Critica Declares Jupiter Maiden Resource as Australia’s Largest Clay Hosted REE Resource

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Critica (ASX: CRI) released, what the company claims as being, the “largest and highest-grade clay hosted rare earth resource”, in Australia.

Critica made the bold statement when releasing an independent maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its flagship Jupiter project, which forms part of the company’s broader 100 per cent-owned Brothers clay hosted rare earth project in Western Australia.

The MRE has come in with a Global Resource of 1.8 billion tonnes at 1,700ppm total rare earth oxide (TREO) (1,000ppm cut-off), including a high-grade resource of 500 million tonnes at 2,200ppm TREO (1,800ppm cut-off).

Critica said the Inferred MRE, prepared by resource consultancy SRK Consulting, had greatly exceeded its own expectations in terms of both tonnes and grade.

“It is incredibly exciting to be able to unveil Australia’s premier clay hosted rare earth deposit – the numbers speak for themselves,” Critica managing director Philippa Leggat said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“Our maiden resource represents a major milestone that we have, rather remarkably, delivered in just over a year from announcing the discovery in November 2023.

“The size and grade in the clay-hosted Jupiter deposit is unmatched in Australia, and globally significant.

“The development potential is boosted by its exceptional location in a well-established, West Australian mining district that benefits from robust existing infrastructure.

“Moreover, the near-surface and highly consistent nature of the deposit affords us optionality when it comes to considering future processing and development scenarios.

“Our initial metallurgy has demonstrated the potential to beneficiate our grade by 830% while simultaneously reducing the overall mass by an extraordinary 95%.

“We are well funded to continue advancing this testwork and drill test our satellite discoveries to assess the true potential of our provincial scale opportunity at the broader Brothers project.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Hot Chili Confirms LaVerde Copper-Gold Porphyry Discovery

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Hot Chili (ASX: HCH) declared confirmation of a copper-gold porphyry discovery at the La Verde copper-gold discovery near the company’s Costa Fuego copper-gold project in Chile.

Hot Chili made the announcement on the back of results received from recent drilling activity that resulted in completion of 19 RC drill holes, 12 of which assay results were reported confirming what the company described as “a major copper-gold porphyry discovery in Chile’s coastal range”.

“La Verde is shaping up as Hot Chili’s next major copper-gold discovery, with the potential to significantly lift the scale of our Costa Fuego project,” Hot Chili managing director Christian Easterday said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“With primary copper supply declining, copper and gold prices rallying, and a PFS on each of our planned businesses (copper-gold and water) nearing completion – momentum is building fast.

“Following in the footsteps of our successes at Cortadera and Productora, we’ve secured full control of La Verde after years of strategic consolidation, finally allowing us unrestricted access to test this historically overlooked porphyry system.

“Drill results have exceeded expectations, revealing a much larger porphyry system than first recognized, with broad, consistent copper-gold mineralisation extending from shallow depths and largely hidden below shallow gravel cover.

“This discovery has all the signs of becoming our third bulk-tonnage, copper-gold deposit, and is open in all directions and growing fast.

“We’re also preparing to deploy AI-powered exploration to fast-track our nearby exploration growth pipeline, leveraging 16 years of expertise in Chile.

“With La Verde’s scale potential and the Costa Fuego copper-gold hub expanding, we’re at a major inflection point in Hot Chili’s growth story.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Matsa Resources Encounters High-Grade Gold Intercept at Fortitude North

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Matsa Resources (ASX: MAT) rebuked a take over offer from Patronus Resources (ASX: PTN) while announcing a high-grade gold intercept at the company’s Lake Carey gold project in Western Australia.

Matsa Resources reported a gold encounter at the Fortitude North prospect at Lake Carey of:

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22.4 metres at 9.19 grams per tonne gold from 329.7m, including 9.14m at 11.93g/t gold from 329.7m and 7.2m at 12.98g/t gold from 345m.

Matsa claimed the intercept as being the highest grade result it has received to date whilst supporting the trend that grades are increasing at depth and to the north.

The company acknowledged the result had confirmed the presence of a second lode structure approximately 120m below the mineralisation it had defined via its the 2023 drilling program.

“This new intercept lends significant weight to Matsa’s exploration model that Fortitude North represents multiple stacked lode systems plunging to the north and dipping to the east,” Matsa Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“The presence of multiple stacked mineralised lode structures can be found elsewhere such as the nearby Goldfields’ Wallaby Mine and Anglogold Ashanti’s Sunrise Dam Gold Mine.

“The exploration space at Fortitude North has been significantly expanded with this drilling result.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Mt Malcolm Mines Producing Gold Sales from Golden Crown Bulk Sampling

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Mt Malcolm Mines (ASX: M2M) continues to produce gold recoveries of note from the company’s Golden Crown prospect in Western Australia.

The Golden Crown prospect is part of the company’s Malcolm project located near Leonora in WA, a region is known for rich gold deposits and a history of mining operations.

Mt Malcom Mines 2024 drilling programs identified a mineralised corridor measuring 50m in length and 15m in width characterised by high-grade gold mineralisation and visible gold occurrences.

