THE DRILL SERGEANT: Cardinal Resources (ASX: CDV) has encountered further gold intersections at the Namdini Mining Licence, located within the company’s Bolgatanga project in Ghana.

Shallow gold hits along strike and along section include:

18 metres at 3.12 grams per tonne gold from 16m vertical depth;

17m at 3.77g/t gold from 30m vertical depth;

16m 1.29g/t gold from 14m vertical depth; and

12m at 1.67g/t gold from 14m vertical depth.

“Drill holes NMRC368‐748 and NMRC367‐751 both intersected wide, shallow zones of gold mineralisation in Zone 1 but were terminated prematurely due to caving before Zone 2 could be tested,” Cardinal Resources managing director Archie Koimtsidis said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Several mineralised gold intersections within drill hole NMRC372‐731 confirm the continuation of the amalgamated mineralised zones north along strike from the 51 metre intersection previously announced on 27 January 2015.

“These gold intersections are located in a similar position north along strike from the wide 51 metre gold intersection, which indicates continuity of the amalgamated gold zones.

“Two other near surface intersections of seven metres and 12 metres respectively within the same drill hole, confirm the continuation of shallow gold mineralisation within Zone 5 and a four metre intersection at 34 metres vertical depth also confirms the continuation of Zone 4 down dip.

“These very encouraging results provide additional information that will guide the next stage of the drill plan to test for further strike and depth extensions which are anticipated to expand the gold potential at Namdini.

“We have 199 samples which will be sent to the SGS laboratory in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso this week.

“These results will be reported to the market as they become available.”

Cardinal is in the fortunate position of being the owner and operator of its own drill rig.

This has enabled it to establish an express assaying service with its drilling results, allowing it to continuously improve its drill plan strategy as new information becomes available.

The company indicated it will continue drilling selective holes, submitting the samples and be on standby as results are received.

Once the results have been assessed Cardinal can plan further drill holes to maximise expansion of the gold potential at Namdini.

“We are operating two shifts daily to finalise the balance of approximately 300 metres of the planned drill target of 3,000 metres announced on 28 November 2014,” Koimtsidis said.

Website: www.cardinalresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) has reported a big upgrade in the JORC-compliant Mineral Resource for the company’s Pilgangoora tantalum-lithium project, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The company outlined the updated Mineral Resource to feature a 120 per cent increase in contained lithium oxide and 95 per cent increase in contained tantalite, which it claims already positions Pilgangoora amongst some of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium-tantalum deposits.

The overall resource now comprises:

10.7 million pounds of contained tantalum and 192,000 tonnes of contained lithium.

Recently-completed in-fill drilling has resulted in an upgrade to 3.1 million pounds of contained tantalum and 65,000 tonnes of contained lithium to the Indicated category.

Pilbara Minerals said this had increased its confidence in its portfolio of metal assets in the Pilbara region, declaring the Pilgangoora project represents a potentially company-making growth opportunity alongside its Tabba Tabba tantalum project, which is expected to generate near-term cash flow to support longer term growth objectives.

The company is about to kick off its next phase of in-fill drilling at Pilgangoora, which will focus on the central and northern zones within the current resource area.

Pilbara Minerals explained this work will aim to increase confidence in the resource categories within the higher grade domains with extensional RC work in the southern domain to be carried out beyond the defined Mineral Resource.

“After incorporating the drilling completed towards the end of last year, we have been able to double the overall tonnes, substantially increase the lithium grade, more than double the amount of contained lithium oxide and nearly double the contained tantalite,” Pilbara Minerals executive director Neil Biddle said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“This is a great result which has also enabled us to upgrade our Exploration Target with further drilling about to commence which we expect will further significantly expand the resource.

“Pilgangoora is already a globally significant deposit, ranking in the 20 to 30 million tonnes size range, and we expect to be able to add further to this in the coming months.

“Alongside our near-production asset, our 50 per cent share of the Tabba Tabba tantalum project, Pilgangoora ranks as a company-making project with the potential to deliver huge upside for our shareholders.

