Public Company News

Thunderbird Resources has levelled its sole focus on its prospective portfolio of uranium projects in Canada’s world-class Athabasca Basin after turning its back on a pair of lithium projects in Ontario. Following a strategic review of its operations, the company is adamant it will get “more bang for its buck” by using its available financial and human resources across fewer projects.

Alma Metals plans to soon begin a core-drilling program to upgrade and expand the copper-molybdenum resource at its flagship Briggs project that sits about 60km from the deep-water port of Gladstone in Queensland. In a vote of confidence for the project, newly-appointed contractor iDrilling will take $240,000 of its fees in Alma shares priced at 1.2c – a 33 per cent premium to the existing price.

A geophysical data review at Reach Resources’ Wabli Creek project in WA’s Gascoyne region has identified a magnetic intrusive it believes may be linked to the source of niobium, yttrium and rare earths mineralisation. The target is coincident with previous high-grade results from eluvial samples and soil geochemical anomalies including 32 per cent niobium oxide, 0.72 per cent yttrium oxide and 2.6 per cent TREO.

Everest Metals Corporation has hit multiple pegmatites during its recently-completed phase one drilling program as it hunts for rubidium to deliver a maiden resource at its Mt Edon critical minerals project in WA’s Mid West. The new intersections from a reverse-circulation campaign have significantly expanded the company’s target area at the project that sits about 5km south-west of the historical gold mining town of Paynes Find.

Aurumin has smashed its previous ASX trading volume record out of the park after it revealed a bonanza gold grade hit of 1m going 344 grams per tonne from 43m in drilling at its Sandstone project in Western Australia’s Mid West region. The immediate market response saw 56 million of the company’s shares change hands – more than six times its previous record volume.

Aurum Resources has recorded its highest-grade gold hit to date from diamond drilling at its Boundiali project in the West African nation of Côte d'Ivoire, with 1m going 163 grams per tonne from 277m. The impressive section was contained within a wider 12.22m intercept grading 14.56g/t gold from 275m that was recorded 60m down-dip from a previous 4m segment at 22.35g/t from 226m.

White Cliff Minerals is poised for an exploration blitz when it kicks off a maiden fieldwork campaign at its Nunavut copper-gold-silver project in the northern Canadian province of the same name. The company has already identified a slew of high-priority targets at the operation and its imminent field campaign has been designed to include detailed geological mapping and sampling ahead of a maiden drill program.

Si6 Metals has increased its tenement area in the Limpopo Mobile Belt in Botswana by 45 per cent to a total of 2868 square kilometres after being granted a new 903sq-km prospecting licence. The newly-granted ground in the South African country sits 7km south of the company’s high-grade copper-silver projects at Airstrip and Dibete and the Maibele North nickel-copper-cobalt.

Incoming Lindian Resources chief executive officer Alwyn Vorster has vowed to bring the company’s massive flagship Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi into construction and operation “as soon as possible”. The experienced rare earths executive, who has a track-record of managing projects through all stages of development, is expected to take up his new post as of this Saturday.

Aruma Resources is heralding the potentially “company-changing” acquisition of two copper operations in Queensland and a highly-prospective iron oxide-copper-gold and uranium play in South Australia. As part of a share acquisition agreement with NHM Holdings, the company has picked up the Wilan project near Olympic Dam in SA, while also adding the Fiery Creek and Bortala copper operations near Mt Isa in Queensland.

Neometals is looking to stage a US$10 million ($AU15.1 million) cash-and-shares payment to grab an 80 per cent share in a United States-based company which has developed a hydrometallurgical process that selectively recovers precious metals from industrial waste streams. The company says it has secured an option for the acquisition, believing its expertise could increase production by further refining the pilot-plant process.

King River Resources has pocketed a timely R&D tax rebate of more than $361,000 as it ramps up spending on a 10,800m reverse-circulation drill program at its prospective Tennant Creek East copper-gold project in the Northern Territory. The program, which kicks off this week, was delayed for several months due to flooding rains, but will now test 13 prospects at the company’s Top End projects.