A West Australian junior involved in a number of exploration projects is confident it has come across an iron oxide-gold-copper (IOCG) deposit in its home state. Late last year, Miramar Resources Ltd (ASX:M2R) said that a review of historical drilling data had “potentially” revealed very significant magnetite iron opportunities at its wholly-owned Whaleshark project, which sits within the Carnarvon Basin in WA’s Ashburton region. Field work conducted in the area by Western Mining Corporation (WMC) in the 1990s whilst exploring for an IOCG intersected significant widths of magnetite-rich banded iron formation (BIF) averaging above 25 per cent iron beneath younger…
Joint venture partners Covalent Lithium, Wesfarmers and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) have opened of the Mt Holland lithium mine and concentrator project. The Mt Holland lithium project consists of an open-cut mine and concentrator, located 110km southeast of Southern Cross in the Wheatbelt region, and a refinery currently being constructed in the Kwinana Industrial Area. With an expected cost of $2.6 billion, the project is supporting 1,000 jobs during construction and 350 jobs during operations. Mt Holland will produce 380,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year, which will be refined into 50,000 tonnes of battery-quality lithium hydroxide.…
BMG Resources Limited has announced promising results from its ongoing exploration review of the Dragon project neighbouring WA1 Resources’ site in the West Arunta region of Western Australia. Multiple targets showing structural and magnetic features have been identified at the Dragon Project — features similar to those that represent mineralised carbonatites at WA1 Resources’ ground and the nearby Aileron Project of Encounter Resources. BMG’s Dragon Niobium-REE Project is immediately adjacent to and shares a 30-kilometre-long border with the West Arunta Project of WA1 Resources. BMG Non-Executive Chairman John Prineas said: “Our ongoing review of exploration data for the West Arunta…
Pantera Minerals Limited has announced a substantial expansion of its Smackover Brine Project in North America, with the acquisition of 3,553 acres, representing a 26 per cent increase in leased acreage. The company's total net leased acreage now surpasses 17,000 acres. The bulk of the new acreage comes from a key lease with a mineral owner covering 2,194 acres, placing Pantera in a unique position of strength. This expansion not only enhances the project's scalability but also consolidates Pantera's control, with 100 per cent ownership of the project now under its purview. Pantera, the sole junior company listed in the…
A West Australian-based lithium explorer looks well-positioned to capture significant upside when the alkali metal’s market moves into its anticipated recovery mode. In 2023, Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX:GL1) spent a great deal of its corporate time sizing up its wholly-owned outcropping Manna pegmatite project in its home state of WA, completing a large-scale 60,000 metre reverse circulation and diamond drilling campaign which covered infill and extensional targets. The junior also started metallurgical and geotechnical programs that have since carried over into 2024. Located around 100 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the state’s Goldfields, Manna currently enjoys an indicated and…
Hillgrove Resources has commenced production of its first copper concentrate from the Kanmantoo mine in South Australia, following the successful completion of the processing facility; both milestones were met within the company's target timeframe of Q1 2024. The transition from explorer to producer makes Hillgrove Resources one of only a few copper producers on the ASX. Hillgrove Resources CEO and Managing Director Lachlan Wallace said: “Operations will be bedded down at Kanmantoo as we ramp up to steady stage production and our attention will turn to growing the business by converting future exploration and development opportunities.” “The project is well-positioned…
In mid-February a Perth-based dual-listed resources house took a major step towards establishing a sovereign national graphite project which entailed a ‘mine to market’ capability and integrated operations located within its home state of Western Australia. In doing so, it moved further towards its goal of becoming a significant player in the global processed graphite market. International Graphite Ltd (ASX: IG6) has just completed the successful wet commissioning of its new $1.5 million, 200 tonnes per annum graphite micronising plant in the coal mining town of Collie in WA using imported graphite concentrates. To be known as the Collie BAM…
ASX-listed company, Hawkstone Mining Limited has announced that drilling at the Lone Pine Gold Project in Idaho, USA has confirmed the ‘high-grade and excellent geological continuity’ of the Lone Pine quartz vein zone. The latest results include: 93 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold (Au) over 1.91 metres (m), 19.6 g/t Au over 0.45m including 29.7 g/t Au over 0.82m; and 39 g/t Au over 0.86m including 16.95 g/t Au over 0.52m. These results complement earlier drilling results [1] returned from the Lone Pine quartz vein including: 02 g/t Au over 1.22 in drill hole LPDD01 from 38.43 to 39.7m…
USA-focused gold and lithium explorer, Hawkstone Mining Limited has appointed Hazen Research Inc to perform metallurgical test-work on the lithium-mineralised sedimentary material from the Big Sandy Lithium Project, with the goal of producing battery-grade 99 per cent lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). The environmentally-compliant hydrometallurgical process that Hazen will evaluate involves sulphuric acid leaching, purification and production of 99.8 per cent Li2CO3 for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and generation-scale storage to back up renewable energy production. Initial outcomes are expected to be available within two to three months. Hawkstone notes that Joe Biden has a 'Plan for a Clean Energy…
UK-based exploration and development company, Adriatic Metals PLC has received an Urban Planning Permit for its Veovaca project area (Open Pit, Plant and Tailings areas) from the Federal Ministry of Spatial Planning. Adriatic is focused on the development of its 100 per cent owned Vareš high-grade silver project, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project comprises two high-grade polymetallic deposits, located at Rupice and Veovaca. According to the company, the application process for the Urban Planning Permit involved seeking and receiving positive opinions on the project from all significant government stakeholders (forestry, water, zoning, cantonal ministries, cadastral and all neighbouring…
Australian Strategic Materials (ASM) has confirmed the commercial scalability of its metallisation process with the production of 120kg of titanium copper alloy (99.5 per cent purity) at its facility in Korea. ASM’s Ziron Tech team produced two 60kg runs of the titanium copper alloy at a rate equivalent to approximately 1,000kg per day. This result is well above the targeted 250kg per day production rate, outlined in the agreement between ASM and Dongkuk Refractories and Steel Co Ltd (DK R&S), announced on 2 November 2020. ASM detailed that the key to the successful demonstration of the commercial scalability was due…
A selection of the finest rough diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Australian and Canadian mines will be tendered to diamond specialists from around the world in October and November. Headlining Rio Tinto’s forthcoming ‘Specials’ Tender, which showcases rough diamonds greater than 10.8 carats, is Lot number 1, Diavik Helios, a 74.48-carat Fancy yellow diamond. The Diavik Helios takes its name from the pure yellow sunlight emitted by the mythical Greek God of the Sun. Fancy yellow diamonds are rare finds from the Diavik diamond mine in the remote Northwest Territories of Canada which primarily produces high-quality white diamonds. Patrick Coppens, General Manager,…
Pan Asia Metals Limited (PAM) has held positive discussions with the Phang Nga Provincial Government regarding its exploration, mining and mineral processing aspirations in Thailand. PAM was recently invited by the Chief Executive Offer of the Phang Nga Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO), a Phang Nga Provincial Government coordinating body, to present the Reung Kiet Lithium Projec, located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of Phuket in the Phang Nga Province in southern Thailand. In brief, the PAO wants to ensure that the requirements of the project are incorporated into the Phang Nga New Town Planning Committee’s zoning plans to ensure it can…
Eagle Mountain Limited intends to develop a low-cost mining operation which means increasing the resource base both within its 80 per cent owned Oracle Ridge Mine Project in Arizona, USA and in the near-mine vicinity. Diamond drilling commenced at Oracle Ridge in early September and was designed primarily to target extensions of the high-grade portions of the existing Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). Five of the six drill holes completed intersected skarn-hosted copper mineralisation. Additionally, mineralisation has been encountered in the Leatherwood granite, which opens up the prospectivity of this rock unit. Samples have been submitted to the laboratory and assay…
