Public Company News

ASX-listed Lithium Universe has joined forces with the traditional landowners of the site near Québec City in Canada where the company is planning to construct its Bécancour Lithium Refinery. Management has formed a joint committee with the W8banaki Nation’s tribal council to assist with site impact assessment and the construction of the facility while it completes a definitive feasibility study for the project.

St George Mining has beefed up its in-country leadership in Brazil – and its environmental credentials – by securing a pair of renowned niobium experts as it completes the acquisition of the high-grade, niobium-rich Araxá rare earths project in the State of Minas Gerais. The company says its new appointments add a combined four decades worth of experience in managing mining operations in Brazil.

Chariot Corporation has struck some intriguing mineralisation during exploration at its Black Mountain project in the United States, suggesting it may be homing in on a high-grade lithium source, which early evidence suggests may be lurking beneath. The company has confirmed the presence of rubidium in feldspar crystals, which is often a pathfinder to lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) mineralisation, with high ratios of potassium-to-rubidium being a further source of encouragement.

Thunderbird Resources has kicked off its maiden drilling campaign for uranium in Canada’s world-renowned Athabasca Basin. The initial 2400m program will test five high-priority basement-hosted targets at the company’s flagship Hidden Bay project. Hidden Bay sits within 40km of two of the Athabasca’s – and consequently the world’s – most successful uranium mines, Cigar Lake and Rabbit Lake.

Legend Mining is preparing the diamond drill bit after identifying six important electromagnetic geophysical nickel-copper conductors at its Octagonal prospect within Western Australia’s Fraser Range. The company believes its newly-discovered conductors relate to and potentially extend the mineralised eastern margin of the Octagonal intrusive – part of its Rockford project – where previous drilling has already delivered multiple nickel-copper sulphide intercepts.

Oil and gas explorer 88 Energy is expecting imminent results on oil samples from the Hickory-1 discovery well at its flagship Phoenix project in Alaska, with a contingent resource estimate expected before year’s end. The oil sample tests are expected to help the company’s commercialisation planning at Phoenix and results are expected to be returned this financial quarter.

In this week’s edition of Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits, we examine some of the notable drill intersections revealed on the ASX, including Mako Gold’s 7m at 5.39g/t gold from 87m at its Napié project in Côte d’Ivoire. We also take a close look at other drill hits from last week as reported by Sunshine Metals in Queensland and West African Resources in Burkina Faso.

Larvotto Resources has cited China’s recent decision to install export bans on antimony as a key reason behind its 100 per cent share price surge and increased trading volumes since Friday’s ASX market open. However, the company has also made its own luck, purchasing the Hillgrove mine in NSW six months ago for $8 million, including a $5 million environmental bond.

Javelin Minerals has identified a host of copper-gold exploration targets at its Coogee project in the St Ives goldfield in Western Australia after independent and collaborative reviews of reprocessed geophysical and other data. Recently-defined drill sites include a gold-copper target indicated by a high-intensity magnetic anomaly 300m north of the Coogee open pit and potentially down-dip from the company’s Coogee North mineralisation.

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.

Hot on the heels of kicking off the oil well pad construction at the Rafael Shallow 1 project in Western Australia’s Canning Basin earlier this week, Buru Energy has named David Maxwell as the company’s new chairman. Maxwell will replace retiring chairman and founding shareholder Eric Streitberg, who is regarded as an industry stalwart after compiling a 50-year career.

Novo Resources has opened the gates to further exploration activities at its priority Bamboo and Miralga projects in Western Australia’s East Pilbara region after securing a key Aboriginal heritage agreement. The agreement with traditional landowners will facilitate the company’s exploration activities across some 1500 square kilometres of its East Pilbara titles and will include non-ground-disturbing surface work such as mapping and geochemistry.