“We are looking forward to delivering further additions to our resource inventory in the coming months and laying the foundations for a substantial, long-life strategic metals business.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Each week any number of junior exploration plays set out to drill their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.

Resource Development Drilling

Ausgold (ASX: AUC) has drilling scheduled to commence at the company’s Katanning gold project, on the Dingo and Jinkas projects during late March.

Ausgold proposes a program of approximately 6,000m of RC at the Jinkas and Dingo deposits, the program comprises approximately 4,000m of infill RC drilling at Jinkas on traverses through higher grade mineralisation to the north-east of the historic Jinkas North open cut, and 2,000m of drilling around the Dingo open pit.

This drilling is designed to upgrade existing inferred and indicated resources to measure and indicated status’ respectively and to increase confidence in the measured resource.

Drilling at Fairwater nickel project

Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has commenced drilling at the company’s 75 per cent-owned Fairwater nickel project in the Albany Fraser Orogen in south eastern Western Australia.

The drill program will consist of up to 99 aircore holes at the FWNi003 nickel anomaly, within the Fairwater project.

The FWNi003 target area is sand-covered, and the drilling will enable the company to identify geological units and appraise subsurface geochemistry.

Pioneer is exploring for mafic-intrusion hosted nickel sulphide deposits at the Fairwater project, similar to the major, high-grade Nova and Bollinger nickel discoveries of Sirius Resources (ASX: SIR) in the region.

The drill program is expected to take three weeks and final results will be released as soon as they are available, which is expected to be in April.

Zanthus Drilling on Schedule

Rumble Resources’ (ASX: RTR) high impact drill program targeting five bedrock conductors at the Zanthus project is on schedule for late March 2015.

The program will consist of five RC holes targeting the five bedrock conductors which may represent magmatic massive nickel sulphides.

Rumble considers conductors Zc1, 2 and 3 to be of significant conductance and as such represent first order drill targets in the Fraser Range.

They are located in and around an ‘eye’ intrusive feature interpreted as an elliptical magnetic rimmed intrusive body some 2km in length and up to 1km wide and of similar size to Sirius Resources’ Nova ‘eye’ feature.

Rumble’s Zanthus project is located 20km east of the Nova-Bollinger nickel copper massive sulphide discoveries in the Fraser Range, Western Australia.

Rumble is earning up to 75 per cent from Blackham Resources (ASX: BLK).

“The recent drilling success of our Fraser Range peers [Sirius Resources, Mount Ridley Mines] highlights the potential of the Fraser Range to host another major nickel discovery,” Rumble Resources CEO Shane Sikora said.

“First order drilling targets are significant bedrock conductors within intrusions which may represent massive sulphide accumulations.

“Rumble is on schedule to drill five shallow bedrock conductors in and around an eye intrusive feature 20 kilometres from the Nova-Bollinger massive nickel sulphide deposit in late March.

“The Fraser Range is underexplored and we believe has the potential to host a significant number of nickel deposits similar to that in Canada which is host to multiple world class deposits.

“Drilling multiple bedrock conductors takes us one step closer to finding the next major nickel discovery.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Latin Resources (ASX: LRS) has reclaimed operational control of the company’s 100 per cent-owned Ilo Norte project in Peru.

Control of the project has been returned to Latin following the termination of an earn-in option agreement by Minera Zahena.

Minera Zahena has now entered into a new earn-in option agreement over Latin’s 100 per cent-owned Ilo Este project.

Latin explained Zahena’s involvement in exploration activities at Ilo Norte brought US$200,000 in cash payments to its Peruvian subsidiary company.

It also completed diamond drilling of 16 holes, which Latin said represented an estimated investment of more than US$3 million, with the drill core and all exploration data remaining in Latin’s keeping.

Latin has since received all exploration data including final assay results from the latest drilling, which shows 14 of the 16 holes drilled encountering several intersections over the length of the holes.

Within each of these 14 holes, totals of between 21 to 189 metres of low-grade copper mineralisation (0.1 per cent to 0.3 per cent copper) were intersected, which Latin considers to have highlighted the extent of the mineralised system.

The drilling so far has been carried out over a broad (400 by 400m) spacing, leading Latin to believe potential exists for defining a high-grade structurally controlled ore body within the overall alteration envelope.

