Public Company News

ASX-listed gold explorer and producer Calidus Resources has enjoyed success with the drill bit in a maiden RC program at Spear Hill in the Pilbara – for lithium, not gold. The discovery was made by Calidus’ part-owned Pirra Lithium. Significant intercepts included 2 metres at 1.11 per cent lithium oxide from 19m and 2m at 1.09 per cent from 5m.

Valor Resources has extended the surface uranium mineralisation of its Surprise Creek project in Canada to a strike length of almost 400m after receiving results from field work conducted last month. The program completed in October revealed five targets with a maximum scintillometer reading of 65,535 counts per second whilst a number of additional areas tested showed results of more than 10,000 cps.

Kairos Minerals has identified significant new lithium soil anomalies at its Roe Hills project in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The lithium hits are near Kairos’s 2.6km long Black Cat lithium soil anomaly where preparations for drilling are well advanced. The company says Black Cat appears to have the same geology as the nearby Manna deposit, 20 per cent of which sold for $60 million in October.

Meeka Metals has reported strong oxide gold mineralisation from shallow drilling of a new area of its St Anne’s deposit of the company’s Murchison gold project, north-east of Meekatharra in WA. The campaign’s highlights include 16 metres at 3.48 grams per tonne from 48m, including 8m going 6.17 g/t gold and 12m at 2.48 g/t gold from 76m including 8m grading 3.55 g/t gold.

The US federal government has provided the Utah Geological Survey with a US$300,000 grant to study American West Metals' West Desert project near Salt Lake City. The project boasts large resources of commodities critical to the new energy push including zinc and copper and indium and the work is aimed at providing the necessary know-how to sniff out similar deposits.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has completed a first-pass sampling campaign across its Pianto project near Menzies in WA’s Goldfields region that will be tested for multi-elements including gold and lithium. The reconnaissance geochemistry program saw the company collect 315 auger samples that will test the company’s “gold-in-granite” exploration model and identify targets for follow up exploration.

Aruma Resources has intersected multiple pegmatites over a 1500m strike length in its latest drilling at the Mt Deans lithium-rubidium project. RC drilling was conducted over the pegmatite swarm where previous drilling returned grades up to 1.14 per cent lithium and 1.05 per cent rubidium. The company says current drilling intersected visual lithium mineralisation identified as the mineral lepidolite.

Aurum Resources is one step closer to beginning exploration on its Ryans Find gold project north-east of Southern Cross after signing a heritage agreement with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie Native Title Claimant Group. The agreement is the first step in gaining heritage clearance for the site that will allow the company’s planned air-core drilling program to commence. The programme of works for the campaign has already been approved by the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.

Northern Minerals has secured a $3.9 million refund from the ATO as part of the Federal Government’s research and development tax offset scheme for a suite of activities completed at its Browns Range pilot plant project in the Pilbara. The reimbursement follows ongoing trial beneficiation and hydrometallurgical work that is aiming to further the company’s expertise in the processing of its heavy rare earths.

Mineral Explorer Si6 Metals has wrapped up a 119-hole, 5636m air-core drilling program at its Monument gold project in WA’s Goldfields region where the company is already sitting on a 3.3 million tonn

Askari Metals has kicked off a soil auger drilling and rock sampling program at the company’s freshly acquired Myrnas Hill lithium project in WA’s Pilbara region to define priority target areas for follow-up exploration. The campaign will collect more than 600 samples in areas of interest marked by a hyperspectral survey and Askari’s own geological target generation.

St George Mining has moved quickly to top up its landholding at its Mt Alexander project near Leonora following the discovery of lithium mineralisation during its maiden drill program adding an exploration licence to its portfolio and lodging an application for a prospecting licence. Both tenements are neighbouring St George’s Jailbreak prospect where the company currently has an aggressive drilling program underway.