Future Battery Minerals Firming up Big Red at Kangaroo Hills

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Future Battery Minerals (ASX: FBM) reported assay results returned for the final holes from Phase 3 reverse circulation (RC) and diamond (DD) drilling at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Kangaroo Hills lithium project (KHLP) in Western Australia.

Future Battery Minerals’ earlier drilling at Rocky identified numerous pegmatites semi-parallel to and dipping below the Big Red pegmatite with visual observations of spodumene within these pegmatites leading to an expansion of the Phase 3 RC and DD drilling program.

Assays have now been received for the final 15 holes from the Phase 3 RC and DD program at the KHLP that have further increased the scale of the mineralised system, which remains open along strike to the north and at depth.

At Rocky, drilling and recent modelling of the pegmatites has demonstrated a highly continuous mineralised system commencing at shallow depths, albeit thinner and of lower average grade than the standout neighbouring Big Red pegmatite.

Assay results from the final batch of Phase 3 holes included the Rocky pegmatites plus wide eastern step out intercepts coincident with the near surface Big Red pegmatite, returning:

KHRC150
3m at 1.50 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) from 37m and 1m at 0.5 per cent Li2O from 10m (Big Red);

KHRC147
1m at 1.00 per cent Li2O from 27m (Big Red East);

KHRC149
1m at 0.52 per cent Li2O from 119m Rocky);

KHRC146
1m at 0.72 per cent Li2O from 23m (Big Red East); and

KHRC154
1m at 0.31 per cent Li2O from 53m (Rocky).

“With receipt of the final batch of assays from the Phase 3 program at Kangaroo Hills, we are now sharply focussed on commencing drill testing of the area moving north from the Big Red / Rocky system,” Future Battery Metals technical director Robin Cox said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“Critically, the shallow, thick, high-grade lithium mineralisation at Big Red remains wide open along strike to the north and at depth.”

“In addition to Big Red Extension, the northern part of the KHLP also offers several other high-potential regional resistivity anomaly targets including Western Grey, Quokka, Big Red West, Big Red North, and Western Grey.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Encounter Resources Reveals Potential Shallow, Enriched Niobium-REE Mineralisation at Emily

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Encounter Resources (ENR) reported remaining assays from the Emily prospect within the company’s 100 per cent-owned Aileron project, in the West Arunta region of Western Australia.

Encounter Resources drilled fifteen widely spaced, reconnaissance RC holes at the Emily target in October 2023, of which 10 were previously reported to have intersected carbonatite.

The carbonatite at Emily is variably anomalous in niobium and REE with shallow, high-grade niobium-REE intersected in two adjacent holes 400m apart.

A line of drillhole holes a further 400m to the east confirmed additional carbonatite and fenite alteration consistent with the margin of a primary carbonatite.

Assays have now been received demonstrating zones of strong, shallow REE enrichment with lower niobium concentration Encounter believes to deserve further investigation, including:

EAL058
14 metres at 0.91 per cent total rare earth oxide (TREO) and 0.05 per cent niobium from 28m.

“The first reconnaissance drilling at the Emily target has intersected mineralisation within a depth extensive primary carbonatite and associated shallow, enriched niobium-REE mineralisation in two adjacent holes which is potentially significant,” Encounter Resources managing director Will Robinson said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The initial drilling at Emily also intersected the strongest REE mineralisation to date at Aileron.

“Follow up drilling at Emily will focus on the central part of the targeted magnetic low which is interpreted to represent favourable lithology for shallow, niobium-REE enriched mineralisation.

“Systematic, closer spaced drilling of this target has strong potential to yield additional zones of high-grade near surface mineralisation.”

Encounter has additional heritage surveys planned for early in 2024 to facilitate detailed aircore/RC drilling at Emily, as well as at the Green and Joyce targets.

Systematic drill testing the approximate one square kilometre area of the magnetic low at Emily is planned for May-June 2024.

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

Astral Resources Encounters More High-Grade Gold at Kamperman

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Astral Resources (ASX: AAR) has received results from diamond drilling completed at the Kamperman prospect at the company’s Feysville gold project near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Astral Resources reported the results have delivered further high-grade gold intercepts across multiple holes.

The company is set to re-commence RC drilling mid-February to further evaluate this emerging high-grade gold system.

Best results include:

FRCD262
14 metres at 0.89 grams per tonne gold from 43m and 3.7m at 12.2g/t gold from 67.8m, including 1m at 41g/t gold from 70.1m; and

FRCD261
1.3m at 9.21g/t gold from 196.7m, including 1m at 22.2g/t gold from 196.6m.

Astral has already released other diamond drilling results in 2024 that had confirmed growth potential at Mandilla.

The company considers the latest results from Kamperman also demonstrate Feysville to be a genuine high-grade opportunity.

“The 2,500 metre RC program expected to commence in mid-February will be crucial in determining the potential scale of what is emerging as an exciting high-grade opportunity at Kamperman,” Astral Resources managing director Marc Ducler said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The recent Mandilla Scoping Study demonstrated the substantial economic potential of our flagship gold asset.

“With further exploration success at Mandilla since the Study was completed and with the Kamperman prospect at Feysville now presenting as an additional potential high-grade ore source, Astral is progressing well with the ambition of becoming one of Australia’s next high-quality gold producers.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Dreadnought Resources Hits Thick, High-Grade Gold at Mangaroon

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Dreadnought Resources reported assays from 10 shallow RC holes drilled around the company’s Star of Mangaroon gold mine in Western Australia.

Dreadnought Resources said the drilling had returned thick, high-grade intercepts including:

SOMRC004
9 metres at 13.4 grams per tonne gold from 9m, including 2m at 59.4g/t gold from 16m;

SOMRC005
7m at 23g/t gold from 53m including 3m at 48.9g/t gold from 54m; and

SOMRC006
8m at 15.5g/t gold from 89m including 3m at 30.4g/t gold from 90m.

The company explained the drill program of 18 RC holes and 2 diamond holes was designed to confirm and extend mineralisation along strike and at depth from shallow historical drilling in the 1980s and 1990s which also returned high-grades.

“These results have confirmed the high-grade gold potential around the Star of Mangaroon and along the greater than 10 kilometres Mangaroon Shear Zone,” Dreadnought Resources managing director Dean Tuck said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“This comes from the now consolidated project being systematically explored using modern techniques for the first time.

“The Chrysos PhotonAssay technique is also providing more robust and reliable assessment of the nuggety high-grade gold mineralisation.

“Dreadnought’s consolidation of gold projects over the past two years is starting to bear fruit as we advance gold exploration across both Mangaroon and Central Yilgarn into 2024.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

FireFly Metals Re-assays High-Grade Copper and Gold at Green Bay

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: FireFly Metals (ASX: AUT) has completed analysis for copper, gold, silver and zinc on historic 2022 drillholes at the company’s Green Bay project in Newfoundland, Canada.

FireFly Metals carried out analysis of 18 diamond drill holes completed in 2022 by the previous operator of the Ming Mine within the Green Bay project, which at the time were only assayed for copper by the previous operator.

The company said that in addition to the known high-grade copper, these new results have demonstrated quantities of precious (gold and silver) and base metals (zinc) in the high-grade VMS zone.

“These latest assays confirm there is extensive high-grade mineralisation well outside the existing Resource,” FireFly Metals managing director Steve Parsons said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“We are well into a major 40,000 metres underground drilling program designed to continue extending this known mineralisation.

“The underground exploration drive now being constructed will enable us to do this even faster, more accurately and more efficiently.

“This strategy is aimed at achieving rapid growth in the Resource, which will in turn confirm Green Bay is a major high-grade copper-gold project with extensive existing infrastructure in a tier-one location.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Zenith Minerals Increases Lithium Targets at Split Rocks

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Zenith Minerals (ASX: ZNC) has taken a second look and likes what it sees at the company’s Split Rocks lithium project in Western Australia.

Zenith Minerals has combined new surface sample assays, a review of existing soil geochemical data and assessment of previous drill data, which has resulted in a total of 83 lithium targets being defined.

Targets identified include the untested Cielo lithium target (>9km long by 2km wide) as well as a further six targets said to contain pegmatite drill intersections up to 50 metres thick, that are classified as lithium, caesium, tantalum (LCT) pegmatites, which the company considers to further enhance the prospective nature of the Split Rock project leases.

The new targets all lie outside of Zenith’s Rio lithium deposit (11.9 million tonnes at 0.72% lithium oxide).

Zenith is gearing up for big drilling in 2024 with 318 drill holes fully permitted and ready, whilst Permits of Work are in place for a further 193 AC drill holes, covering Cielo and 14 additional targets.

“The technical team has now had time to reassess the way we target lithium pegmatites on our Split Rocks project,” Zenith Minerals managing director Michael Clifford said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“With some additional assays now to hand, and a significant review of the details of our extensive surface geochemical and drilling databases, we are now able to reclassify our lithium drill anomalies at Split Rocks, resulting in a total of 83 targets.

“The exercise reaffirms our strong belief in the prospectivity of the Split Rocks project area that has already delivered one JORC Mineral Resource.

“We very much look forward to January 2024 when we anticipate regaining full control of the project on a 100 per cent basis.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Latin Resources Increases JORC Resource at Salinas Lithium Project

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Latin Resources (ASX: LRS) announced a 50 per cent increase to the Minerals Resource Estimate (MRE) at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Salinas lithium project in Brazil.

Latin Resources increased the Salinas MRE via growth at the project’s Colina and Fog’s Block deposits.

This included a 41 per cent increase to the Colina deposit MRE to 63.5 million tonnes at 1.3 per cent lithium oxide (Li2O), which Latin Resources claimed places it amongst one of the largest scale Tier-One undeveloped lithium resources globally.

This combined with a maiden Inferred Resource Estimate defined at Fog’s Block for approximately 6.8 million tonnes at 0.9 per cent Li2O.

Latin Resources signalled its upcoming intentions for the two deposits, indicating 16 – diamond drill rigs will commence drilling in January 2024 at Colina and Fog’s Block, which is anticipated to expand through 2024 with a focus on upgrading the Colina MRE, leading into a DFS and testing the new Planalto discovery over the Salinas project tenure.

“What a great effort from our exploration team,” Latin Resources managing director Chris Gale said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“Another significant milestone met with our upgraded MRE to over 70 million tonnes.

“This project is fast becoming a Tier One lithium resource as we predicted.

“We are also very encouraged by the consistent uplift in grade as we infill drill.

“This is a great sign of a quality mineral resource.

“The increase in size of the JORC resource will have an extremely positive impact on our DFS economics as the resource increase allows us to evaluate building phase 3 of the project lifting output significantly.

“The lithium market sentiment is low at the moment; however, no one can say Latin hasn’t delivered what it has promised over the last two years.

“I thank the shareholders that have stuck with us through these difficult times!”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

St George Mining Makes High-Grade REE Discovery at Destiny

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: St George Mining (ASX: SGQ) has made a clay-hosted REE system discovery at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Destiny project in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

St George Ming acquired the Destiny project, originally called Woolgangie, earlier this year and in September commenced on-the-ground exploration activities.

The discovery came via recent drilling activity that intersected thick zones of high-grade Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) – up to 42m thick that has been shown to be hosted in a thick, near-surface clay zone confirmed by drilling over a 7km-long strike with mineralisation open in all directions.

Assay results include:

WGAC0001
8m at 1,673ppm TREO, 342ppm magnetic rare earth oxide (MREO) from 24m;

WGAC0026
30m at 1,885ppm TREO, 399ppm MREO from 20m, including 6m at 3,578ppm TREO, 755ppm MREO from 32m, and including 2m at 5,125ppm TREO, 1,199ppm MREO from 32m;

WGAC0030
42m at 1,832ppm TREO, 351ppm MREO from 12m, including 14m at 2,622ppm TREO, 515ppm MREO from 38m; and

WGAC0100
29m at 1,042ppm TREO, 200ppm MREO from 14m.

“These are ground-breaking results for the company in our first-ever drill program at the Destiny project, with high-grade rare earths confirmed along a seven kilometres-long strike of the Ida Fault,” St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The high grades returned in the assays are very exciting.

“Together with the scale of the prospective geology – which may extend for more than 70 kilometres – the potential of the project is impressive.

“Importantly, the assays show a high proportion of sought-after magnetic rare earths – a feature that could be a huge value driver for the project.

