Michael Philipps

Prominent investor and prospector Mark Creasy’s Yandal Investments has entered into a subscription agreement with Zuleika Gold worth $3 million. While still subject to shareholder approval, the deal could see Yandal increase its voting power in Zuleika from 19.12 per cent up to 42.53 per cent after Mr Creasy’s company purchased 100 million shares in the explorer back in March last year.

Strickland Metals has officially kicked off a heritage survey that is focused on large-scale prospects at its Yandal and Earaheedy projects in WA, where the company has identified two priority drill targets. Management believes successful clearance of the survey will allow it to expand on an ongoing air-core drilling program at its Horse Well prospect, with both new targets offering tier-one discovery potential.

Auric Mining has produced an additional 4300 gold ounces from its second campaign at its Jeffreys Find gold mine near Norseman and expects to rake in $28 million in gross revenue from stage-one production. A maiden parcel of 36,180 tonnes has been milled at the Greenfields mill in Coolgardie at 93.04 per cent recovery, yielding 1721 gold ounces from a head grade of 1.58g/t.

Emu NL has tabled anomalous rare earths results in 33 of 34 air-core holes sunk at the company’s Condingup project near Esperance, with assays as high as 2513 parts per million total rare earth oxides (TREO).

Infinity Lithium’s bold plans for its San José project in Spain have been buoyed after the Regional Government of Extremadura revealed key stimulus measures stemming from changes to its “Lithium Decree Law”. In a further boost to the operation, management says the Federal Constitutional Court has declared exploitation of lithium resources in Extremadura as projects of “general and regional interest”.

Lindian Resources has unveiled a massive exploration target for its Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi, with the upper echelon of the figure more than three times its already-significant mineral resource. The company recently revealed its maiden mineral resource estimate for Kangankunde, outlining 261 million tonnes at an impressive grade of 2.19 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO).

Si6 Metals has kicked off a combined reverse-circulation and diamond drill campaign at its Airstrip copper-silver project – one of its three flagship operations in the African nation of Botswana. Historic drill results from Airstrip show some incredibly high-grade figures including up to 60.98 per cent copper and 2833 grams per tonne silver, which management says is associated with massive copper sulphides.

Xanadu Mines has wrapped up a massive 48,000m infill drilling campaign at its Kharmagtai copper-gold project in Mongolia and has unveiled some impressive early results from the company’s White Hill prospect. The program is aiming to provide an updated mineral resource before year’s end as Xanadu continues exploration with four diamond rigs investigating shallow targets and one drill rig targeting deep mineralisation.

ASX-listed Neometals has achieved lithium recoveries of greater than 93 per cent from trials of a new process at its Primobius hub plant, in a move expected to offer savings in both operating and capital costs. Primobius is a joint venture (JV) company owned equally by Neometals and SMS group, which has installed plants in nearly every country in the world.

Classic Minerals appears set to fully own its Forrestania gold project, south of Southern Cross in Western Australia, after it entered into an agreement with Hannans subsidiary Reed Exploration to purchase the final 20 per cent of the operation. Combined with its Kat Gap project, the company’s total resource around Forrestania comes to 8.41 million tonnes at 1.45g/t gold for 391,417 ounces.

Legend Mining has launched a high-power fixed loop electromagnetics survey to identify conductors below 600m at its Octagonal prospect that forms part of its greater Rockford project in Western Aus

Lithium Universe is one step closer to establishing its proposed Quebec lithium processing hub after appointing Primero Group as the lead manager to design its multi-purpose, stand-alone concentrator in Canada. Management says the appointment follows an extensive process to procure a contractor with suitable experience and capabilities to undertake the design of a stand-alone concentrator to process one million tonnes per year of spodumene ore.

Earlier this year, the US State of Nevada overtook Western Australia as the world’s No.1 mining jurisdiction, according to the Fraser Institute’s latest annual survey of mining companies. But just down the road, Arizona – a long-time mining frontier ¬– has also been attracting significant interest from several ASX-listed exploration companies such as Riedel Resources, Eagle Mountain Mining and Patriot Lithium.

Strickland Metals continues to deliver from drilling at its Horse Well project after recording a 39m hit at 6.1 grams per tonne gold from 25m at its Palomino prospect, including 7m going 22.2g/t gold from 45m. The latest drilling is targeting southern extensions to the Marwari target discovery hole that recorded a 31m intercept grading 5.6g/t gold from 72m.

Lindian Resources has signed a maiden sale and purchase contract with global commodity trader Gerald Metals, part of the Gerald Group, for monazite rare earths concentrate from its Kangankunde project in Malawi. Management says the deal provides for the supply and sale of 45,000 tonnes of monazite concentrate from the stage-one development of the Kangankunde operation during a five-year period.

American West Metals has hit high-grade, sediment-hosted copper in three diamond drill holes sunk at its Storm project in Canada’s Nunavut province, with the intercepts below the site’s near-surface copper deposits. Highlights show a 76m hit at 2 per cent copper from 32.4m, which included a headline grade of 49.6 per cent copper in a 0.5m slice.