The company supported tis thesis by pointing to the number of high-grade intersections, along with the numerous lower-grade intersections so far, which it considers to be the ‘smoke’ indicative of much potential for more ‘fire’ to come.

“We believe exploration to date suggests there is good potential for a moderate tonnage high-grade copper-gold deposit at Ilo Norte, which given the proximity to infrastructure and favourable topography, would likely be an attractive mine development,” Latin Resources managing director Chris Gale said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“We look forward to attracting a new partner for Ilo Norte willing to join us in the challenge of unravelling the complex structural setting required to deliver the exploration success we are confident awaits at Ilo Norte.”

Email: info@latinresources.com.au

Website: www.latinresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Each week any number of junior exploration plays set out to drill their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.

Drilling to start at Fisher East

Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) is preparing a number of new work programs for the company’s Fisher East nickel project in Western Australia.

The programs will take place in the first half of 2015 and are aimed at:

Expanding the known 3.6 million tonnes at 2 per cent nickel sulphide resources at Fisher East, specifically at Musket, Musket North and Cannonball;

Aircore drilling at the Cutlass prospect;

Undertaking VTEM and airborne magnetics surveys over the new Option ground south of the Cutlass prospect, with follow-up aircore drilling; and

Initiating the permitting process for a mining licence by commencing baseline environmental studies.

“The Scoping Study indicates that the project is low risk and financially robust, so we’re proceeding with expanding the resource base to add further value to the project,” Rox Resources managing director Ian Mulholland said.

“This will provide us with more options to select high grade ore for mining and processing early in the mine life.”

Drilling underway at Collerina

Helix Resources (ASX: HLX) has commenced a reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Collerina prospect in Central New South Wales.

The six-hole, 1000m RC drilling program is designed to test targets derived from recently completed DHEM surveys.

The target zone lies within a VMS system Helix identified with initial drilling late last year.

This initial program was broad spaced drilling and identified an open‐ended 350 metres of strike containing copper, zinc, silver and gold mineralisation returning better than one per cent copper results.

Off‐hole DHEM conductors were recently modelled down dip/plunge from previous drilling that returned:

14m at 4 per cent copper within 29m at 2.2 per cent copper from 80m.

This part of the mineral system was not tested by the previous drilling.

Drilling campaign underway at Banfora Gold Project

AusQuest Limited (ASX: AQD) announced exploration activities, including plans to drill up to 39,000 metres of Reverse Circulation (RC) and 150,000m of shallow auger drilling during 2015, have commenced at the company’s Banfora Gold Joint Venture project in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

AusQuest has been advised of the exploration program by its joint venture partner, Ressources Burkinor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TSX-listed SEMAFO Inc.

The program is being managed by Burkinor and is planned to continue throughout the year.

“The company is very pleased to see such a significant expenditure commitment being made by Burkinor to the Banfora gold joint venture areas during 2015,” AusQuest managing director Graeme Drew said.

“This will give AusQuest exposure to a substantial West African gold exploration venture with the potential to deliver strong news flow and great discovery potential – building on the work that has been done in Burkina Faso over the past few years.”

Pit Design and Aquifer Drilling

TNG Limited (ASX: TNG) has commenced geotechnical drilling at the company’s Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in the Northern Territory.

The work is part of mining studies being conducted and overseen by Snowden Mining Industry Consultants, which will facilitate the completion of the Mount Peake Feasibility Study by the middle of 2015.

The program will comprise six diamond drill holes, and will be conducted over the next several weeks.

Immediately following this, TNG will carry out a water drilling program in the broader Mount Peake area to locate a suitable source of water for the mining operation, camp supply and magnetite processing plant.

This is an important component of the Feasibility Study, which will allow the study to be delivered by mid-year.

“We are now in the final stages of completing the Mount Peake Feasibility Study,” TNG Limited managing director Paul Burton said.

“With the geotechnical and aquifer drilling underway, we are steadily ticking all the boxes towards completion with the information flowing from this drilling representing a critical input into our mining plans and conversion of resources to Ore Reserves.”