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Auric Mining
Overview
Auric Mining Limited (ASX:AWJ) is a gold exploration and mining company based in Western Australia. In three-and-a-half years since its ASX listing, Auric has become a gold producer in this premier jurisdiction.
Since incorporation, it has moved from zero to 250,000 ounces of gold resources and zero to 282 square kilometers of tenements. Auric Mining is in the company of some of the biggest gold projects in the Goldfields, including the St Ives Gold Mine, Karora Resources’ Higginsville Operations & Beta Hunt Mine, all multi-million-ounce mines.
Besides gold, there are numerous precious metals being mined in the area with world-class deposits of nickel, lithium and rare earths. Auric is gold-focused and has the potential to become a significant producer in the region.
First blasting at Jeffreys Find took place in May 2023. Over the ensuing six months, 9,741 ounces of gold were produced.
Partnering with Auric in its Jeffreys Find Project is BML Ventures of Kalgoorlie (BML), a well-known and adept Kalgoorlie contractor. BML is a specialist mining contractor. It has particular expertise in shallow, open-pit mining with short duration projects in The Goldfields.
The Jeffreys Find Project commenced in May 2023 and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2025. The joint venture is partially exploiting 47,000 ounces of gold resources.
Gold ore on the ROM Pad at Jeffreys Find, Norseman. Ore was hauled to Coolgardie for milling in 2023.
Stage One is now complete with Stage Two mining to start in March 2024.
Success for Auric at Jeffreys Find means the company is self-funding for 2024 and able to sustain its exploration and development activity without need for additional capital raising. Auric now has a road map for five years of continuous mining and profits.
Grade control drilling at Munda was completed in January 2024
Auric’s primary focus continues to be on the company’s flagship asset - The Munda Gold Project.
To date almost 200,000 ounces of gold resources have been identified at Munda, the asset being part of the wider Widgiemooltha Gold Project, encompassing 22 tenements.
Munda is one of the largest deposits in the Widgiemooltha area having the potential to become a significant gold project.
In mid-year 2023 the Company released to the ASX a third-party scoping study on the economics and potential of open-pit mining at Munda.
The scoping study estimates the mining of up to 120,000 ounces of gold over a three-year mine life. It is envisaged gold ore would be toll-processed at a nearby Coolgardie Mill. The study projects free cash profits of between $50 million and $100 million, based on various gold prices.
Production from Munda could commence in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Auric is also planning to progress its Spargoville Project, where it has tenements ideally positioned along strike from the Wattle Dam gold mine, a prolific mine which produced 268,000 ounces of gold at 10 g/t, between 2006 and 2013.
An experienced and savvy management team leads Auric Mining towards its vision of becoming a significant gold producer in Western Australia. With the three directors owning approximately 17 percent of the company, they are focused and motivated for success.
Auric Mining’s board of directors: Mark English, Managing Director; Steve Morris, Chair; and John Utley, Technical Director
Steve Morris, non-executive chairman, has more than 25 years of experience in financial and natural resources markets.
Mark English, managing director, has a 40-year career as a chartered accountant and is at ease with all facets of running a public company on the ASX including major equity and debt raisings.
John Utley, technical director, has 35 years of experience in gold exploration and development.
This range of expertise offers a high level of confidence that the company will achieve its goals.
Company Highlights
- Auric Mining is a publicly listed company with a market cap of around $13m.
- Its flagship asset is the 200,000-ounce Munda Gold Project at Widgiemooltha, just 100 kms from Kalgoorlie. It has an aim to begin production in 2024 before more intensive mining from 2025 onwards.
- During 2023 the focus was on mining at its Jeffreys Find Gold Mine, near Norseman. Stage One mining between May and November 2023 produced 9,741 ounces of gold, creating almost $30 million in gross revenue.
- A final reconciliation saw surplus cash of $9.5 million generated. Auric banked $4.78 million, being 50% of the surplus cash as agreed with its JV partner, BML Ventures of Kalgoorlie.
- Mining at Jeffreys Find will recommence in March 2024 with expectations of expanded mining activity and significantly greater tonnage to be processed compared to 2023.
- As an explorer, Auric has accumulated 282 square kilometers of tenure as it looks to find and mine a million ounces of gold between Kalgoorlie and Norseman.