The company has also been undertaking bulk sampling excavation at Golden Crown, resulting in the processing on stockpiles left by previous owners that is now achieving gold recoveries healthy enough to be generating substantial revenue.

In January, Mt Malcom produced 95.54 ounces (2,972g) of doré from the processing of 200 WMT (Wet Metric Tonne) of ultra high-grade material using wet gravity recovery.

Doré sales to The Perth Mint generated $835,462 with gold purity ranging from 85.6 per cent to 94.5 per cent gold.

“The successful completion of the bulk sampling excavation program with no loss time injuries (LTI) at Golden Crown marks a major milestone for Mt Malcolm,” Mt Malcom Mines managing director Trevor Dixon said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The recovery of gold doré through gravity processing strengthened our confidence in the economic potential of the prospect.

“As processing continues our forward focus will turn to advancing resource estimations, evaluating monetisation options for stockpiled material, and optimising future mining strategies at Golden Crown.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Red Metal Confirms REO Continuity via Infill Drilling at Sybella Discovery

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Red Metal (ASX: RDM) has drilled confirmation that of wide zones of rare earth oxide mineralisation continue at the company’s Sybella rare earth discovery near Mt Isa.

Red Metal received assay results from infill drilling it carried out over the eastern Kary Zone at Sybella, which the company considers could further support the current large Inferred Mineral Resource the company released in October last year.

The assays received returned multiple, long intercepts of Magnet Rare Earth Oxide (MREO) mineralisation (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium plus terbium oxides) hosted within the granite intrusion with many starting at surface and ending in mineralisation.

Red Metal declared the total MREO grades and widths from the infill drilling to be consistent with results from previous drilling of adjacent traverses 400 metres to the north and south providing further confidence in the Inferred Mineral Resource.

“Confirming the continuity of the wide zones of higher-grade REO mineralisation at Sybella is an essential step towards realising its potential for bulk tonnage heap leach mining,” Red Metal managing director Rob Rutherford said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“Repeating our positive early-stage metallurgical results with pH optimisation tests on composited samples representative of a larger area is the next key step.

“Results from this work on the Kary Zone are due in the coming months.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

RIU Explorers Conference Gains Momentum Via Presenting Company Announcements

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THE CONFERENCE CALLER: With the RIU explorers Conference in Fremantle drawing ever near, presenting companies continue to deliver encouraging news for delegates to do some pre-conference homework.

 

Blackstone Minerals trikes Merger Deal to Acquire World Class Copper Gold Project

Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX) emerged from a self-imposed ASX exile to announce a merger with IDM International Limited to result in the company acquiring the Mankayan copper-gold project in the Philippines.

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Brightstar Resources Encounters High-Grade Gold at Jasper Hills

Brightstar Resources (ASX: BTR) reported results from a program of diamond drilling completed at the Lord Byron deposit, part of the company’s Jasper Hills gold project in the company’s Laverton Hub of Western Australia.

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Lunnon Metals Commences Defiance West EIS Drilling Program

Lunnon Metals (ASX: LM8) is currently running a diamond drill program at the Defiance West target, a prospect it rates highly within the company’s Kambalda gold and nickel project (KGNP) in Western Australia.

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Westar Resources Approved for Drilling to commence at Mindoolah

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Westar Resources (ASX: WSR) will be drilling soon at the company’s Mindoolah gold project near Cue in Western Australia.

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Sarytogan Graphite Identifies Copper Anomalism with Possible Porphyry Features

Sarytogan Graphite (ASX: SGA) has been quick to release news from copper exploration undertaken at the company’s Baynazar copper exploration project in Kazakhstan.

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WIN Metals Drills Butchers Creek Resource Potential

WIN Metals (ASX: WIN) confirmed continuation of mineralisation at the company’s Butchers Creek gold project (BCGP) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

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Blackstone Minerals trikes Merger Deal to Acquire World Class Copper Gold Project

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THE BOURSE WHISPERER: Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX) emerged from a self-imposed ASX exile to announce a merger with IDM International Limited to result in the company acquiring the Mankayan copper-gold project in the Philippines.

Blackstone Minerals described the binding scheme implementation deed (SID) with IDM International as being a ‘merger of equals’.

The Mankayan copper-gold porphyry project is the heart of the deal. The project is located in Northern Luzon in the Philippines, a region with a pro-mining environment and a long history of successful mining operations.

The company views the project as the ideal opportunity for it to gain exposure to copper, a critical energy transition metal, while also offering substantial exposure to high-value precious metals, gold and silver during a period of record high prices.

Blackstone brings to the table its extensive expertise, resources, and relationships in base metals mine development and the energy transition metals market, making this a strategically advantageous proposition with high growth potential.

This combines with Blackstone’s current Vietnamese nickel assets to align with global decarbonisation trends, whilst offering exposure to the current high global demand growth for critical metals.

IDM has achieved substantial progress at the Mankayan copper-gold project, which is considered a key development project in the Philippines.

Recent activities have included securing renewal of a 25-year Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) mining license in March 2022, laying the groundwork for the long term development of the project.

