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An aircore drill programme will commence this week at Impact Minerals Limited's (ASX:IPT) Hyperion REE prospect, which is part of the 100% owned Arkun Project, located 150km east of Perth in the emerging mineral province of southwest Western Australia ( Figure 1).
- Drilling to commence this week at the Hyperion Rare Earth Element (REE) Prospect to test a large Rare Earth Element soil geochemistry anomaly.
- The soil anomaly covers at least a 3 km2 area at greater than 1,000 ppm Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO + Y) with peak values up to 5,880 ppm (0.59%) TREO+Y and Nd+Pr of up to 21%.
- The soil anomaly is hosted in weathered granite and is prospective for a large clay-hosted REE deposit.
- All necessary statutory approvals, Program of Works (POW) and land access permissions received.
- Aircore/ slimline RC rig has been secured and is currently mobilising to site
The drill programme, comprising approximately 40 holes for 2000 metres will test the significant REE soil geochemistry anomaly identified at Hyperion, where results of up to 5,880 parts per million (ppm) Total Rare Earth Element Oxides and Yttrium (TREO +Y) were reported previously (ASX Release 4th January 2024). These are some of the highest TREO-in-soil results reported recently in Western Australia. Other REE soil geochemistry anomalies have been identified at Swordfish and Horseshoe (Figure 2 and ASX Releases January 4th 2024 and June 1st 2023).
Impact Minerals’ Managing Director, Dr Mike Jones, said, “The discovery of the Hyperion REE Prospect was a significant breakthrough in exploring the Arkun Project, and we are eager to drill test the anomaly to assess the depth extent of the weathered clay that may host the REE mineralisation. The key to an economic discovery is to evaluate how easily the REEs can be extracted through simple acid leaching of clays and, so we will be sending samples for preliminary test work as quickly as possible. Given this is the first-ever drill programme at Arkun, and that several other significant REE anomalies remain to be tested at Arkun, for example Swordfish and Horseshoe, the extraction characteristics will have an important bearing on any future resource definition drilling”.
Figure 1. Location and regional geological setting of Impact’s Arkun and other projects in the emerging mineral province of southwest Western Australia. Also shown are recent additions to the Arkun project (ASX Release March 14th 2024). Significant nickel deposits are shown in orange, lithium deposits in green and gold deposits in yellow.
Figure 2. Hyperion REE Prospect: TREO+Y results and location of planned drill collars noted by black stars
Hyperion Prospect
The soil geochemistry results have defined an area of more than 3 km2 at greater than 1,000 ppm TREO+Y at Hyperion (Figure 2). Five samples returned greater than 2,500 ppm TREO+Y with a peak value of 5,880 ppm (0.58%) TREO+Y, amongst some of the highest tenor REE soil values reported in Western Australia ASX Release January 4th 2024).
Within the anomaly, two broad northwest-southeast trending zones of more than 1,500 ppm TREO+Y-in- soils extend for 2.5 km along-trend and are open in both directions (Figure 2).
The anomaly has an average neodymium plus praseodymium percentage of about 20%, typical of most regolith-hosted mineralisation in the region with Heavy REE contents of between 54 ppm and 200 ppm within the >1,000 ppm parts of the anomaly (ASX Release January 4th 2024). This is encouraging for discovering the more economically compelling Heavy Rare Earths close to the surface.
The Hyperion anomaly is underlain by a well-preserved laterite (weathering) profile developed on very weathered granite bedrock, the likely source of the REE.
By coincidence, Impact's previous airborne electromagnetic (EM) survey covers part of the Hyperion anomaly (Section Line A-A’, Figure 3. ASX Release 18th September 2023). Geophysical modelling of this data shows a possible vertical thickness of up to 60 metres of conductive clays across much of the Hyperion anomaly, suggesting a significant volume of clay that may host REE mineralisation is present close to the surface (Figure 3). In addition, the regional magnetic data indicates the underlying granite may cover an area of about 170 km2, suggesting there is significant scope to increase the size of Hyperion with further soil surveys.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Impact 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.
IPT:AU
Impact Minerals Limited
Investor Insight
With a mining lease application underway and a scoping study that shows excellent economics, Impact Minerals’ game-changing, advanced Lake Hope high-purity alumina project makes for a compelling investment case.
Overview
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) is an exploration and development mining company focused on discovering and developing new resource projects within Australia. Lake Hope, a transformational acquisition by the company and its current flagship asset, is a high-purity alumina (HPA) project in Impact’s home territory of Western Australia, a tier-one jurisdiction.
