Public Company News

Northern Minerals is ramping up rare earths output at its Browns Range pilot plant in the East Kimberley region of WA to steady state levels to assess the quality of the rare earth carbonate produced. Data collected from the production of 7.2 tonnes of rare earth carbonate to date has provided the company with a better understanding of its ability to produce rare earths at the required specification.

Great Southern Mining has stepped on the gas and will fast-track a program of infill and extensional drilling at its emerging Mon Ami gold project near Laverton in the north eastern Goldfields region of WA. The work aims to rapidly expand the current 59,000 ounce resource by drilling down-dip to the west, down-plunge to the north and along strike up to 1km south of the existing resource.

Lithium Australia has initiated the next stage of development for its LieNA spodumene processing technology after preliminary R&D showed that further work on the process was warranted. The process seeks to recover lithium from spodumene without the need for expensive, energy-hungry roasting by using a caustic solution to leach the lithium from spodumene and recover it as lithium phosphate.

Canadian conglomerate gold specialist Novo Resources has reported encouraging and consistent gold grades averaging 2.55g/t from a regional, bulk sampling program at its Beatons Creek gold project near Nullagine in WA. The current mineral resource sits at 8.38 million tonnes grading 2.47g/t gold for 667,000 ounces and will be updated this quarter using the bulk sampling results and a new 3D geological interpretation.

Caravel Minerals has confirmed a new geological model for the flagship Bindi deposit, located near Perth in WA, after drilling multiple new zones of copper sulphide mineralisation up to 202 metres wide grading 0.31% copper at its namesake project. The company will use the new data to update the mineral resource model and estimate for the Bindi deposit later this quarter.

Spectrum Metals has started spinning the drill bit at its new Penny West project in the Murchison mining district, one of the highest grade open pit gold mines ever worked in Western Australia. The 4500 metre maiden drill campaign is primarily aimed at defining and extending the mineralised envelope below the Penny West open pit. Final assay results are expected during April.

PharmAust has kicked-off its highly-anticipated Phase I clinical trials for its flagship anti-cancer drug Monepantel in dogs using the first batch of 2000 tablets manufactured to its new and better-tasting formulation. The initial component of the trial is designed to validate the performance of the drug in different dietary settings that dogs may encounter at home. First results are expected in the middle of March this year.

Artemis Resources has been granted the key Armada prospect tenement in the emerging Paterson Range copper-gold province in the eastern Pilbara region of WA that surrounds Greatland Gold’s spectacular new Havieron discovery on three sides. The company recently outlined multiple exploration targets on the tenement from a geophysical interpretation of a high-resolution, aeromagnetic survey.

Tyranna Resources has completed infill drilling at the mothballed Eureka gold project near Kalgoorlie and is in discussions with nearby processing mills for the sale of ore from potential mining at the project. The in-pit drilling campaign was aimed at confirming the continuity and grade of the mineralisation directly below the open pit floor to support the company’s plan to recommence open pit mining at the project.

Azumah Resources has confirmed the presence of a large mineralised system for the Bepkong East Lode of its flagship Wa gold project in Ghana after intersecting a 99.5 metre zone @ 2.16g/t gold from 316m down-hole that includes higher grade results of 10m @ 5.01g/t gold from 369m and 8.5m @ 5.82g/t gold from 406m. This provides further support for a potential future underground mining operation at Bepkong.

Connected IO is looking to tap into the growing internet of things market, where global spending could pass the USD$1 trillion mark by 2022 as businesses become aware of its potential to cut costs and provide improved data for decisions. Connected IO reported total cash receipts of AUD$560,000 in the second quarter of the 2019 financial year, up 26% over the previous quarter.

Nusantara Resources has kicked off a program of deep exploratory diamond drilling at the Puncak Selatan prospect, adjacent to its flagship Awak Mas gold resource on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The work follows on from impressive surface trenching results and is aimed at expanding the optimised limits of the proposed Awak Mas open pit, potentially increasing the project’s mine life and economics.