Matt Birney

ASX-listed Buru Energy has spudded the onshore Currajong 1 exploration oil well targeting 28 million barrels of conventional oil in the Canning Basin in the north of Western Australia. A second well, Rafael 1, targeting 69 million barrels of oil is set to follow with a seismic program to define new prospects for future drilling also on the horizon.

Native Mineral Resources is to focus exploration on its core Music Well gold project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia and its Palmerville copper project in North Queensland after divesting its non-core Mt Morgan copper-gold project south of Rockhampton in Queensland to ASX-listed GBM Resources. The two core projects have been delivering bumper grade samples including 129 grams per tonne gold at Music Well.

Aldoro Resources is poised to kick-off drilling at its Narndee project, east of Paynes Find in Western Australia. The company owns a strategic ground holding over the underexplored terrane, with recent work outlining two high-priority nickel-copper-PGE targets that have now been flagged for drill testing in addition to the recent discovery of a potential lithium-bearing pegmatite swarm on the company’s nearby Windimurra tenure.

Technology Metals Australia’s two-step strategy to bring its Yarrabubba magnetite iron ore and vanadium project south of Meekatharra in Western Australia to life ahead of developing its nearby Gabanintha vanadium project, said to be one of the highest-grade undeveloped vanadium deposits in the world, is motoring along. The company has progressed a suite of activities as a definitive feasibility study on Yarrabubba nears completion.

ASX-listed Troy Resources has attracted global gold major Barrick Gold Corp into its large Karouni gold project in Guyana. A new joint venture agreement will see Barrick target tier-one gold finds in the southern part of Troy’s ground, including around the exciting Potaro prospect, while the Australian company continues to explore and develop in the north.

Alaskan oil and gas explorer/developer 88 Energy now has a full treasury and no debt after closing the recently flagged early sale of state oil and gas tax credits worth US$18.7 million to a US company. 88 Energy now has about A$15m in the tin to accelerate exploration in Alaska where it is targeting more than one billion barrels of gross mean prospective oil resources.

Neometals has taken the shrewd step of demerging its Mt Edwards nickel sulphide project near Kambalda in Western Australia into a new company, Widgie Nickel, which will seek to list on the ASX. Management says the move will benefit shareholders by providing a dedicated nickel-focused entity to advance Mt Edwards, whilst Neometals can focus on its core battery recycling and vanadium extraction businesses.

Aruma Resources is set to increase its tenement holdings at its Saltwater gold project in WA’s Pilbara region. Its application for an adjoining exploration licence covers the “prospective” Spinifex dome structure north-west of the project’s fertile Saltwater structure. The company’s recent drilling at Saltwater points to what it suggests is a potential new gold camp analogous to Kalamazoo Resources’ Mt Olympus gold deposit to the west.

Lithium Australia has confirmed exploration asset sale and joint venture terms with fledgling base and precious metal explorer Charger Metals, which has obtained conditional approval to list on the ASX after its $6 million IPO closed oversubscribed. Lithium Australia will retain 30 per cent of three JV exploration projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Ora Banda Mining’s retiring managing director David Quinlivan has officially handed over the MD’s baton to Peter Nicholson, who has been in the CEO’s chair for the past three months. Mr Quinlivan will now switch to being a non-executive director of the company. The executive leadership transition comes after Mr Quinlivan played an instrumental role in reviving Ora Banda’s Davyhurst mine about 120km north-west of Kalgoorlie.

Classic Minerals has hit paydirt at Kat Gap in Western Australia with infill and extensional drilling across its evolving resource area intersecting uber high-grade gold mineralisation. Results include the company’s best ever intercept of an impressive 10 metres at 40.54 grams per tonne gold. That drill hit featured an interval of 0.5m going at an astonishing 592 g/t from only 26.5m down-hole.

ASX-listed Venture Minerals has been buoyed by star stock market performer and joint venture partner Chalice Mining’s newly identified electromagnetic anomalies at the so-called “Julimar look-alike” target at the duo’s South West nickel-copper-PGE project about 240km south of Perth. Punters responded positively to the initial EM anomalies defined by Chalice’s early work, pushing Venture’s share price up almost 15 per cent in trading today.

Lithium Australia has announced that it has been granted a European patent for its in-house LieNA lithium processing technology, said to significantly improve metallurgical recovery of lithium from fine and low-grade spodumene for use in the production of lithium-ion batteries. Improved lithium recoveries boost profit and can reduce both the footprint and environmental impact of mining to enhance sustainability.

Neometals has delivered significant increases in contained nickel resources at its Mt Edwards project near Kambalda in WA. A bumper 51 per cent jump at the 26N deposit and 45 per cent lift for the McEwen deposits have contributed to a hike in global resources at the former mine to 162,510 contained nickel tonnes grading at an average 1.6 per cent.

Si6 Metals has identified numerous targets for drill testing along three newly confirmed geophysical anomalies at its Airstrip copper-silver prospect in eastern Botswana. Si6 is now eyeing up a drilling campaign to test the targets at depth. Historical drill hits at Airstrip include an eye-catching 8m at 10.39 per cent copper and 630 grams per tonne silver from 52m.

Okapi Resources says wet weather won’t stop the ASX-listed junior explorer completing the maiden drilling program at its Enmore gold project in New South Wales within the next two weeks. Nearly 770m in six of 8-10 planned holes have been drilled so far as the company follows up promising drill results from 20 years ago at two priority target areas.