- The area hosts some of the richest mineral deposits and mines in the world. In addition to gold, Auric also has opportunities for discovery of lithium, rare earths and nickel.
- Auric has three main projects: The Munda Gold Project which is part of the Widgiemooltha Gold Project; Jeffreys Find Gold Mine; The Spargoville Project.
- The company has a board and leadership team with a track record of delivering success for shareholders, particularly in discovering and bringing to production gold projects.
Auric’s tenements are between Norseman and Kambalda in Western Australia.
Key Projects
Widgiemooltha Gold Project & Munda Gold Project
Progression to open-pit mining is gathering momentum with a plan to commence gold production via a starter pit in the last quarter of 2024 at the Munda Gold Project.
The Widgiemooltha Gold Project combines 22 tenements of highly prospective gold country near Widgiemooltha and includes the Munda Gold Project. Since acquiring the Munda tenements, drilling results confirm indicated and inferred gold resources of almost 200,000 ounces (4.48 mt @ 1.38 g/t with 0.5 g cut off).
The Widgiemooltha tenements have substantial coverage at the north end of the Widgiemooltha Dome.
Even with the extensive mining history in the area, considerable exploration prospectivity remains. Several significant gold projects discovered or developed in the past ten years, including:
Auric Mining is now fast-tracking development at Munda. With a number of gold processing mills in the vicinity, the move to production is now gathering momentum.
In mid-2023 a Scoping Study on Munda produced a positive result. The study proposed a shallow open gold mine. At gold prices from $2,400/oz to $2,800/oz, the Production Target for the Project ranges from approximately:
- 1.67Mt at 2.2g/t producing 112.0koz gold, to
- 2.18Mt at 1.9g/t producing 129.1koz gold.
The Production Target generates an undiscounted accumulated cash surplus after payment of all working capital costs, but excluding pre-mining capital requirements, of between approximately $54.7m to $101.4m.
Mining is contemplated over an approximately 3-year period (13 calendar quarters).
Pre-mining capital and start-up costs are estimated to be approximately $0.8m to $1.7m.
Working capital requirements of approximately $3.9m to $8.1m were estimated based on a Stage 1 starter pit design.
Grade Control Program results at Munda.
To further advance the Project Auric completed a grade control drilling program at Munda in January 2024. In total 351 holes were sunk on a 10m x 10m grid over a potential starter pit.
Assay results include numerous significant intercepts at a 0.5g/t cut-off with high grade or broad intercepts such as:
Analysis of samples will be complete by the end of the first quarter 2024.
Further grade control drilling is envisaged as the company hones in on this high grade deposit.
A starter pit lasting about three months is envisaged in the last quarter of 2024. More intensive mining would follow in the period 2025-2027.
In all, Munda is projected to be a short-life project, able to produce exceptional cash profits with a gold price continuing at above $3000 an ounce.
Jeffreys Find Gold Mine
Fresh from mining almost 10,000 ounces of gold in 2023, Jeffreys Find’s Stage Two is certain to be significantly greater in scope.
The Jeffreys Find Gold Mine is located approximately 45 kilometers northeast of the town of Norseman and 12 kilometers off the main Eyre Highway via a haul road.
Jeffreys Find is a short-life mine with a total gold-resources estimate of nearly 50,000 ounces.
Magnetic image of the gold resource at Jeffreys Find
The company has performed remarkably well with this mine, having acquired the tenements just 3.5 years ago.
Stage One mining took place over six months, from May to November 2023 with about 175,000 tonnes of gold ore hauled to the Greenfelds Mill at Coolgardie where it was processed. Final refining and sale of gold bullion produced took place at the Perth Mint.
Stage One – Production & Revenue Statistics
The project is a joint venture undertaking between Auric and well-known Kalgoorlie contractor BML Ventures Pty Ltd (BML).
Auric’s risk is mitigated by BML who assume all operating costs including mining and haulage. Gold processing costs are recovered from the sale of gold bullion. After all costs have been deducted surplus cash is split equally between the partners.
For final mining in 2024 Auric has contributed $1 million in cash towards working capital which will be repaid towards the end of the final phase of mining.
The final pit shell at Jeffreys Find Gold Mine will be premised on a gold price of $2,900 an ounce, compared to the Stage One pit which was designed on the basis of gold at $2,600 an ounce. As a result the tonnage of ore being hauled to the mill will be substantially higher in 2024.