This advanced-stage project allows the company to fast-track the asset toward development, firmly establishing the company on the road to production and increasing shareholder value.
HPA is a high-value product with various uses in several industries that are key to the transition to a low-carbon world. It is mainly used in LED lighting, micro-LED screens, and ceramic-coated separators in lithium-ion batteries. Both these markets are forecast to grow dramatically over the next decade, and a looming supply shortage is predicted for 2026.
HPA is also necessary for producing synthetic sapphire and scratch-resistant glass. With these ever-widening applications for HPA, demand for this resource is expected to grow from US$3.18 billion to US$12.21 billion by 2030 with a compounded annual growth rate of about 20 percent.
Lake Hope is the company’s current focus as it moves towards production, and where a very shallow, high-grade resource of HPA precursor material has been identified in the top two meters of a dry salt lake. The deposit has unique physical and chemical properties that will allow for inexpensive digging and mining, with transportation to a processing facility off-site in an established industrial area. This will accelerate the approvals processes required to get into production.
With a mining lease application pending, Impact aims to bring Lake Hope, which contains almost 1 million tons of potential HPA, into production when the forecast average price for 4N HPA (99.99 percent Al2O3) and related products is about US$20,000 per ton. The ‘4N’ designation indicates the purity grade, making it suitable for high-tech end uses.
Outstanding economics from the latest scoping study released by the company shows Lake Hope’s potential to be the lowest-cost producer of HPA globally by up to 50 percent.
Lake Hope has a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tons at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tons of alumina. The company also received heritage clearances for the entire Lake Hope deposit further de-risking the project and providing another critical component in the company’s application for a mining lease.
Impact completed a bulk sampling and test pits program at the Lake Hope project in December 2023, and later reached a key milestone by producing HPA greater than 99.99 percent (4N) purity from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope.
In February 2024, a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays was identified. Impact produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 from a low-temperature leach (LTL) process. The LTL process may lower the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process which underpinned the recent scoping study. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study in parallel with the sulphate process at marginal extra cost to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
A comparison of the LTL process and the sulphate process
The company is well funded to finance the pre-feasibility study at the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina project and exploration activities at the Arkun battery minerals project.
Impact Minerals has been awarded a $2.87 million grant for the commercialisation of its innovative process to produce High Purity Alumina (HPA) from the Lake Hope deposit. The grant is under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program which fosters short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grant is part of an estimated $6.4 million research and development project to be completed within three years and designed to provide Impact with the relevant information required to complete a definitive feasibility. A key component of the grant funding will be to construct a pilot plant, which is a key goal for 2025, and this will provide consistent material for off-take and qualification trials.
Impact Minerals was also one of the inaugural cohort of seven companies selected to be part of the prestigious BHP Xplor program. BHP Xplor, an accelerator program introduced by BHP in August 2022, is designed to help provide participants with the opportunity to accelerate their growth and the potential to establish a long-term partnership with BHP and its global network of partners.
The BHP Xplor funding was used to identify new target areas for copper and other energy metals around the Broken Hill area in New South Wales, eastern Australia, where Impact has been quietly adding to its ground position for several years.
Additionally, the company is exploring its large Arkun battery metals project, also in Western Australia which covers nearly 2,900 square kilometres. Three new exploration licence applications were submitted recently immediately north of the Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe, and the Caligula copper anomaly. These anomalies require drill testing which will occur in 2024 and is an exciting development in the emerging mineral province of southwest WA.
A strong management team with over 50 years of combined industry experience leads the company. With a mining and exploration geology degree, Dr. Mike Jones, managing director, launched a long career consulting and leading mining organizations. Peter Unsworth, the non-executive chairman, has more than 35 years of experience in multiple financial sectors, such as securities industries and wealth management. Paul Ingram, a non-executive director, has led several mining companies since 2003. Impact Minerals has the experience and expertise to lead the company to success.
Company Highlights
- Impact Minerals is an exploration and development mining company focused on rapidly moving its flagship Lake Hope high-purity alumina (HPA) project toward production.
- The Lake Hope project has a high-grade maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tonnes at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3), for a contained 880,000 tonnes of alumina that can be converted to HPA.
- HPA is used throughout multiple industries, and the overall HPA market is projected to grow by a CAGR of 18.4 percent by 2030.
- A pre-feasibility study is currently in progress and scheduled to be completed by Q4 2024. A mining lease application for the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) was recently lodged with the aim of being granted by 2026.
- The company’s project portfolio also includes assets with high-grade mineral deposits of a range of base, critical and precious metals.
- Impact Mineral’s 2,000-square-mile Arkun nickel-copper-PGE project in Western Australia has produced encouraging assays that motivate further exploration. Maiden drill programmes are planned for early 2025.
- The company is also exploring its Broken Hill copper project in New South Wales following a major grant under the auspices of the BHP Xplor program in 2023..
- A strong management team leads the company with experience in geology, mining and corporate finance.
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Developing the lowest-cost HPA project in Australia
Gold Price Breaks US$3,800 as US Government Shutdown Looms
Gold price chart, June 28 to September 29, 2025.
Chart via the Investing News Network.
Gold's latest rise comes amid concerns about a US government shutdown.
Congress has until the end of Tuesday (September 30) to reach a deal on a spending bill ahead of the new fiscal year, and will close shop the next day if an agreement hasn't been reached.
Democrats and Republicans are currently at loggerheads as Democrats push for changes to the bill, including an extension to billions of dollars in subsidies for Obamacare, and as President Donald Trump threatens thousands of permanent layoffs — not just temporary furloughs — in the event of a shutdown.
Beyond current events, gold's rise is underpinned by factors like strong central bank buying, global geopolitical uncertainty, concerns about the US dollar and other fiat currencies and expectations of lower interest rates.
Those factors have many experts predicting a rise beyond US$4,000, potentially before the end of the year, although a correction is widely expected beforehand.
Barrick, Newmont announce leadership changes
Gold's US$3,800 milestone comes as major miners Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B) and Newmont (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM) announce leadership changes.
Barrick President and CEO Mark Bristow unexpectedly stepped down on Monday after nearly seven years at the helm of the company. His exit comes after major changes at the company, including a shift toward copper and an asset divestment program designed to hone the company's focus on tier-one assets.
Bristow's departure is effective immediately. Mark Hill, who is responsible for the company's Latam and Asia Pacific regions, has stepped in as group COO, and interim president and CEO.
Also on Monday, Newmont announced the retirement of CEO Tom Palmer, who has held the position since 2019. He will be succeeded by Natascha Viljoen, currently the company's president and COO, on January 1, 2026; Palmer will maintain a strategic advisor position until officially retiring on March 31, 2026.
Analysts note that Newmont had been signaling that a succession plan was in the works.
Similar to Barrick, the company has been in the midst of an extensive program geared at streamlining its portfolio. Newmont acquired Newcrest Mining in 2023, and in February 2024 announced a program to sell non-core assets. It completed the program in April of this year, but has continued to make portfolio adjustments, including the recently announced sale of the Yukon-based Coffee project to Fuerte Metals (TSXV:FMT,OTCQB:FUEMF).
During the last gold bull run, miners were criticized for allowing their costs to get out of hand, and for doing high-priced deals when the market was hot. This time around, they seem to be making efforts to remain in control and make decisions that benefit both their bottom lines and shareholders.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Sarama Resources
Investor Insight
Sarama Resources offers a compelling investment opportunity driven by a +US$120 million fully-funded arbitration claim and two belt-scale gold projects encompassing 1,000 sq km of the Cosmo-Newbery and Jutson Rocks Greenstone Belts in Western Australia’s highly prolific Laverton Gold District, which lies within the wider world-renowned Eastern Goldfields region.
Overview
Sarama Resources Ltd (ASX:SRR,TSXV:SWA) is an Australian-based gold exploration and development company with a dual value proposition: significant exploration upside in the world class Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia and a fully funded international arbitration claim against the Government of Burkina Faso.
The company controls two belt-scale projects in the prolific Laverton Gold District, together covering ~1,000km² and more than 100km of strike in highly prospective but historically underexplored terrain. The flagship Cosmo Gold Project (580 sq km) dominates the Cosmo-Newbery Greenstone Belt, while the Mt Venn Project (420 sq km) covers the Jutson Rocks Belt just 40km away. Both lie near world-class deposits including Gruyere (+8Moz) and Garden Well (2.5Moz), benefit from excellent road access and nearby mills, and will see maiden drilling commence in Q4 CY25.
In parallel, Sarama is pursuing an arbitration claim seeking no less than US$120 million in damages relating to the unlawful withdrawal of its Tankoro Deposit in Burkina Faso. The claim is fully financed through a non-recourse facility with Locke Capital and is being prosecuted by leading law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, which has secured major recent awards for peers including Indiana Resources (US$120M) and GreenX Metals (AU$490M).
