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Far Northern Resources (ASX:FNR) (FNR or the Company) recently completed a targeted Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program at the Empire Mining Lease. This program aimed to update and infill the 2020 resource model, with a focus on the primary vein at the northern end of the Empire Stockworks. The drilling results have confirmed the presence of high-grade gold zones (>3 g/t Au), with mineralization remaining open at depth and along strike, indicating further exploration potential.
Highlights Project: The Empire Projects / Chillagoe, North Queensland
- Completion of drilling in North Queensland.
- In the process of updating the Resource Model at Empire.
- Base Case Sensitivity Analysis of Empire North underway.
Drilling Results
Six RC drill holes were completed, all of which intercepted high-grade quartz veins in line with the previous modelling.
The following assay results were announced to the market on 13 September1
- 4m @ 1.24g/t Au from 28m in FNRRC031 (incl. 1m @ 2.90 g/t Au)
- 1m @ 1.20g/t Au from 43m in FNRRC031
- 1m @ 1.01g/t Au from 13m in FNRRC032
- 3m @ 0.93g/t Au from 50m in FNRRC032
- 1m @ 14.96g/t Au from 9m in FNRRC033
- 1m @ 9.05g/t Au from 44m in FNRRC033
- 1m @ 2.49g/t Au from 11m in FNRRC034
- 8m @ 3.03g/t Au from 18m in FNRRC034 (incl. 5m @ 4.31 g/t Au)
- 1m @ 1.32g/t Au from 32m in FNRRC034
- 1m @ 1.02g/t Au from 41m in FNRRC034
- 1m @ 2.80g/t Au from 0m in FNRRC035
- 1m @ 1.45g/t Au from 11m in FNRRC035
- 1m @ 1.24g/t Au from 14m in FNRRC035
- 6m @ 1.23g/t Au from 29m in FNRRC035
- 1m @ 1.30g/t Au from 32m in FNRRC036
These intercepts demonstrate the continuity of high-grade mineralization within the Empire Stockworks, supporting the potential for future mining operations. The assays will be fed into an updated resource and economic model to reflect current gold prices, forming the basis for future feasibility studies.
Far Northern Resources Mineral Resources as at the date of fnr’s prospectus
These figures provide an important foundation as the Company looks to future expansion.
Strategic Positioning
FNR is in a strong position to advance the Empire Project, given its proximity to a mill located less than 20 km from the current mining lease. The mill access greatly enhances the economic feasibility of mining operations and will be crucial as the company moves into more advanced feasibility studies.
Looking Forward
The FNR team remains excited about the exploration potential at the Empire Stockworks. With the deposit still open at depth and along strike, the board is confident that additional drilling will continue to expand the resource base. The securing of funding from the IPO for ongoing exploration activities has ensured that the Company can continue developing the project with the aim of establishing FNR’s first operational mine.
Conclusion
The results from the 2024 drilling campaign have provided valuable new data, confirmed the presence of high-grade gold mineralization and enhanced the Company’s resource model. FNR will continue to focus on exploration at the Empire Project, with the goal of moving toward full feasibility and mining operations in the coming years.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Far Northern Resources, 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.
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Far Northern Resources
Investor Insight
Far Northern Resources is well-placed to capitalize on Australia's resource opportunities and deliver sustainable returns to its shareholders as it pursues strategic exploration across its assets in some of Australia’s most prolific mining jurisdictions.
Overview
Far Northern Resources (ASX:FNR) is a newly listed Australian explorer focused on gold and base metals. The company debuted on the ASX on April 12, 2024, after finalizing its IPO, during which it secured AU$4 million in funding. The company has three exploration projects – two based in Northern Queensland (Empire and Rocks Reef) and one in the Northern Territories (Bridge Creek).
In the 2022-23 fiscal year, mining played a pivotal role in Australia's economy by generating a record $455 billion in export revenue, accounting for nearly 66 percent of the total exports. This underscores the industry's significant contribution to the nation's economic stability, government revenues, and the creation of employment opportunities in regional areas.
According to the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2023, Australia is one of the most attractive regions for mining. Fraser Institute ranks the Northern Territories and Queensland as the 6th and 13th most attractive destinations for mining investment.
During 2023, Queensland's mines yielded 12.6 tons of gold, positioning it as the fourth most prolific state in Australia for this precious metal. Its output falls slightly below that of the Northern Territory (13.9 tons).