Equipment is being mobilised to the mine site in February and mining will recommence in March 2024. A continuing higher gold price has placed the joint venture in a solid position to throw off surplus cash well in excess of what was achieved in 2023.
Auric’s MD Mark English, Chairman Steve Morris and Technical Director John Utley at the Perth Mint with Auric gold bars from its Jeffreys Find Gold Mine.
Spargoville Project
Highly prospective tenements as company looks for gold on strike to Wattle Dam
Located approximately 35 kilometers southwest of the mining town Kambalda, the Spargoville Project is an underexplored asset with partially tested or entirely untested gold, nickel and lithium anomalies.
The asset sits north of the Wattle Dam gold mine. The Wattle Dam gold mine produced 268,000 oz of gold at an average grade of 10 g/t between 2006 and 2013.
While only partially drilled, initial exploration results from the Fugitive Prospect include an intercept at 14 meters with a grade of 2.51 g/t gold, indicating the asset’s promising potential.
Auric’s tenements at The Spargoville Project.
Management Team
Auric Mining’s Management and Board of Directors have a wealth of experience in gold discovery, in mine operations and across the full spectrum of finance and administration. That experience stretches to all parts of the globe.
Board of Directors
Steven Morris – Non-executive Chairman
Steve Morris is a well-known financial markets executive with more than two decades experience at a senior level. He garnered industry respect as head of private clients for Patersons Securities, now Canaccord Genuity, and has also been managing director of Intersuisse. Mr. Morris has served as a senior executive of the Little Group. From 2014 to 2019, Morris was a non-executive director of De Grey Mining (ASX:DEG), a gold company now with a $2.4 billion market capitalization. Mr. Morris is well connected in finance circles and was a board member of The Melbourne Football Club for nine years including three years as the vice chairman.
Mark English – Managing Director
Mark English is a Chartered Accountant with more than 40 years’ experience in business. English was the founding director of Bullion Minerals Ltd, now DevEX Resources (ASX:DEV) a company he managed for seven years before taking it to an IPO. Mr. English has considerable experience with major equity and debt raisings. He currently sits on the Board of WA integrated agricultural company Moora Citrus Group, one of the nation’s largest citrus producers and processors.
John Utley – Technical Director
John Utley has a 35-year career in mining and exploration with a dominant focus on gold assets. He holds a master’s degree in Earth sciences from the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Mr Utley has worked in Australia, South America, Papua New Guinea and most recently in Canada where he was the Chief Geologist for Atlantic Gold Corporation, a company now owned by St Barbara (ASX:SBM). He spearheaded exploration and development of the Touquoy Gold Mine in Nova Scotia, Canada, prior to being acquired by St Barbara. Mr Utley previously worked with Plutonic Resources (ASX:PLU) and was head of the exploration team at the Darlot Gold Mine during the discovery and development of the 2.3-million-ounce Centenary gold deposit.
Quarterly Activities Report for the period ending 30 June 2024
Highlights
- Co-funded drilling grant up to $110,000 for 2 x 700m deep diamond drill holes under the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) awarded for Minnie Springs Cu-Mo prospect. Drilling is planned for August.
- Potential for higher grade Cu and Mo zones identified at depth below “tilted” porphyry model.
- Two new prospects, Tiberius and Claudius, have returned high-grade copper and significant silver assays in rock chips from recent field work.
- High grade assays up to 17.8% Cu and 282g/t Ag have been discovered at Tiberius, currently 3m wide and extending for over 200m along strike.
- Claudius, 11km south of Tiberius, comprised of several parallel zones over a 100m by 300m area, returned grades up to 6.6% Cu and 86g/t Ag.
- UTS Geophysics to conduct a VTEM Max survey over several Copper, Cu-Ni-PGE, Broken Hill style and Uranium targets along the money Intrusion and within proximity of the prospective 85km long Ti-Tree Shear.
- The Money Intrusion is prospective for Cu-Ni-PGE mineralisation.
- The Munaballya Well area which shows potential for Uranium mineralisation.
- Coo Creek shows similar lithologies and alteration to Broken Hill Style massive sulphide mineralisation.
- In July ongoing field work returned high grade rock chip assays
- 35% copper and 236 g/t silver from Tiberius prospect.