Sarama’s experienced board and management team have a proven discovery track record, including the +20Moz Kibali Mine (DRC) and the +3Moz Sanutura Project (Burkina Faso).
Company Highlights
Dual Value Drivers
- Exploration Upside – Two underexplored, belt-scale gold projects in Western Australia’s prolific Laverton Gold District, together spanning ~1,000 sq km with >100km of prospective strike.
- Arbitration Claim – Fully funded, >US$120M arbitration claim against the Government of Burkina Faso, potentially worth multiples of Sarama’s current market capitalisation.
Exploration Opportunity
- Cosmo & Mt Venn Projects – The flagship Cosmo Project covers 580 sq km of the underexplored Cosmo-Newbery Greenstone Belt. Complementing this, Sarama holds an 80% interest in the Mt Venn Project (420 sq km), located only 40km from Cosmo and close to Gruyere (+8Moz), Garden Well (2.5Moz) and Golden Highway (1Moz).
- Favourable Setting – Situated in highly prospective greenstone belts with excellent road access and several underutilised nearby mills, significantly lowering development hurdles.
- Untapped Potential – Historical land access restrictions meant limited prior exploration; current programs are designed to unlock this potential.
- Pipeline of Work – First drilling and follow-up exploration programs scheduled for Q4 CY25.
Arbitration Claim
- Large-Scale Claim – Seeking damages of no less than US$120M relating to the illegal withdrawal of rights to the multi-million-ounce Tankoro Deposit.
- Fully Funded – Backed by a non-recourse funding facility covering all legal costs.
- Top Legal Team – Boies Schiller Flexner appointed (100 percent win rate in recent Investor-State cases), with proceedings underway at ICSID under bilateral treaty protections.
- Proven Precedent – Comparable claims prosecuted by the same team have delivered major settlements, including US$120M (Indiana Resources) and AU$490M (GreenX Metals).
Team Track Record
- Led by a seasoned group with over 30 years’ experience each, credited with major gold discoveries including the +20Moz Kibali Mine (DRC) and the 3Moz Tankoro Deposit (Burkina Faso).
Key Projects
Cosmo Gold Project
The Cosmo Gold Project is Sarama’s flagship exploration asset, covering 580km² of the Cosmo-Newbery Greenstone Belt in Western Australia’s Laverton Gold District. Located ~95km from Laverton and accessible by predominantly paved roads, the project enjoys excellent infrastructure, with Kalgoorlie just four hours away. Cosmo is underlain by prospective Archaean volcanics with localised intrusions and shallow cover, yet has seen minimal modern exploration due to historic access restrictions. A major regional shear zone, interpreted to extend for more than 50km across the project, provides a strong structural framework for gold deposition.
Gold was first discovered at Cosmo in the early 1900s, with multiple shafts and workings mapped and high-grade ore historically mined and transported to a stamp mill in Laverton. Early miners selectively targeted narrow quartz veins, which are unlikely to represent the main system but instead may point to a much larger, concealed mineralised system.
Recent work by Sarama, including a soil geochemistry program completed in early 2025, has defined multiple kilometre-scale gold anomalies totaling 45km in strike and up to 1.8km in width. These anomalies confirm the presence of a large, coherent gold system and have outlined several high-priority drill targets. With historical evidence of mineralisation, favourable structural geology, and strong regional prospectivity, Cosmo presents a compelling opportunity for a major new discovery. Sarama plans to commence a maiden drilling program in late 2025.
Mt Venn Gold Project
The Mt Venn Project is a newly acquired, belt-scale opportunity located in the Laverton Gold District of Western Australia. Operated under a joint venture where Sarama holds an 80 percent interest (Cazaly Resources 20 percent), Sarama acts as operator and manager. The project spans 420 sq km and captures the majority of the underexplored Jutson Rocks Greenstone Belt across ~50km of strike length. A regionally extensive shear zone, 1–3km wide, runs the full length of the belt with subordinate splays in the south, creating a favourable structural framework for gold deposition.
Gold mineralisation was first identified in the 1920s, and subsequent exploration has defined a 35km x 4km gold corridor hosting multiple occurrences and kilometre-scale soil anomalies. Historic drilling at the Three Bears prospect intersected broad zones of mineralisation that remain open along strike and at depth. Importantly, the project also demonstrates polymetallic potential with copper, nickel, zinc and platinum group elements, a trait often associated with larger, more significant systems.
