallow, high-grade results and to confirm the width and tenor of historical drilling.

Alterra is laying the groundwork for the expansion of its agribusiness with the appointment of veteran agricultural executive Oliver Barnes as the incoming Managing Director to strengthen its executive team. Current Managing Director Andrew McBain will remain in his position until Mr Barnes takes up his new position in early April following a notification period, after which he will remain as an Executive Director.

Conglomerate gold developer Novo Resources has extended and expanded its non-binding 2017 MoU with Japanese heavyweight Sumitomo Corporation, to help develop its significant suite of Australian gold projects dotted throughout the Pilbara region of WA. Sumitomo has agreed to provide personnel and up to 5 billion Yen – about AUD$64.4m – to evaluate, advance and develop Novo’s vast tenement holdings into economic gold mining operations.

Venus Metals’ farm in partner Lepidico has intersected multiple lepidolite-bearing lithium pegmatites at the company’s Youanmi project tenements in the Murchison region of WA. Better results include 12 metres grading 0.68% lithium oxide from 6 metres down-hole, 2m @ 1.58% lithium oxide from 31m and 4m @ 0.76% lithium oxide from 23m.

King River Resources has discovered another high grade gold zone at its Mt Remarkable project, near Kununurra in WA. The 4m intersection at 19.88g/t gold from 21m down-hole, includes a metre at 69.3g/t gold from 21m. The same zone returned 2m @ 10.47g/t gold from 33m down-hole and 3m @ 4.29g/t gold from 27m down-hole in separate drill holes down-dip of the wider zone.