- 32% copper, 3.26 g/t gold and 129 g/t silver from the South Snowy prospect.
- 10.1g/t gold from rock chips from the Justinian prospect.
- Mapping and field work is continuing around these prospects as well as new targets identified from a combination of geology, geophysics and multi-spectral image analysis.
- Cash position of $3.02M as of 30 June
- 16 July 2024 the Company raised an additional $1.66M through a placement.
Figure 1 Location of the prospects and planned VTEM Survey Areas.
EIS Grant for Minnie Springs Copper Porphyry Drilling
A co-funded drilling grant of up to $110,000 for 2 x 700m deep diamond drill holes under the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) was awarded for Minnie Springs (Figure 1). Drilling is planned for August.
In preparation for the deeper drilling, modelling of the Minnie Springs system in an integrated manner by incorporating recent drilling, alteration mapping and geophysics has highlighted both potential extensions to existing near surface Mo rich zones, as well as the potential for high grade Cu-Mo zones at depth.
Southern Geoscience Consultants (SGC) reprocessed historic gradient array induced polarisation survey (GAIP) and a dipole-dipole induced polarisation survey (DDIP) conducted by Equatorial Minerals in 1997. A gradient array survey was conducted over both the Mo and Cu zones, highlighting elevated chargeability over the Mo rich zone.
This article includes content from Augustus Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Elevated Uranium Confirmed in Preston Creek Drilling
Key Highlights
- Elevated uranium confirmed in multiple drillholes from Phase 2 drilling at Geikie within altered fault zones and favourable lithologies.
- Notable key uranium pathfinders identified beyond previously identified zones at Preston Creek.
- Highly encouraging geochemistry results at Preston Creek within a structured alteration system comparable to multiple world class basement-hosted uranium deposits of the Athabasca Basin.
- 1.5 km of strike length on the very prospective Preston Creek gravity anomaly remains untested.
- Drilling confirms the prospectivity of the Geikie Project and the effectiveness of Basin’s targeting methodology utilising multilayered geophysical datasets.
The Phase 2 drill program consisted of eight diamond drillholes in three prospect areas totalling 2,295 m1. The program was designed to follow-up on the success of the 2023 maiden drill program2,3 and to test high-priority gravity anomalies from the 2023 Airborne Gravity Gradiometer (‘AGG’) survey4.
Basin’s Managing Director, Pete Moorhouse, commented:
“Confirming elevated uranium and pathfinder elements at Preston Creek in conjuncture with key structures and intense alteration patterns reaffirms the strategic direction we’ve pursued advancing exploration programs at Geikie. Drilling at Preston Creek has demonstrated the scale and style of structure and alteration typical of basement-hosted uranium mineralisation in the region.
Moving forward, we will capitalise on these results to refine our exploration model and prioritise future exploration targets. Phase 2 drilling demonstrated that the gravity survey successfully delineated an area of extensive alteration at Preston Creek within a wide complex structural corridor with uranium anomalism detected. This 1.5 km strike gravity low system has the scale and key elements which demonstrates good potential and remains untested to the northeast. Additionally, numerous regional gravity anomalies remain untested on the property. Needless to say, our team is very excited for the next round of exploration at Geikie.”
Figure 1: Compilation map highlighting best uranium intercepts from 20235 and 2024 drilling campaigns with insert highlighting results at the Preston Creek prospect over the AGG anomalism.
Phase 2 Drilling Geochemical Results
The Phase 2 drilling program consisted of eight diamond drill holes for a total of 2,295 metres, designed to follow-up on the success of the 2023 drill program6,7 and to test high-priority gravity anomalies identified during the 2023 AGG survey. Gravity anomalies were interpreted to be related to zones of enhanced basement alteration. The drill program was focused on three high priority target areas on the Project, with most of the work completed on the Preston Creek prospect.
Drilling at Preston Creek was highlighted by a wide quartz-rich fault zone showing cataclastic reactivation, intense hydrothermal fluid activity, redox style alteration, and localised elevated radiometry. Drill hole observations suggest that the previously identified gravity low in the Preston Creek target area is related to a broad hydrothermal fluid system. This gravity low feature remains untested to the northeast where it extends for approximately 1,500 metres.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Basin Energy, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Auric Mining Investor Kit
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects