THE DRILL SERGEANT: Apollo Minerals (ASX: AON) let the market know High Power Exploration Inc. (HPX) has commenced exploration in the company’s new IOCG frontier in the north-western Gawler Craton in South Australia.

Earlier this year Apollo and HPX entered into a strategic alliance and joint venture to explore a tenement package currently 100 per cent-owned by Apollo.

The company said the first phase of exploration involves a high-powered Induced Polarisation (IP) survey over large scale gravity and magnetic targets at the Bundi North (northern half of the Bundi prospect) and Wirrida Intrusive Complex prospects.

 

IP survey plan of the Bundi and Wirrida prospects showing extents of the survey area. Source: Company announcement

 

The survey is using HPX’s proprietary ‘Typhoon’ technology and is designed to test for base metals including copper and gold at Bundi North and Wirrida and is one of the largest ever undertaken in South Australia.

Apollo has conducted pervious exploration in the area, which identified widespread copper anomalism directly above large, high-density targets variously associated with magnetic and non-magnetic zones.

These have been interpreted to extend from a depth of approximately 150 metres to more than 1,000 metres below surface.

Apollo explained HPX’s ‘Typhoon’ technology is able to penetrate to great depths with high accuracy and considers it to be ideal for exploring the geological environment at Bundi North and Wirrida.

The IP survey is expected to be completed by the end of May with results available in June.

Subject to final review, a maiden drill program to drill test identified targets is anticipated to follow.

Apollo’s strategic Alliance with HPX relates specifically to exploration licences, EL4960, EL5073, EL5074, and EL5348, known collectively as the Commonwealth Hill Farm-in Joint Venture.

HPX may earn up to 80 per cent via its exploration spend.

The JV does not affect Apollo’s existing joint venture arrangements; the adjacent Eaglehawk JV and Aurora-Tank JVs.

Email: info@apollominerals.com.au

Website: www.apollominerals.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.

RC drilling commenced on the Birsok bauxite project, Cameroon

Canyon Resources (ASX: CAY) has commenced RC drilling on the company’s Birsok bauxite project in Cameroon.

The drilling is planned to test the width and extent of bauxite mineralisation across priority target areas and will initially target the highest priority prospects of Djombi, Fedal and Baoua.

The drilling has been designed based on results from extensive rock chip sampling and geological mapping completed by Canyon and its Joint Venture partner.

Ongoing mapping across the project continues to identify further mineralised zones and target areas.

“We are very pleased to have commenced the first ever drilling program on the Birsok project so soon after announcing the transaction and following the recent announcement of outstanding high-grade rock chip assay results,” Canyon Resources managing director Phillip Gallagher said.

“The extensive rock chip and mapping program that has been completed prior to the commencement of this inaugural drilling program has confirmed the presence of high-grade gibbsite bauxite across a large proportion of the project area, and identified high priority areas for drilling.

“Based on results to date, we are confident of positive results from this program.”

Drilling underway at Blueys

Core Exploration (ASX: CXO) has commenced its first reverse circulation (RC) drill program in the Northern Territory at the company’s Blueys project.

The drilling is testing prospective drill targets at both the Blueys and Inkheart prospects within the company’s Albarta project.

Core said the drilling has been designed to confirm the source of anomalous silver in soils and high-grade mineralisation the company has previously identified at surface.

The company said IP geophysical surveys have identified chargeable and structural targets at depth below these surface indicators.

These targets have never been drill tested as the deepest prior drilling was to a depth of 52 metres.

Drilling is expected to take three to four weeks to complete with assay results expected over the next eight weeks.

Drilling commences at Overflow project

TriAusMin Limited (ASX: TRO) has commenced a four hole, 400 metre drill program on the company’s Overflow project, located within the Western Lachlan Fold Belt, of Central News South Wales.

The drill program is to comprise 200 metres of Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling at the Spooky Hill gold prospect and a single 200 metre diamond (DD) hole at the historic Overflow mine.

Work kicks off at Fraser Range East

Mining Projects Group (ASX: MPJ) announced that Newexco has commenced the first stage of a Moving Loop Electro Magnetic (MLEM) Survey at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Fraser Range East project.