Its presence in relatively attractive mining jurisdictions positions the company to capitalize on opportunities in Australia's resource sector and deliver sustainable returns to its shareholders. The IPO funds of AU$4 million have provided sufficient funding to the company to advance its exploration projects. Overall, Far Northern is planning a 20,000-meter drilling program over the next two years, which will consist: of over 5,000 meters for Empire; 2,500 to 5,000 meters for Bridge Creek; and 2,500 meters planned at Rocks Reef in the China Wall prospect.
Company Highlights
- Far Northern Resources (FNR) is a newly listed Australia-based gold and base metals exploration company. The company was listed on the ASX on April 12, 2024, following the completion of its IPO in which it raised AU$4 million.
- The company has three projects across Northern Queensland and the Northern Territories – Empire, Bridge Creek and Rocks Reef. Empire and Bridge Creek are significantly advanced, drill-ready with JORC-compliant resources.
- The flagship project Empire has undergone extensive exploration work culminating in a 2019 mineral resource estimate of 22,500 oz gold.
- At Bridge Creek, FNR is planning a drilling program, which aims to move inferred resources to indicated status, as well as extend the mineralization both along the strike and at depth.
- The Rock Reefs property presents a prospective upside for FNR with historical exploration showing promise for gold and copper mineralization.
- The presence in relatively attractive mining jurisdictions in Australia positions the company to capitalize on opportunities in Australia's resource sector and deliver superior returns to its shareholders.
Key Projects
Empire Project (Copper-Gold)
The Empire Project, situated 34 km west of the mining town of Chillagoe in North Queensland which had a mill for treating locally mined ore. The project covers an expansive 252 hectares on a granted mining lease. The tenement boasts a rich exploration history, marked by substantial drilling conducted across various phases. This culminated in the determination of a 2019 mineral resource estimate of 22,505 oz of gold on the Empire Stockworks gold deposit.
More than 7,460 meters of RC drilling and 750 meters of diamond core drilling have been carried out by Far Northern Resources, resulting in multiple intersections of copper, gold and silver. Rock chip assays yielded noteworthy grades, with results showing up to 12.64 percent copper (FNRRCS24001) and 4.12 grams per ton (g/t) gold (FNRRCS24002). Further surface sampling unveiled copper grades ranging from 2.61 percent to 11.89 percent and gold grades from 0.70 g/t to 2.16 g/t.
The rock chip assays extended the strike of known mineralization at the Empire Stockworks prospect by a further 750 meters and management believes it could be part of a bigger porphyry-style target.
The company is in the process of updating its current resource and block model before returning to site in 2025 to continue exploration.
Several targets have already been identified on the Empire tenement:
Empire Stockworks Prospect: Located close to the northern Breccia zone, this is the most advanced Far Northern target, in respect of exploration progress.
FNR has completed an RC drilling program at the Empire Gold Deposit designed to update and infill the 2020 resource model drilling program at the Empire Mining Lease. The program confirmed the presence of a zone in the primary vein at the northern end of the Empire Stockworks consisting of a high-grade gold zone within the greater Empire Stockworks gold system, with mineralisation open at depth and along strike. Assays from all six drill holes intercepted the high-grade quartz veins that formed the basis of the previous modeling. These results will provide further data on the known resources at the Empire Stockwork that will enable FNR to update the resource and economic modelling at the current gold prices, to move into future feasibility studies.
United Empire: Situated south of the Empire Stockworks prospect and adjacent to the Pinnacles breccia zone, this anomaly exhibits copper/gold characteristics, as revealed by previous exploration efforts conducted by entities other than Far Northern.
Copper Pit: It is also located south of the Empire Stockworks prospect and close to Pinnacles breccia. The analysis of the minor mullock heaps in the vicinity suggests the area holds promise for copper and gold prospects.
Pinnacles Prospect: It is situated in the Pinnacles breccia zone to the south of the Empire Stockworks Prospect. Far Northern has done very minimal exploration work so far on this prospect.
Bridge Creek Project (primarily Gold)
The project is located 150 km south of Darwin in the Northern Territories. It comprises three mining leases situated within the Pine Creek Geosyncline. The project is in the historical mining area of Cosmos Howley – Pine Creek which has produced over 2 million oz of gold. It covers a sector of the axis of the Howley Anticline, approximately 12 km along strike north from the Cosmopolitan Howley gold mine currently owned by Kirkland Lake Gold.
