Public Company News

Results from new metallurgical testwork on sample material from the 132N and Munda nickel deposits at ASX-listed Neometals’ Mt Edwards nickel sulphide project in WA’s world-class Widgiemooltha nickel province are said to have confirmed the project’s potential to deliver commercially acceptable nickel concentrates. The presence and recoverability of palladium from the deposits also points to a possible additional revenue source.

Oar Resources appears to have grown the target area of its exciting Gibraltar kaolin-halloysite find on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia after identifying new zones of bright-white kaolin away from the initial discovery, including a large 5km-by-2.5km zone associated with granite basement rocks to the south-west. Initial XRF analysis has highlighted a 5m section going at 80 ISO-B brightness from 17m with results from more detailed XRD analysis pending.

ASX-listed base and precious metals explorer PolarX is aiming to get a drill rig into action soon at its Humboldt Range silver-gold project in Nevada, USA, after outlining several substantial, high-grade epithermal silver-gold anomalies at its Fourth of July claims. A major 3.5km-long anomaly has been identified grading up to 186g/t silver in the soils and with rock-chips going at more than 1,000g/t silver and 10g/t gold.

Aruma Resources has sniffed out a trio of encouraging historical shallow gold hits from drilling carried out almost a quarter of a century ago at its Scotia South gold project about 60km south of Norseman in WA. The intercepts were 7m grading 2.71 g/t gold from 36m including 5m at 3.48 g/t, 3m going at 3.02 g/t from 9m and 1m at 5.6 g/t from 51m down-hole.

ASX-listed explorer Venus Metals has launched into an air-core drilling campaign at its Henderson gold-nickel project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia where it is targeting structurally controlled gold associated with two fault zones crossing the tenure. Several historical gold operations believed to be related to the faults lie near the project including a 322,000-ounce resource just 15km away.

High purity alumina hopeful Altech Chemicals has set up a dedicated research, development and testwork laboratory in Perth as it looks to refine its graphite and silicon particle battery materials HPA coating technology. The company says the almost fully operational laboratory, previously occupied by an environmental consulting business, has been in a commissioning phase since May this year and was easily converted to meet its requirements.

Galan Lithium’s share price has touched an all-time high after a second look at its pond design determined it might be able to squeeze up to 25,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent annually out its Hombre Muerto West lithium brine project in South America’s renowned Lithium Triangle, rather than the originally contemplated 20,000 tonnes per annum.

WA-based technology company Neometals has announced a key step in its lithium-ion battery recycling efforts, with commissioning of a demonstration plant with its German joint venture partner. Its unique recycling process aims to recover cobalt, nickel, lithium and copper from spent batteries for reuse. Demonstration plant results will inform the joint venture’s decision to develop a commercial recycling plant.

ASX-listed heavy rare earth explorer and producer Northern Minerals has kicked off vital resource drilling at its advanced Browns Range project in WA’s north. The planned 12,000m of reverse circulation drilling is aimed at defining new resources and reserves ahead of next year’s project bankable feasibility study and final investment decision on a commercial-scale operation.

Estrella Resources has served up several nickel-copper sulphide hits at its exciting T5 discovery near the historical Carr Boyd Rocks mine north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Results include 13.4 metres at 1.3 per cent nickel and 0.4 per cent copper from 392m. The company plans to test the extent of the T5 basal contact which hosts the mineralisation at T5 and Carr Boyd Rocks.

Extensional RC drilling by ASX-listed Kingwest Resources has delivered a slew of cracking high-grade gold hits in auriferous shoots outside the existing mineral resource at its multi-deposit Menzies gold project in WA. The pick of the new intersections from the recently completed program was 26m at an average grade of 4.56 grams per tonne gold from 158m including 2m at 49.49 g/t from 169m.

Kula Gold says it has achieved a “major technical breakthrough” in its hunt for significant new Archean lode-style gold deposits in unexplored terrane next to gold mines between Southern Cross and Nevoria in WA that have underpinned regional production of 15 million ounces of gold at grades between 3 and 5 grams per tonne. Drilling has picked up Archean greenstones where none were previously mapped.