Strategically located ~40km from Sarama’s flagship Cosmo Project, Mt Venn lies close to major deposits, including the +8Moz Gruyere mine and the 1Moz Golden Highway deposit. Together, Cosmo and Mt Venn provide Sarama with control over highly prospective and complementary ground, with Cosmo already hosting ~45km of gold-anomalous trends and Mt Venn offering proven mineralisation, early drilling success, and strong polymetallic prospectivity. With compelling targets identified across both projects, Sarama sees considerable exploration upside and intends to unlock this value through systematic, focused exploration programs.
Management Team
Andrew Dinning – Executive Chairman
Andrew Dinning is a founder and the executive chairman of Sarama Resources. Dinning has over 35 years of experience in the international mining arena and has worked in Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa, the UK and Russia. He has extensive mine management, operations and capital markets experience and has spent most of his career in the gold sector.
Dinning was a director and president of Moto Goldmines in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2005 to 2009. He oversaw the development of the company's Moto gold project (Kibali Gold) from two million to more than 22 million ounces of gold. Dinning took the project from exploration to pre-development. The Moto gold project was later taken over by Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti for $600 million in October 2009.
John (Jack) Hamilton - Vice-president of Exploration
Jack Hamilton is a founder and the vice-president of exploration at Sarama Resources. Hamilton has 35 years of experience as a professional geologist. Hamilton has worked around the world for international resource companies. Before Sarama, he was the exploration manager for Moto Goldmines. At Moto Goldmines, he led the team that discovered the main deposits and resource at the world-class Moto gold project (now Kibali Gold) which has a resource of more than 22 million ounces. Hamilton specializes in precious metal exploration in Birimian, Archean and Proterozoic greenstone belts. He has worked and consulted in West, Central and East Africa for the past 30 years with various companies, including Barrick Gold, Echo Bay Mines, Etruscan Resources, Anglo American, Geo Services International and Moto Goldmines. Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he led the exploration team that took the Moto gold deposit from discovery to bankable feasibility. The Moto gold deposit was later sold to Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti in October 2009.
Paul Schmiede - Vice-president of Corporate Development
Paul Schmiede is a major shareholder and the vice-president of corporate development at Sarama Resources. He is a mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in mining and exploration. Before joining Sarama Resources in 2010, Schmiede was vice-president of operations and project development at Moto Goldmines. At Moto Goldmines, he managed the pre-feasibility, bankable and definitive feasibility study for the more than 22 million-ounce Moto gold project (now Kibali Gold). Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he also managed the in-country environment, community studies and pre-construction activities. Before joining Moto Goldmines, he held senior operational and management positions with Goldfields and WMC Resources.
Lui Evangelista - Chief Financial Officer
Lui Evangelista is Sarama's chief financial officer with 35 years of experience in accounting, finance and corporate governance with public companies. He has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry - 10 years of which have been at the operational and corporate level with companies operating in Francophone Africa. Evangelista was a group financial controller and acting CFO at Anvil Mining which operated three mines in the DRC. He was an integral part of the senior management team that saw Anvil's market capitalization grow from C$100 million in 2005 to C$1.3 billion upon takeover by Minmetals in 2012.
Simon Jackson - Non-executive Director
Simon Jackson is a founder, shareholder and non-executive chairman of Sarama Resources. Jackson is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience in the mining sector. He is the Chairman of Predictive Discovery and non-executive director of African gold producer Resolute Mining. He has previously held senior management positions at Red Back Mining, Orca Gold and Beadell Resources.
Adrian Byass - Non-executive Director
Adrian Byass has more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry. He has focused his career on the economic development of mineral resources. He is skilled in economic and resource geology. Byass has experience ranging from production in gold and nickel mines to the evaluation and development of mining projects with listed and unlisted entities in multiple countries. He has also held executive and non-executive board roles on both ASX and AIM-listed companies. Byass has played key roles in a range of exploration and mining projects in Australia, Africa, North America and Europe, covering a suite of commodities including gold, base and specialty metals.
Michael Bohm - Non-executive Director
Michael Bohm is a seasoned director and mining engineer in the resources industry. His career spans roles as a mining engineer, mine manager, study manager, project manager, project director, and managing director. He has been directly involved in the development of multiple mines in the gold, nickel, and diamond industries, and made significant contributions to Ramelius Resources during its formative years. This experience is particularly important as Sarama is currently in the process of rebuilding its operations in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. He is a current director of ASX-listed Riedel Resources and has previously been a director of ASX-listed Perseus Mining, Ramelius Resources, Mincor Resources NL and Cygnus Metals.