A mineral resource estimate was completed in 2022 containing 70,560 oz of inferred gold resources.
Far Northern is looking to accelerate its exploration activity at Bridge Creek, with a planned 2,500 to 5,000-meter drilling program in 2025, aiming to move the inferred resources to indicated status, as well as extend the mineralization both along the strike and at depth.
Rocks Reef Project (Copper-Gold)
The Rocks Reef Project is located 52 km west of Chillagoe and comprises exploration permit 26473, which covers the Georgetown Tectonic Province. It is situated along a northeast structural trend spanning over 20 kilometers, within a large quartz-veined and altered porphyry formation. Geochemical sampling has revealed anomalous gold and silver veins within a 3-km by 1-km area.
The Rock Reefs property presents a prospective upside for Far Northern with historical exploration confirming the presence of a mineralized vein system at the China Wall prospect. The project shows early-stage promise for gold and copper deposits. Far Northern has completed an extensive early exploration program and results are expected over the coming months.
FNR has already identified targets for the tenement:
China Wall: Situated north of the tenement, this represents the most advanced target in terms of exploration progress within Rocks Reef. The previous operator had drilled a total of 155 air track holes along major and minor epithermal veins and structures, reporting precious metal mineralization. Subsequently, Far Northern conducted rock chip and soil analyses as part of follow-up investigations. Management is now planning a 2,500-meter drill program at the China Wall prospect.
Savannah Way and Single Peak: It is located about 1.3 km north of the China Wall. Far Northern has undertaken a rock chip and soil sampling program.
Roadside Copper: The target is located about 4.5 km from the China Wall Prospect. It saw little exploration work when it was held by the previous owner. Far Northern has conducted preliminary exploration including the analysis of rock chips and soils, which revealed the presence of gold, copper and associated minerals in the area.
North Drift Breccia and South Drift: Here again, the rock chip and soil samples have returned positive results indicating potential for mineralization.
Management Team
Cameron Woodrow – Executive Director and CEO
Cameron Woodrow has over two decades of experience in the financial and mining industries, both domestically and internationally. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the company in collaboration with FNR's geologist. Woodrow's professional background commenced in the investment banking sector in Europe and Australia, where he held positions as a corporate advisor and sales trader at Paterson Securities and the Stonebridge Group. Earlier in his career, he served in various roles at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse in London.
Mattew Bashford – Executive Director and CFO
Mattew Bashford has nearly 28 years of experience serving as CFO and company secretary at various public and private firms. Bashford has played a crucial role in the success of Far Northern Resources since its inception, contributing to its structuring, all capital raises to date, and accounting/tax compliance. He has been serving as a director of Far Northern since May 17, 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland and is also a chartered accountant.
Catriona Glover – Company Secretary
Catriona Glover is a qualified lawyer with over two decades of experience in corporate and commercial law, specializing in corporate governance and providing company secretarial advice to both listed and unlisted entities. She has offered legal counsel, corporate governance expertise, and company secretarial services to numerous companies across diverse industries such as biopharma, financial services, mining, stockbroking, education, manufacturing, software and not-for-profit organizations. Glover has been the company secretary for several listed and unlisted companies, including Far East Gold, Maronan Metals, VGI Health Technology (NSX:VGI), Aeramentum Resources, and Invictus Biopharma.
Michael Stephenson – Geologist
With more than two decades of experience, Michael Stephenson has served as an exploration project manager for prominent companies such as Hancock Prospecting, Murchison Metals and Great Central Mines. He has extensive expertise in exploration project management, accumulated over 20 years of professional practice. Stephenson has played a pivotal role at Far Northern, overseeing all exploration activities, including structural mapping, rock chipping and soil sampling. Notably, he played a crucial role in enhancing the JORC Resource at Empire by executing the drilling program in 2020.
Roderick Paul Corps – Chairman Independent
Roderick Paul Corps commenced his career as a stockbroker at Porter Western (now Macquarie Group), followed by tenures at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan in the United Kingdom. He has served as a director for Eternal Resources (ASX:BRN) and Voyager Global Group, which is now Cyelip Group (ASX:CYQ). From 2013 to 2021, he was the corporate and investor relations manager at Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX). Currently, Corps is a non-executive director at Marketech and serves as the managing director of NICO Resources (ASX:NC1).
EMU NL
Investor Insight
EMU NL is an Australia-focused base and precious metals exploration company offering a compelling opportunity in the highly lucrative copper space. A strategic focus on delineating a large-scale copper porphyry system at its Yataga Copper Project at Georgetown in Northern Queensland, combined with a leadership team of significant global experience and expertise, and an upward trending copper market, all make EMU NL worthy of considerable consideration for any investors looking at the copper sector.
Overview
EMU NL (ASX:EMU) is an ASX-listed precious and base metals exploration company with two active projects in, Australia: Yataga Copper Project in Georgetown (Queensland) and the Badja gold, tungsten and lithium project (Western Australia). EMU’s primary focus is accelerating exploration at the highly promising Yataga Copper Project.
Australia is one of the most attractive regions for mining, according to the Fraser Institute. It ranks Queensland as the 13th most attractive destination for mining investment.
In 2023, Queensland's mines yielded 12.6 tons of gold, positioning it as Australia's fourth most prolific state for this precious metal. The company's presence in relatively attractive mining jurisdictions positions it to capitalize on opportunities in Australia's resource sector and deliver sustainable returns to its shareholders. The recent fundraises of AU$1.45 million have provided sufficient funding to advance its exploration projects and EMU is planning its maiden drilling programme at the Yataga Copper Project in 2025.
Gold and copper continue to demonstrate bullish trends. Various factors are driving the surge in copper prices, including demand patterns such as upgrades in utility grids, the increasing use of copper in electric vehicles, and housing construction. Additionally, the growing energy demand from data centres powering AI applications and servers contributes to the increased need for copper. Both gold and copper prices have hit their all-time high in 2024, enhancing the prospects for junior miners to progress their projects and potentially secure financing easily.
Key Projects
Georgetown Project
The Georgetown project tenements span 850 sq. km. in North Queensland and comprise three exploration permits: Georgetown, Perpendicular Peak and Fiery Creek. Of these, Fiery Creek is the most promising and the current exploration interest for EMU as it covers the Yataga Copper Project.
The Georgetown tenements are located in a resource-rich yet under-explored region in Queensland’s far north, situated within the Georgetown mining district, with a significant history of mining activities and mineral discoveries.
EMU has identified the Yataga Copper Project as a massive-scale copper porphyry system within the 70 sq. km. Yataga Igneous complex. During 2023 and 2024, EMU's reconnaissance efforts at Fiery Creek yielded substantial geochemistry success with more than 8 sq km of highly anomalous copper results from the sampling of terminte mounds by pXRF. EMU concluded 2024 with two geophysics surveys with results currently pending. EMU has advised that it will drill targets during 2025 following completion of the wet season.
The 2023/24 work has confirmed significant, large-scale potential of the project.
The fieldwork has provided support for a large-scale copper porphyry system at the Yataga Copper Project. Drilling results this year will confirm the potential however EMU is targeting large economic bulk tonnage copper resources from shallow ore bodies at Fiery Creek and the Yataga Valley prospects.
Badja Project
The Badja project is located 32 kilometres southeast of the township of Yalgoo and covers an area of 870 hectares. The project's tenements include 2 centrally granted mining leases an adjoining mining lease application covering 279.3 hectares, and a granted exploration license covering 590.3 hectares. EMU’s previous drilling work has identified areas that are prospective for high-grade gold, tungsten and lithium.
EMU is evaluating options to maximize the value of the project, either through sale or retention.
Yataga Copper Project
The Yataga copper project is composed of two prospects overlaying the copper geochemistry anomalous zones within the Yataga Igneous Complex. Most recent discoveries include widespread surficial copper mineralisation along the NNW-SSE shear zone in the central part of the Yataga Copper Project. Surface geochemical surveys have updated EMU’s ecological modelling and identified multiple intra-pluton porphyry copper centres close to the surface. The company’s
recent work has identified a combined area of 8 sq. km of copper-in-soil anomalism with significant potential for expansion. The results from EMU’s field work continue to prove the project’s potential to be a global tier 1 scale copper discovery.
Management Team
Peter Thomas – Non-executive Chairman
Peter Thomas has over thirty years of experience running a legal practice specializing in giving advice to listed explorers and miners. He has served on the boards of various listed companies, including as the founding chairman of copper producer Sandfire Resources and mineral sands producer Image Resources. His current ASX-listed company board positions include non-executive director of Image Resources and non-executive chair of Middle Island Resources.
