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MTM Critical Metals Limited (ASX:MTM) (MTM or the Company) has entered into a binding agreement to acquire 100% of Flash Metals Pty Ltd (Flash), the beneficial owner of three key exploration licenses prospective for niobium and rare earth elements (REE) in the West Arunta region of Western Australia.
Highlights:
- MTM to acquire 100% of Flash Metals Pty Ltd, the beneficial owner of 3 granted exploration licences in Western Australia’s West Arunta region, immediately adjacent to ground held by WA1 Resources (ASX:WA1) and Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR).
- Deal includes acquisition of the Mukinbudin Niobium-REE Project, comprising 2 granted exploration licences located 250km northeast of Perth in the South West Mineral Field of Western Australia.
- Flash also holds an option to exclusively negotiate the rights to Flash Joule Heating technology developed by Rice University in Houston, USA which has demonstrated the potential to treat REE mineralisation and more efficiently recover critical metals from critical metal-rich recycling and waste streams.
Covering ~140km2, the granted West Arunta Niobium-REE licences are located immediately adjacent to tenements held by WA1 Resources Limited (ASX:WA1, $484m mkt. cap.) and Encounter Resources Limited (ASX:ENR, $107m mkt. cap.), where niobium-REE mineralised carbonatites have recently been discovered:
The West Arunta region is one of Australia’s critical metal exploration hotspots with over $60m in exploration expenditure collectively invested in the district by a number of ASX companies including Rio Tinto Limited (JV with Tali Resources Pty Ltd) (ASX:RIO), CGN Resources Limited (ASX:CGR), and IGO Limited (ASX:IGO).
The Flash transaction also includes the acquisition of the Mukinbudin Niobium-REE Project, comprising two exploration licences located 250km northeast of Perth in the South West Mineral Field of Western Australia. The tenements that are included in the Flash transaction comprising the West Arunta Niobium REE Project (E/80/5858, E80/5874 and E80/5875) and the Mukinbudin Niobium-REE Project (E70/6048 and E70/6359) are together, the WA REE Tenements (Appendix I).
Flash also has an option (FJH Option) to exclusively negotiate the licencing rights to an early-stage processing technology for REE and precious metals known as Flash Joule Heating (FJH), which has been developed by researchers at Rice University in the USA (see Rice University article at https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/rare- earth-elements-await-waste).
MTM Managing Director, Mr Lachlan Reynolds said the Flash acquisition provides the Company with compelling exploration opportunities in line with its strategy to discover and develop critical metal projects.
“We are very excited to acquire such prospective ground in the West Arunta province, where there is an opportunity to discover new niobium-rare earth deposits in historically untested ground right next door to some emerging mineralised carbonatite projects identified by both WA1 Resources and Encounter Resources,” Mr Reynolds said.
“Additionally, Flash Joule Heating has shown promise during test work for metal recycling and for treatment of waste such as coal fly ash but we are very keen to see what applications it may have for treating rare earth mineralisation, where a breakthrough could unlock immense value from otherwise economically marginal deposits.”
Mr Reynolds said the immediate focus at West Arunta is to complete heritage agreements with the local Native Title holders and proceed with a first-pass exploration program.
West Arunta Niobium REE Project
Figure 1: The West Arunta Niobium-REE Project comprises three granted exploration licences in eastern central Western Australia, located within the Gibson Desert about 130km west of the Northern Territory/ Western Australia border in the East Kimberley Mineral Field.
Historical exploration in the West Arunta WA REE tenement areas is very limited. There has been no drilling on the ground, nor have any systematic geochemical sampling or geophysical surveys been completed. The West Arunta region has historically been explored for gold and copper with reconnaissance airborne geophysics and limited ground geophysical and geochemical surveys. The location of the West Arunta WA REE Tenements and their proximity to tenements held by WA1 and Encounter are shown in Figure 1.
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MTM:AU
Exploration Update - Visible Gold Intersected at Salanie
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Visible gold identified in drilling at the A1 prospect at 19m depth (Figure 1), associated within a broader 13m zone of quartz veining and shearing from 9.6m downhole:
- Interpreted as extension to system in trench SATR001 (10.3m @ 3.4g/t Au and 1.4m @ 15.7 g/t Au) (Figure 5);
- Assays for this hole are pending.
- At P6, a significant quartz veining/shear system over 20m with associated sulphides has been identified along the trend of historical high-grade underground workings that produced at an average of 16g/t Au.
- The underground workings at P6 represent a priority target that will be further targeted in the 2025 drill season:
- System displays as quartz veining and associated visual estimates of sulphides (trace to 25% pyrite+/-chalcopyrite) intersected in three principal positions in drillhole SLDD002 (61- 65m; 71-75m and 84-87m).
- Drilling completed for the current field season, with discussions advanced with a highly reputable new drilling contractor for drilling in 2025.
- At Salanie, five holes for 328m (two at the P6 prospect and three at the A1 prospect) were completed (two of these did not reach target depth due to drilling performance), with assay results received for 3 holes.
- In the northern areas around the Mikouma and Binda prospects, infill soil sampling has strengthened existing gold targets in these regions with anomalies up to 200ppb Au. Follow up ground reconnaissance will assist in delineating further the drill targets.
- Company to undertake a one (1) for three (3) non-renounceable entitlements offer to raise approximately $3.25 million (before costs).
Figure 1: Examples of visible gold identified in SLDD004 – at 19.04m (associated with chalcopyrite (Cpy) and galena (Gn)).