A further milestone was achieved in December 2024 with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the local Indigenous People (IP), marking IDM as the first mining company to secure IP consent in the region.

“This exciting merger of equals offers diversified exposure to critical energy transition and precious metals, centred on the world-class Mankayan copper-gold porphyry project, one of the largest high-grade undeveloped porphyry projects globally,” Blackstone Minerals managing director Scott Williamson said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“Backed by Blackstone’s mining expertise and a supportive environment in the Philippines, the merger offers near-term exploration upside, significant resource growth potential, and regional opportunities.

“With historic high-grade intercepts, Mankayan is ideally positioned to deliver long-term value to shareholders.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Brightstar Resources Encounters High-Grade Gold at Jasper Hills

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Brightstar Resources (ASX: BTR) reported results from a program of diamond drilling completed at the Lord Byron deposit, part of the company’s Jasper Hills gold project in the company’s Laverton Hub of Western Australia.

Brightstar Resources conducted the program with the aim to infill deeper zones of the deposit and increase confidence in the geological interpretation prior to a planned update to the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).

Highlighted intercepts from the program include:

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20.39 metres at 3.03 grams per tonne gold from 196.53m, including 1.36m at 9.23g/t gold from 198.21m and 2.34m at 7.72g/t gold from 205.53m;

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22.86m at 1.68g/t gold from 178.24m, including 0.3m at 17.3g/t gold from 179.1m; and

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23.11m at 1.56g/t gold from 202.12m.

The company declared the results to have outlined consistent high-grade, south-plunging shoots, highlighting targets for potential enlarged pit shells and underground mining scenarios.

Further drilling is planned at Lord Byron, scheduled to commence in the first half of 2025 targeting the high-grade shoots at depth below the base of the conceptual pit design.

“The increased geological understanding, and additional metallurgical and geotechnical data will contribute to updated development studies at our Laverton Hub,” Brightstar Resources managing director Alex Rovira said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The results highlight wide intervals of open-pit mineable gold grades, including discrete zones of high-grade mineralisation identified near the base of, and below, a A$3,000/oz optimised pit shell generated during the 2024 Scoping Study.

“The outcomes of this program represent a major step forward in demonstrating the deposit’s potential for both high-grade and bulk-tonnage mining opportunities, while reinforcing the opportunities at depth which are compelling targets due to the wide and higher-grade nature of the main lode centred on the Bicentennial Shear Zone.”

 

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

 

Lunnon Metals Commences Defiance West EIS Drilling Program

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Lunnon Metals (ASX: LM8) is currently running a diamond drill program at the Defiance West target, a prospect it rates highly within the company’s Kambalda gold and nickel project (KGNP) in Western Australia.

Lunnon Metals received co-funduing for the drilling via the Western Australian Government, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS).

The EIS program will entail two diamond drill holes as an initial test of the Defiance West target, an area of approximately 4km2, that is located in the footwall of the company’s Foster nickel mine.

Lunnon considers its recent results from the Lady Herial and Guiding Star prospects demonstrate an extensive array of gold mineralised structures to be present in the hanging wall of the Foster nickel mine in the same favourable rock types that host the Conqueror and Defiance lodes at Victory.

The Conqueror gold deposit was originally discovered by WMC Resources and is currently located on Gold Fields tenements.

It was part of the Victory-Defiance Leviathan Complex which was mined for over 25 years by both WMC and later Gold Fields.

“Lunnon Metals acknowledges the Western Australian government for its support of this co-funded EIS drill program and we are thrilled to kick it off,” Lunnon Metals managing director Ed Ainscough said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The Defiance West target area is completely devoid of information in the bedrock at depth.

“The objective is to demonstrate that this area is permissive for gold, as we have done with the suite of exciting results delivered at Lady Herial and now Guiding Star.

“Our tenements at Foster and Baker are surrounded by some of WA’s great gold mines and the opportunity to test our own ground more aggressively is extremely exciting and has the potential to transform the company.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Westar Resources Approved for Drilling to commence at Mindoolah

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Westar Resources (ASX: WSR) will be drilling soon at the company’s Mindoolah gold project near Cue in Western Australia.

Westar Resources has received heritage approvals on the back of a Heritage Survey completed in December last year covering proposed RC drilling at the Mindoolah gold mining centre, part of the Mindoolah gold project.

The company anticipates kicking off RC drilling at the Mindoolah gld mining centre mid-February, after which intends conducting further RC drilling at the Mageye prospect within its Gidgee North gold-copper project further out from Cue.

“We welcome heritage approval at Mindoolah and thank the Traditional Owners, Wajarri Yamatji Aboriginal Corporation and consultants for their support,” Westar Resources executive director and CEO Jason Boladeras said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The high-grade Mindoolah Gold Mining Centre is an exciting prospect to drill, and we are keen to discover if high-grade gold persists beneath the old open pits and historic workings.

“The company is also looking forward to drilling at Mageye to test if its distinct geophysical anomaly and associated unique geochemistry is related to mineralisation.

“This is the positive and active start to 2025 we were looking for.”

 

TO READ TH FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE