Matt Birney

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.