American West Metals looks set to acquire an 80 per cent share of the Storm project in Canada’s Nunavut province from Aston Bay Holdings after completing its exploration spend requirement at the operation. As part of an option agreement in 2021, American West was granted the chance to grab the commanding slice of the project once exploration expenditure of C$10 million (AU$11.475 million) was completed.

Novo Resources has officially kicked off a maiden drill campaign at its Nunyerry North project that forms the southern part of its Egina gold camp in Western Australia’s Pilbara region – hot on the heels of its ASX listing on Monday. Management has planned a 2000m reverse-circulation program at the operation where it is targeting structurally-controlled gold targets and extensive gold-in-soil anomalies.

Flush with cash from an oversubscribed IPO and a $35 million deal with neighbouring mining giant De Grey Mining for its Becher project, Novo Resources Corporation has officially launched on the ASX. The successful IPO netted the company, which is also listed in Canada, $7.5 million before costs through the issue of 37.5 million common shares to Australian residents only.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has got straight down to work in a new drilling campaign at its Pinjin gold project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields, plunging two holes on the first day in a bid to mirror glittering historic results. The new program is aimed at extending thick, shear-hosted gold mineralisation at Kirgella Gift and confirming historic assays at Providence, between 300m and 500m further south.

ANSTO confirmation that mineral concentrates from Lindian Resources’ Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi are non-radioactive has delivered simpler logistics and transport options and enhanced offtake opportunities. The company has also produced concentrate grades of up to 66 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) from ore at the Malawi operation, by beneficiation using gravity and magnetic separation techniques.

Infinity Lithium subsidiary Infinity Greentech has confirmed improvements in recoveries and the successful production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide through the application of its “Li-Stream RPK” process. The company says the use of mica from its San Jose project in Spain as part of the process has the potential to herald a new European production era for lithium mica applications.

A Brightstar Resources scoping study has revealed the company will punch out an EBITDA of $153 million over an eight-year mine life at its dual Menzies and Laverton gold projects in Western Australia. The study outlines an initial target of 5.28 million tonnes at 2g/t gold for 322,617 ounces and an extraordinary pre-tax internal rate of return of 79 per cent.

ASX-listed Si6 Metals has launched a new drill program at its flagship Dibete copper-silver project in Botswana, with a 15-hole campaign set to explore untested anomalies within the site’s known oxidised zones. The company says Dibete is the first of three projects to be tested in the next four months, with its Airstrip and Malbele North sites set to be next on its exploration calendar.

Javelin Minerals looks set to put significant new impetus behind its lithium exploration and production goals in Uganda after signing a strategic takeover bid implementation agreement with Gecko Minerals. The company says Gecko directors have “unanimously” recommended shareholders back the move, which will net it two new projects in the African nation that are considered prospective for lithium.

American West Metals has unveiled bonanza copper grades at its Storm project in Canada with a 0.3m intercept at a whopping 42.8 per cent copper from 67m, in addition to identifying a new zone of mineralisation. The impressive hit was contained within 46m going 2.2 per cent from 64m, including 15.6m grading 4.2 per cent from 65m.

A significant increase in recycling division sales has doubled Lithium Australia’s annual revenue in the past financial year to $5.5 million, up from $2.5 million during the previous reporting period. Associated sales costs were also cut by $600,000 down to $4 million, resulting in a gross profit of $1.5 million for the year compared to a gross loss last year of $1.7 million.

Askari Metals has highlighted three significant mineralised corridors of anomalous lithium across a strike length of 4.6km following a successful sampling program at its Hillside project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The company says a total of 216 rock samples were collected during two separate phases of work, with peak results of 350 parts per million lithium and 170ppm lithium.

ASX-listed Horizon Minerals has its eyes on a maiden resource for its Pinner prospect near Kalgoorlie after revealing positive results from an infill drilling program at its Greater Boorara-Cannon gold project. The company completed 26 holes of both air-core (AC) and reverse-circulation (RC) drilling through 1259m across its Pinder and Monument prospects to support its assessment of small-scale open-cut mining.

Horizon Minerals has moved to monetise its non-core assets after entering into a binding option and sale deed with Dundas Minerals for the former’s Baden Powell/Scotia and Windanya gold projects near Kalgoorlie. The option covers all mineral rights in 16 prospecting licenses, two mining leases and one mining lease application, across 3230 hectares about 45km north of Kalgoorlie.

An updated scoping study by PolarX for its Alaska Range copper-gold play shows a total EBITDA of US$573 million over a 9.5-year mine life at a post-construction average annual free cash flow of US$53 million. The positive study shows mining and processing are scheduled to begin with an open-pit operation at the company’s Caribou Dome site, followed by underground mining at its Zackly deposit.

Terrain Minerals has identified multiple zones of gallium mineralisation at its Smokebush project in Western Australia’s Mid West region, less than a month after the metal sent another explorer’s share price rocketing. Drill results at the company’s Rabbit Warren and Paradise City prospects were of comparable grade to the Arizona assays that saw Gold 50’s stock jump 146 per cent.