CZR Resources has committed to a DFS on the proposed development of its Robe Mesa iron ore project in WA’s Pilbara region. The company says the study will evaluate the mining, haulage and export of Robe Mesa direct shipping ore, with the latter to also be weighed up with a port facility being developed at Beadon Creek in Onslow as an alternative to Port Hedland.

Todd River Resources has uncovered extensive nickel-copper-PGE anomalism over the Eastern Trend within its Berkshire Valley project, near the wheatbelt town of Moora in WA. Recent auger sampling over the seven kilometre long Eastern Trend has delineated two priority targets, with the anomalies returning values up to 9,300 ppm nickel, 900 ppm and 105.2 ppb platinum and palladium.

Having put a circa-50,000 ounce oxide gold resource on the table at Mt Dimer in Western Australia in May, Twenty Seven Co is now gearing up to chase a large-scale copper-gold deposit near Broken Hill on the other side of the country before having a second and third crack this year at a new gold discovery in WA.

Native Mineral Resources has reported more high-grade gold samples from an outcropping quartz vein at its 100 per cent owned Music Well project north of Leonora in Western Australia. Up to 129 g/t gold has been identified in 128 samples that carried an average 3.16 g/t gold. Native Mineral could have a diamond drill rig turning on the granite-intrusive target next month.

Estrella Resources’ aggressive approach to revitalising the old Carr Boyd nickel mine north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia has generated positive leads from two new diamond drill holes. The company says results from the holes in its ongoing drilling of the T5 nickel-copper discovery adjacent to the former mine include a 13.75m intersection of basal-contact massive and globular nickel-copper-iron sulphides.

ASX-listed WA precious and base metals explorer Podium Minerals says it has engaged a drilling contractor to complete three deep diamond holes to test for continuity of extensive near-surface platinum group metals and copper mineralisation at its Parks Reef project south-west of Meekatharra. The three holes targeting reef mineralisation about 500m below surface will be co-funded under the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme.

ASX-listed PharmAust appears to have made a breakthrough in its fight to combat canine cancer with a “phase IIb” trial of its Monepantel anti-cancer drug reportedly achieving tumour regression and increased progression-free survival in dogs. The company says the results could have significant implications for human cancer treatment and it will now fast-track to phase-three animal trials.

Ora Banda Mining has rattled off an impressive slew of high-grade drill results from the Iguana satellite gold deposit about 55km south of its Davyhurst gold production hub, 120km north-west of Kalgoorlie. Some of the stand-out intersections were 2m going at 13.6 g/t gold from 136m, 4m at 7.9 g/t from 68m, 9m at 7.6 g/t from 181m and 4m at 7.6 g/t from 84m.

Kairos Minerals has launched an aircore drilling program at its Kangan project 70km south of Port Hedland in WA’s Pilbara region as it looks to uncover an intrusion-hosted gold deposit similar to the exciting 6.8-million-ounce Hemi gold discovery only 20km to the north-west. The company’s latest round of drilling will be aimed at testing a “sizeable” gold anomaly that straddles major regional structures.

ASX-listed Infinity Lithium Corporation has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with LG Energy Solution for supply of lithium hydroxide from its proposed San Jose project in Spain. LGES is a major South Korean manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries. The San Jose project is seen as an important component in the EU’s progress towards a vertically integrated lithium-ion battery supply chain.

ASX-listed Zuleika Gold is nearing the halfway mark of a major drilling campaign at projects in the historic mining camps of the Kundana and Menzies goldfields, with results set to start flowing for more than 100 aircore and reverse circulation holes at its flagship Paradigm East project just east of ASX gold major Northern Star Resources’ Paradigm mine.

ASX-listed Calidus Resources has kicked off a round of confirmatory diamond drilling at its high-grade Blue Spec satellite underground gold deposit, which has the potential to increase annual production from its under-construction Warrawoona gold mine in WA’s East Pilbara region. The company says it will plug the diamond drilling results into a planned definitive feasibility study on Blue Spec, which lies about 75km from Warrawoona.

Barton Gold has hit the boards this morning, listing on the Australian Securities Exchange after closing its initial public offering early. The successful IPO has delivered more than $15 million into the aspiring miner’s coffers to fuel an accelerated exploration and development program across its strategic ground holdings in South Australia’s famed Gawler Craton.

Heavy rare earth price tailwinds are strengthening as Northern Minerals kicks off two months of resource drilling at Browns Range in WA’s north. The drilling, and certainly pricing, will be vital factors in new economic projections for commercial-scale beneficiation at one of the world’s most advanced "heavy" rare earths ventures. Dysprosium has surged 50 per cent since last November and terbium pricing is also heading northwards.

88 Energy has confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in core samples at depths that showed good oil flows during drilling of the Merlin-1 well at its Peregrine project in Alaska. The company is targeting a gross mean prospective resource of 645 million barrels of oil from the well. Geochemical analysis to better understand the quality of oil and its migration pathways continues.

Indiana Resources is set to begin probing the depths of its Minos gold discovery in South Australia, with diamond drilling scheduled to kick off later this week. The company says earlier rounds of shallow reverse circulation drilling have set the stage for the upcoming program, which will delve into the roots of the gold-rich system that has already returned assays of over half an ounce per tonne.