Balkan Mining and Minerals

December 2023 Quarterly Activities Report

Balkan Mining and Minerals Ltd (ASX: BMM; "BMM" or "the Company") provides the Company’s quarterly activities report for the three months ended 31 December 2023 (“Quarter”).


The maiden 2,500m diamond drilling program undertaken at the highly prospective the Gorge Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada with visual spodumene observed across campaign and laboratory assays pending. Key strategic and operational milestones were achieved during the quarter, outlined below.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Diamond drilling undertaken at the Gorge Lithium Project with for a program of 2,500m with spodumene bearing pegmatites encountered in several holes drilled
  • Drill program currently awaiting assays for approximately 180 samples
  • Clearing and stripping work undertaken in preparation for the drill program reveals previously unmapped pegmatites and extensions to some known pegmatite occurrences at Gorge, further underlining the project’s potential
  • Balkan remains committed to evaluating new project opportunities
  • Mr Karl Simich appointed Non-Executive Chairman

Balkan Mining and Minerals, Managing Director, Ross Cotton commented:

“The maiden diamond drilling activity conducted at our flagship Gorge Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada has revealed a widespread and prolific pegmatite hosted spodumene geology. We eagerly anticipate assays from the 2,500m program which will inform our next steps in advancing this exciting lithium-focused opportunity.

Whilst we remain extremely upbeat on the prospectivity of Gorge, the Board is continually reviewing opportunities to improve and diversify our project portfolio and will advise our shareholders of any new potentialities if and when appropriate.

Gorge Lithium Project (Ontario, Canada)

During the quarter, Balkan primarily focussed on exploration activities associated with the Company’s Gorge Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada.

In October, Balkan announced that visual spodumene mineralisation had been observed in the first holes drilled at the Nelson pegmatite occurrence at Gorge (refer to ASX Announcement dated 16 October 2023). As the program was progressed, spodumene mineralisation has been visually identified in 8 of the first 10 holes completed in the program at both the Nelson and Koshman pegmatite prospects (refer to ASX Announcement dated 12 December 2023). The Company currently awaits assays on approximately 180 samples taken from the program and will inform the market as they come to hand.

The stripping and clearing associated with drilling preparation exposed extensions to known pegmatite occurrences at surface with the Nelson pegmatite strike now extending more than 200m. In addition, a new pegmatite dyke north east of Nelson, SP-23-2 was revealed to extend some 50m in strike length with widths at surface ranging from 2.6-5m thick and visual spodumene between 5-15% content.

The diamond drilling program was briefly paused during October after the observation of the traditional hunting season of the region’s First Nation peoples. Shortly after the resumption of drilling, the Company took the decision to engage global drilling house Major Drilling Group International Inc to complete the program with a fit-for-purpose drill rig which led to substantial improvements in drilling rates and efficiency.

Whilst Balkan is awaiting the assays from the diamond drilling program, the Company notes that the most recently reported drilling included hole KS-23-009, which encountered 16.8m of spodumene mineralisation from 5.8m depth.

During the quarter, the Company made the payment of AU$60,000 cash and AU$100,000 in BMM shares to the vendor of the Gorge Lithium Project to move to 50% beneficial ownership of the project (for full details, refer to ASX Announcement dated 4 July 2022).

At a local level, Balkan continues to engage with relevant stakeholders including First Nations communities, land holders and regulatory agencies and authorities.


Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from Balkan Mining, 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.

BMM:AU
The Conversation (0)

Bayan Mining and Minerals

Mining Critical Minerals from the Balkan Region

Mining Critical Minerals from the Balkan Region Keep Reading...
Further Exploration Targets Identified at Bayan Springs

Further Exploration Targets Identified at Bayan Springs

Bayan Mining and Minerals (BMM:AU) has announced Further Exploration Targets Identified at Bayan SpringsDownload the PDF here. Keep Reading...
Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow Report

Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow Report

Balkan Mining and Minerals (BMM:AU) has announced Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow ReportDownload the PDF here. Keep Reading...
Excellent Ore Sorting Results-Ag Recoveries to over 1000g/t

Excellent Ore Sorting Results-Ag Recoveries to over 1000g/t

Rapid Critical Metals (RCM:AU) has announced Excellent Ore Sorting Results-Ag Recoveries to over 1000g/tDownload the PDF here. Keep Reading...
Metal lithium periodic symbol tile surrounded by glowing batteries and digital stock graph on green circuit background.

Lithium Market Trends: Q2 2026 Review and Forecast

Lithium prices recovered during the second quarter of 2026 as stronger-than-expected demand and tightening supply helped lift the market from the cyclical lows reached in 2025.Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices climbed from approximately US$8 per kilogram in May 2025 to more than US$25 by... Keep Reading...
Howard Klein.

Howard Klein: Winning the Critical Minerals Race Requires More Than New Mines

Speaking with the Investing News Network at the Fastmarkets Global Lithium, Battery & Critical Materials conference in Las Vegas, RK Equity founder Howard Klein argued that western governments have made significant progress in recognizing the strategic importance of critical minerals, yet... Keep Reading...
Side view of a military plane with a large American flag painted on the fuselage.

Pentagon Launches US$300 Million Lithium Stockpile

The US Department of Defense is seeking to purchase up to US$300 million of battery-grade lithium carbonate over the next five years as part of escalating Washington's strategy to insulate defense and commercial supply chains from global shocks.According to a procurement solicitation published... Keep Reading...
Cormac O'Laoire.

Cormac O’Laoire: Defense is Creating a New Growth Story for Battery Materials

A new era is beginning for the battery materials industry, as the defense sector joins energy storage systems and electric vehicles to become a primary catalyst for demand.Speaking with the Investing News Network at the Fastmarkets Global Battery and Critical Materials Conference in Las Vegas,... Keep Reading...
Bold yellow three-directional arrow painted on a textured black asphalt road.

Fastmarkets 2026: 3 Themes Shaping Lithium's Next Chapter

The 18th edition of the Fastmarket’s Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials took place in Las Vegas last week, bringing together an array of analysts, mining companies, market watchers and end use customers. This year’s event combined three segments of the battery and critical minerals... Keep Reading...

Interactive Chart

Latest Press Releases

Related News