The MLEM program has been designed to test for the presence of bedrock conductors which may be associated with nickel mineralisation.

Soil samples will also be taken at all stations to conduct Mobile Metal Ion (MMI) analysis, a form of low detection soil sampling.

This form of sampling analyses the loosely bound ions attached to soil particles and allows for the detection of geochemical signals through cover and transported overburden.

The survey is expected to take approximately a week with analysis and reporting to follow.

Air Core drilling commenced at Spargoville

Tychean Resources (ASX: TYK) has commenced an Air Core drilling program at the Core Farm and Golden Orb East prospects at the company’s wholly-owned Spargoville gold project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.

The program at the Core Farm prospect is to comprise shallow close spaced Air Core drilling planned to evaluate the size and potential extent of interpreted paleochannel mineralisation Tychean has intersected within previous drilling.

A smaller program of Air Core drilling is planned at Golden Orb East to infill and further evaluate previously identified gold mineralised trends within previous drilling.

The company anticipates all results from this drilling to be received by early June 2014.

Drilling commenced at Mt Eureka project

Cullen Resources (ASX: CUL) has commenced an RC drilling program at the company’s Mt Eureka project in Western Australia.

The drilling has been planned to include follow-up RC drilling of nickel geochemical anomalies at the Doyles nickel prospect.

It will also involve RC drilling to the west of the recently completed RC drill hole MERC 107, and to test a target ultramafic horizon for nickel mineralisation further to the west at the Silverbark North nickel prospect.

Cullen said it anticipates drilling will be completed within two weeks with assays to follow by mid-June.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Chesser Resources (ASX: CHZ) has received the third batch of results from a sawcut sampling program being carried out at the company’s Kestanelik gold project in north-western Turkey.

The company said the sampling program is being undertaken with the aim to further define the distribution of near surface high-grade gold mineralisation on the property.

The latest results, which are from outside the current resource area include:

8.9 metres at 12.9 grams per tonne gold, including 3.6 metres at 19.6 g/t gold;

3.1m at 9.5g/t gold; and

1.1m at 14.8g/t gold.

The company said the results are from sawcut samples taken from veins within the K4 and Topyurt South zones at the south of the property.

 

Composite results from sawcut sampling on the K4 vein. Source: Company announcement

 

It explained that they have been designed to extend areas of known mineralisation to the south and southwest of the current resource, where recent geological reviews have highlighted strong potential for additional resource growth.

“These results from the K4 and Topyurt South zones show that high gold grades persist at surface well outside the area of the current resource,” Chesser Resources managing director Dr Rick Valenta said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“It is particularly encouraging as the sampling defined new mineralisation at the Topyurt South vein, only discovered in December 2013.”

Chesser is carrying out additional sawcut sampling on other zones on the property including the Topyurt veins as well as progressing a number of work streams supporting the planned development and expansion of the Kestanelik project.

Work is continuing on a JORC Code-compliant resource update as well as mine, process and tailings design as part of the Kestanelik pre-feasibility study, which Chesser said is progressing on time and on budget.

The company said it is on track to submit a project description for the Kestanelik Environmental Impact Assessment to the relevant Turkish Authorities in the June 2014 quarter.

Email: info@chesserresources.com.au

Website: www.chesserresources.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 commences at Ndongo West

Cardinal Resources (ASX: CDV) has had a Gradient Array Induced Polarisation (GAIP) survey completed over the Ndongo West area of the company’s Ndongo prospect in Ghana.

TTG Geoservices of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso completed the survey of 21 lines of one kilometre lengths over anomalous gold‐in‐soil values in the Ndongo West area.

“We are very encouraged by the results of the recently completed GAIP survey over the Ndongo West area of the Ndongo prospect,” Cardinal Resources managing director Archie Koimtsidis said.

“Both Chargeability and Resistivity images combined with our airborne survey and soil geochemistry data, confirm a well ‐ defined NE trending contact zone.

“Location planning has been completed so that the zone can be tested with our company-owned combination RC/diamond drill rig.

“This RC drilling plan is designed to confirm the prominent NE trending contact zone delineated by the GAIP survey and to locate mineralisation associated with the anomalous gold‐in‐soil values which were derived from our soil geochemical program.”

Drilling program gets Environmental and Statutory approvals

White Cliff Minerals (ASX: WCN) has received environmental approvals from both the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Mines and Petroleum to conduct a 1,000 metre to 2,000 metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Lake Johnston nickel project in Western Australia.

The drilling program will target four high-priority EM conductors within ultramafic units at the Mt Glasse prospect that have associated nickel-copper-platinum-palladium soil anomalies.

White Cliff has secured a $150,000 grant from the Western Australian government to drill the Lake Johnston nickel sulphide targets as part of the Royalties for Regions Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) administered by the Department of Mines and Petroleum.

Drilling to commence at Blueys project

Core Exploration (ASX: CXO) has received required approvals for its first reverse circulation (RC) drill program at the Blueys project in the Northern Territory.

Core’s recent exploration has identified highly prospective drill targets at both the Blueys and Inkheart prospects within the company’s Albarta project.

Core believes these new drill targets in combination with anomalous silver in soil and high-grade rock chip results are a strong indicator of mineralisation at depth.

With drill approvals in place and drill contract secured Core has commenced preparation on-site and expects drilling to commence next week.

Commencement of Phase 2 drilling program at SA targets

WPG Resources (ASX: WPG) has commenced a program of aircore drilling on its tenements in the Northern Gawler Craton region near Coober Pedy in South Australia.

This is the first stage of a drilling campaign on priority targets in the company’s Phase 2 exploration program on the tenements.

During Phase 1 of its exploration program completed in 2013, WPG defined 14 areas for follow-up exploration within the Muckanippie (EL 5154), Robins Rise (EL 4525) and Lake Woorong (EL 4907) tenements from an in-depth review of past exploration.

The drilling has commenced on the Nardoo South prospect within the Muckanippie tenement where previous shallow RAB drilling returned nickel intersections in several holes up to a maximum of 0.14 per cent nickel.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Fertoz Limited (ASX: FTZ) has received approval to produce a second bulk sample at the company’s Wapiti East phosphate project in British Columbia, Canada.

The company explained the second bulk sample allows it to extract an additional 2,000 tonnes of product than it was permitted for in its first bulk sample of 7,500 tonnes in February for sale to the North American agricultural market.

Since the approval of the 7,500 tonne bulk sample in February, unseasonably warm weather conditions have prevented an ice bridge being constructed across Red Deer creek to access the sample location.

This has meant the company has been waiting until March for road access improvements to be carried out.

Fertoz now has permission to extract a total of 9,500 tonnes of phosphate.

Fertoz said it is now ready to extract its first saleable material as soon as the snow melts in the June quarter.

“We expect minor creek crossings will become passable and the roads will dry out towards the end of May allowing bulk sample collection to start,” Fertoz Limited managing director Les Szonyi said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“We have taken advantage of the delay by having a second bulk sample approved and plan to increase each bulk sample to 10,000 tonnes to enable a total of 20,000 tonnes to be collected in 2014.

“The second bulk sample location also has the advantage that it can be accessed from upstream of Red Deer creek and does not require a portable bridge to be installed across the creek.”

Fertoz has previously announced two organic farmers are ready to take its product at the mine gate as soon as it becomes available.

The farmers will be undertaking farm trials and will be responsible for freight and rock phosphate processing.

Laboratory test results on the company’s Wapiti phosphate have demonstrated phosphate availability of 10 per cent, which – as Fertoz pointed out – compares well against other organic fertilisers that have availability as low as three per cent.

The Wapiti phosphate also contains important secondary and tertiary minerals required for good plant growth, which Fertoz claims makes it suitable for North American organic markets.

The company has commenced discussions with potential marketing agents and distributors, with the aim of appointing one in 2014 and has also commenced work on a small scale (up to 75,000 tonnes per annum) mining lease application which will include mine planning studies.

The company is currently reviewing a number of phosphate product options (such as bulk, pelletized and bagged phosphate) with the aim of supplying the US and Canadian organic markets in 2014.

Email: office@fertoz.com

Website: www.fertoz.com