“The flat-lying nature of the REE mineralisation and the host clay zone allow for a fairly simple follow-up exploration program of drilling along strike as well as infill drilling.

“We want to be back drilling at Destiny early in 2024 to unlock the full potential of this exciting REE discovery.

“The REE project is complementary to our lithium and nickel assets, enhancing St George’s position as a high-impact explorer of multiple battery metals in the Tier 1 jurisdiction of Western Australia.

“The Destiny project covers 3,350 square kilometres and takes in more than 90 kilometres of the Ida fault – a regional scale crustal shear zone that is gaining increased interest as a control on major mineral deposits in Western Australia.

“We are excited to control more than 90 kilometres of the Ida Fault at our Destiny project – and another 30 kilometres strike at our Mt Alexander project – with advanced targets for lithium, rare earths, nickel and copper.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Alto Metals Defines New Sandstone North Gold Target

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Alto Metals (ASX: AME) has identified a substantive gold and pathfinder element anomaly within the company’s 100 per cent-owned Sandstone gold project in Western Australia.

Alto Metals reported the six kilometres long by 250 metres wide anomaly was defined via recent fine fraction soil geochemical sampling over the project’s Sandstone North area and is considered to be coincident with interpreted north-trending shear zones along a major regional fold axis.

“Our low-cost regional soils program has identified what appears to be a very large, structurally controlled gold target extending over six kilometres at Sandstone North,” Alto Metals managing director Matthew Bowles said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The gold anomaly is coherent with elevated levels of arsenic and lead – key gold pathfinder elements for structurally hosted gold mineralisation – that have also been identified over the six kilometres of strike.

“Limited drilling at Sandstone North, over only 300 metres of strike, has returned some exceptionally high-grade results, including 15 metres at 9.1 grams per tonne gold from 82m, including 3 metres at 32.1 grams per tonne gold which ended in mineralisation.

“The style of gold mineralisation is different to other parts of the Sandstone Greenstone Belt, with mineralisation hosted within sulphidic quartz veins in sediments, which is a similar setting to Goldfields high-grade Waroonga deposit at Agnew.

“The high-grade nature of gold mineralisation, structural setting and relatively under-explored area presents an outstanding regional target.

“Whilst the company remains focused on the Alpha Domina which hosts the current 832,000 ounces open pitable mineral resource, the Sandstone North target highlights the significant upside to the Sandstone gold project.

“Preparations are already underway for an initial approx. 5,000 metres of low-cost air-core drilling to commence early next quarter at this exciting new gold target, which has the potential to lead to the discovery of a significant, structurally hosted gold prospect, at Sandstone North.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE

 

Larvotto Resources Claims New Copper Discovery at Mt Isa

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Larvotto Resources (ASX: LRV) claimed a new copper discovery at the company’s Mt Isa project in Queensland.

Larvotto Resources reported results from recent RC drilling undertaken at the Yamamilla and IXL targets confirmed and extended known copper mineralisation at the Mt Isa project.

The company drilled the 2,100m Reverse Circulation (RC) program targeting copper, gold and cobalt that had been identified via Larvotto’s ongoing regional geochemistry and field mapping program.

The new copper discovery made at IXL sit along a mineralised N-W trend with initial drilling intersecting near surface copper mineralisation, returning:

IXLRC23003
20 metres at 1.03 per cent copper from surface, including 4m at 2.48 per cent copper from 12m.

Wide intercepts of copper mineralisation were encountered at the Yamamilla prospect, including:

YMRC23004
44m at 0.63 per cent copper from 48m, including 8m at 1.64 per cent copper from 84m.

“The recent RC drill program at our Mt Isa project has been very successful with significant results from the IXL prospect, where we intersected significant new zones of copper mineralisation from surface and a wide intercept of copper mineralisation at Yamamilla,” Larvotto Resources managing director Ron Heeks said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The IXL result has identified a new mineralised structure and has become a new priority target.

“At Yamamilla, it is encouraging to receive a shallow intercept of 1.64 per cent copper that will also require follow-up drilling.

“Both of these results highlight the significant exploration potential with multiple targets across the 900 square kilometres land area at our Mt Isa project.

“We look forward to keeping shareholders updated on Larvotto’s future exploration activity on this highly-prospective area.”

 

TO READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: CLICK HERE