Roland Bartsch - Non-Executive Director
Roland Bartsch MSc. BSc (Hons) is a geoscientist/mining executive with more than 30 years’ experience in mineral exploration, project development, resource evaluation and mining.
Commencing his career at Western Mining Corporation he has worked with diverse major mining organisations, international consulting groups, and junior miners on copper-gold, base metal, gold and iron ore projects extending from Greenland, the Americas, Africa, Indonesia, Solomon Islands and Australia. Recent roles include chief executive officer, country manager Australia, general manager geology, vice-president technical/geology, technical director and manager geology, mining and exploration.
Tim Staermose – Non-executive Director
Tim Staermose boasts 23 years of expertise in equity capital markets and equity research. His professional journey includes roles at international sell-side equity brokerage firms based in South Korea and Hong Kong, notably Banque Indosuez (now part of Credit Agricole) in the late 1990s and Lehman Brothers in the early 2000s. Transitioning from sell-side equity research, Staermose has since operated as an independent researcher and stock-picker for several private research firms, focusing on natural resources, gold and mining investments.
Radisson Mining Resources:Â Advancing High-grade Gold Exploration in Quebec
Radisson Mining Resources (TSXV:RDS,OTCQB:RMRDF) is a gold exploration company unlocking the value of its 100 percent owned O’Brien gold project. Located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt along the prolific Larder-Lake-Cadillac Break in Quebec, Canada, the O’Brien gold project hosts the highest-grade, past-producing mine along the Cadillac Break. Radisson Mining Resources leverages its extensive drilling campaigns, high-grade historical production, and experienced management team to create value for shareholders and stakeholders.
With world-class assets, robust exploration programs, and experienced leadership, Radisson is well-positioned to deliver value to its shareholders.
The O’Brien gold project is in the Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec, along the Larder-Lake-Cadillac Break, and encompasses the historic O’Brien mine, which produced 587,121 ounces of gold at an average grade of 15.25 grams per ton (g/t) between 1926 and 1957. The company has planned a 22,000-metre drilling program to expand known mineralization below existing resources.
Company Highlights
- Flagship O’Brien Gold Project: Hosts the highest-grade, past-producing mine along the Cadillac Break, with significant resource expansion potential.
- Located in tier-one mining district amongst numerous world-class producers
- Experienced Leadership: A seasoned management team and board with a proven track record in mining exploration and development.
- Commitment to Sustainability: Prioritizes environmental stewardship and community engagement in all exploration activities.
This Radisson Mining Resources profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
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Quimbaya Gold: Unlocking High-grade Gold Potential in Antioquia, Colombia’s Premier Mining District
Quimbaya Gold (CSE:QIM)) is a junior gold exploration company exploring high-grade gold projects in Colombia. Quimbaya Gold's portfolio spans 59,057 hectares in highly prospective regions in the Antioquia mining district, the region responsible for about 50 percent of Colombia’s total gold production or around one million ounces (Moz) annually.
Located next to Aris Mining’s (TSX:ARIS) Segovia mine, Quimbaya leverages its proximity to established infrastructure and gold-rich geological formations. With Colombia being one of the most underexplored yet top mining jurisdictions in South America, Quimbaya’s projects are uniquely poised for significant discoveries.
Quimbaya's flagship Tahami project spans 17,087 hectares featuring mesothermal veins with multiple mineralization events underlain by Precambrian metamorphic rocks consolidated within the San Lucas Gneiss unit.
Company Highlights
- Quimbaya Gold controls 59,057 hectares across three distinct projects in Antioquia, Colombia — renowned as the country's top mining department, accounting for over half of Colombia’s gold production.
- The flagship Tahami project is adjacent and on trend to Aris Mining’s Segovia mine, one of the highest-grade gold mines globally. Tahami benefits from its strategic proximity to Segovia and its potential for discovery of high-grade vein gold systems.
- Tight share structure (60 percent insider/family offices/institutions ownership) with a market cap of approximately C$11.45 million, ensuring alignment with shareholder interests.
- Quimbaya has entered into a partnership with Independence Drilling, Colombia’s largest drilling company, which secures an extremely cost-effective 100,000 meters of drilling over five years.
- Quimbaya utilizes software that allows for rapid and cost-effective acquisition of mining claims, giving the company a competitive edge in securing high-value assets.
- The technical team’s proven track record of major discoveries in Colombia positions Quimbaya as a standout explorer in the region.
This Quimbaya Gold profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
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