Category: Exploration

Australia is in the midst of a greenfields discovery boom as investors plough their money into exploration projects across the country. That was the general consensus at the ‘Explorers on the Move’ panel discussion featuring four well-respected mining company executives at the WA Mining Club recently. But not all of them agreed on the extent of the labour shortage facing the resources sector. Chalice Gold Mines managing director Alex Dorsch said Australia was experiencing a “new wave” of discoveries being driven partly by increasing demand for technology minerals. “The last 10 years have been dominated by brownfields discoveries and what we are seeing just in the last year or so is some fantastic greenfields discoveries all around Australia,’’ he said.…

LITHIUM Australia (ASX: LIT), Australian Vanadium (ASX: AVL) and private company Mercator Metals will collectively explore for nickel, copper and platinum group elements (PGE) along the Coates Mafic Intrusive Complex, 55km northeast of Perth, WA. Their tenements, which adjoin each other on the complex, have a combined area of 59sqkm and are known as the Coates project. The complex is about 29km southwest of recent significant discoveries of nickel, copper and PGE by Chalice Gold Mines (ASX: CHN) at the Julimar project. Lithium Australia managing director Adrian Griffin said Chalice’s recent significant discoveries highlighted the potential of the region. “ potential for additional discoveries in similar geological environments, and the Coates Mafic Intrusion, being so close, provides a tremendous…

THE WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) will halve the processing timeframes for exploration applications from 30 to 15 business days from July 1. The new timeframe supports the State Government’s commitment to improve regulatory efficiency through its Diversify WA Economic Development Framework and the Streamline WA initiative. This reduction in timeline also builds on the department’s strong results from its fourth quarter approvals performance reporting and its commitment to make the resources sector more efficient and effective. DMIRS director-general David Smith said 98pc of Programme of Work (PoW) applications were finalised within target timeline in the 2019 December quarter. “The Resources and Environmental Compliance Division’s efforts to improve our processes is a credit to everyone involved,”…

AN outstanding result in high grade aircore results, plus a promising regional review, reveal a significant new exploration at the Gateway Mining Gidgee Gold Project near Kalgoorlie in WA. Four gold corridors have been defined, covering a cumulative strike length of approximately 20km. This discovery opens up a major new exploration opportunity for Gateway within its high-quality operation, beyond the currently defined resources. Reconnaissance aircore drilling, supported by a regional assessment outside the Montague Granodiorite, was instrumental in identifying the series of prospective gold corridors. These new discoveries present a major opportunity, specifically for shallow oxide gold deposits. Gateway managing director Peter Langworthy said that the company’s core focus remains to unlock the significant potential that exists around the margin…

ANTIPA Minerals (ASX: AZY) has entered into a $60m farm-in agreement and exploration joint venture agreement with gold miner Newcrest. The agreement covers the southern part of Antipa Minerals’ 100pc-owned exploration ground in the Paterson province of WA, now known as the Wilki project. The Wilki project abuts Newcrest’s Telfer mine for gold and copper and its O’Callaghans deposit. Under the deal Newcrest has the option to acquire a 75pc interest in the joint venture for Wilki. Also, Newcrest has entered into an agreement with Antipa Minerals to acquire a 9.9pc shareholding in the Australian company through a $3.9m share placement. Antipa Minerals chairman Stephen Power said the agreements with Newcrest will ensure a robust exploration programme for Wilki over…

HELIUM exploration company Global Oil & Gas (ASX: GLV) has announced an exploration campaign for its 100pc-owned Southern Georgina project in Australia’s Northern Territory. The company said helium is a high value specialty gas and a vital element in the manufacture of fibre optic cables, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), semiconductors and in space exploration. “The helium market is currently undersupplied, and prices are on average 10 times that of natural gas,” the company stated. The ASX-listed company intends to expedite an exploration program to unlock the value of its Southern Georgina project which is prospective for helium. This will involve surface mapping and magnetics studies in the first half of 2020, and an ambient test for helium ahead of a…

HIGH grade drill results have been announced at the Rose Hill, Gunga West and Golden Ridge gold mining projects in WA. The sites, near Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, were acquired by Horizon Minerals under an asset swap with Northern Star resources in September and December last year. According to Horizon management, Rosehill has produced about 1340 oz of gold at 8.3g/t gold from 5000t since 1898. The drill results came after 12 Reverse Circulation (RC) holes at Rose Hill, which were conducted for the purpose of due diligence. Significant assays of gold, associated with stock work quartz veining and increased pyrite abundance, were found within a steep dipping, porphyry host rock. Confirmation of solid gold mineralisation was discovered beneath the pit…

GRAPHITE-focussed Australian exploration company Comet Resources plans to add a copper project in NSW to its portfolio. The Barraba copper project, named after the nearest town, is 550km north of Sydney, and its exploration licence covers 2375ha in a region known to host volcanic-style mineralisation containing copper, zinc and precious metals. Comet Resources managing director Matthew O’Kane said the Barraba project hosts several drill ready targets and is in a prospective location. “We will be working hard to be in a position to test the project’s prospectivity as soon as possible after completion,” he said. The company believes the Barraba copper project complements its existing Springdale graphite project near Hopetoun in WA, due to the minerals sharing end uses in…

THOR Mining (ASX:THR) has announced pleasing results at its wholly-owned Pilbara Goldfield tenement, with gold, nickel and chromium assays from preliminary geochemistry reconnaissance. After strong results from the initial gold panning, laboratory results have subsequently given support to gold potential as well as nickel and chrome at the location. Three samples assayed over 0.3g/t gold, with one at 0.9g/t gold. Visible gold was present in thirteen out of forty-four samples from sediment trap sites. Nickle and chromium anomalies were also observed at up to 1272ppm Ni and 2074ppm Cr. The program comprised stream sediment trap site sampling comprising coarse and fine fraction sediment. Executive chairman Mick Billings said he was encouraged by the results of the initial reconnaissance which led…

METALLICA Minerals (ASX: MLM) has confirmed the presence of high-purity silica sands at its 100pc-owned Cape Flattery silica sands project in Northern Queensland after the completion of an auger sampling program. The exploration program consisted eight hand-augured holes to an average depth of 4.75m on the eastern target area of the tenement, and the majority of the samples returned intervals of 99pc silica oxide, while drill intercepts averaged between 96.1pc and 99.1pc. Sampling was completed at about 400m spacing along existing tracks, and the company said that priority drill sites targeted sand dunes “near established and or potential export infrastructure areas”. Silica sands are used in a range of industries such as glassmaking, foundry casting, water filtration, chemicals and metals,…

AUSTRALIAN lithium developer, Core Lithium, has announced a world-class, high-grade lithium intersection of 107m at 1.70pc Li2O at the BP33 Prospect within its wholly owned Finniss Lithium Project, situated near Darwin in the Northern Territory. The discovery of the coarse spodumene crystals is an outstanding find and will add life to the Finnis project. Managing Director, Stephen Biggins, said the find of more than 100m of high-grade lithium mineralisation, located 25km from Australia’s closest port to Asia, highlighted the natural advantages the Finniss Project has regarding quality and cost. “We are confident in having the Finniss Project construction-ready in early 2020, so that we are well-positioned to be Australia’s next sustainable lithium producer as market conditions continue to improve,” he…