The Company cautions that visual estimates of sulphides or mineral abundance should never be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analysis. Laboratory analysis would be required to determine the widths and grades of sulphides, visible gold, or suspected mineralised intervals reported herein. Visual information also potentially provides no information regarding impurities or deleterious physical properties relevant to valuations. Assays are expected within 3-5 weeks.
Apollo Minerals’ Managing Director, Mr Neil Inwood, commented:
“The first pass drilling is highly encouraging having identified visible gold associated with quartz veining at A1 and a significant shear/quartz vein system at P6. Assays are pending from the key holes at A1. The Salanie system is interpreted to be in the same regional trend of Archean greenstones as Managem’s 1m oz Eteke deposit; highlighting the potential in the broader system.”
“Unfortunately, a combination of late arrival and poor performance from the drilling contractor and the end of the field season has meant that less than a quarter of the planned holes for 2024 were completed and the P6 target was only partially tested by one drill hole. We are in advanced discussions with another drilling company to commence drilling in the new year. Such a partner will enable a significant increase in drilling rate and quality and enable us to further unlock the untested potential at the Salanie Gold Project.”
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This article includes content from Apollo Minerals Limited, 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.
Wadi Al Junah VMS-Style Copper-Zinc-Gold-Silver Project in Saudi Arabia
Highlights
- As announced on 6 November, MBK’s Saudi Arabian JV company, has been awarded the Wadi Al Junah Project as part of the Saudi Government’s Exploration Licensing Round 6
- Wadi Al Junah is prospective for volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) copper-zinc- gold-silver mineralisation and for shear zone gold-silver, with several untested priority targets
- The Project is 35km east of the Al Hajar Au-Ag-(Cu-Zn) deposit previously mined by Ma’aden and is proximal to the regional centre of Bisha, and close to major access routes, local towns and workforce
- Saudi exploration strategy is supported by a well capitalised in-country JV Company in CMC and significant Saudi government incentives to de-risk and fast-track exploration
- Metal Bank continues to assess new potential project areas in Saudi Arabia prospective for copper, gold and other critical minerals – several tenement applications in progress
CMC is a Saudi Arabian limited liability company owned by MBK (60%) and Central Mining Holding Company (‘CMH’, 40%). CMH is a member of the Al Qahtani Holdings group, and was the JV partner of Citadel Resources which, under the leadership of Inés Scotland as Managing Director, was responsible for the exploration and development of the Jabal Sayid copper project in Saudi Arabia (prior to its acquisition by Equinox). CMC will be responsible for managing and implementing the work program for the Wadi Al Junah project utilising the technical expertise of MBK, as the exploration JV partner, in combination with the KSA expertise of the Al Qahtani Group. CMC has a current capitalisation of SAR5m (~AUD2.1m).
Wadi al Junah with an area of 427km2 was the largest of the projects offered in Round 6 and is proximal to the major regional centre and airport of Bisha, with major access routes passing through the license area and local towns and workforce close by. The Project is located in the prospective Wadi Shwas Gold Belt, a region under-explored for shear zone gold, VMS copper-zinc-gold-silver and intrusion-related gold and base metal deposits. It is supported by several mineral occurrences with encouraging geological observations, and gold, silver and copper grades in historic regional- scale reconnaissance mapping, which have not been followed up by modern work.
MBK’s technical team has prepared a comprehensive two-year work program, with an initial focus on following up the previous limited and surface based exploration for mineral occurrences of copper, gold and silver. MBK is aiming to be drill-ready within the next six months.
Commenting on this acquisition, Metal Bank’s Chair, Inés Scotland said:
“The successful tender for the Wadi al Junah project in Saudi Arabia by our JV company CMC via a tightly contested and highly competitive exploration round speaks to our commitment, capability and technical expertise in achieving our strategy of acquiring prospective tenure within Saudi Arabia, which we believe remains underexplored and highly prospective.
Wadi al Junah represents our first project back in Saudi Arabia, a region in which MBK’s management team has extensive experience and a proven track record of success, having previously developed the Jabal Sayid project. We are well-supported by both our JV partner and the significant government incentives provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in search for the next Jabal Sayid. The Arabian Shield has so much underexplored potential, and we are ready to get our initial phase of exploration underway as quickly as possible.”
Wadi al Junah Copper-Zinc-Gold-Silver Summary
The Wadi al Junah project area covers an area of 427sq km within the Asir province of the Arabian Shield, southwest Saudi Arabia (Figures 1 and 2). It is approximately 375km south-east of Jeddah, 150km east-northeast of the port of Al Quinfidhad and around 35km east of the Al Hajar Au-Ag-(Cu- Zn) deposit previously mined by Ma’aden. It is proximal to the major regional centre and airport of Bisha, with major access routes passing through the license area and local towns and workforce close by. The majority of the project area is accessed by local tracks and wadi valleys in moderate topography.
Figure 1: MBK MENA projects showing Wadi al Junah (Saudi Arabia) and Malaqa, Area 47 and Area 65 (Jordan).
Figure 2: Wadi al Junah location map within the Arabian Shield showing major geological provinces and major Au and Cu mines (modified from KSA Ministry of Industry and Minerals publication after Nehlig et al, 2002)
Geology
Wadi al Junah is situated within the central Asir terrane of the Archaean Arabian Shield (Figure 2) within the ~80km long north-trending Wadi Shwas Gold Belt. The Shwas VMS belt on the western margin of the Wadi Shwas Gold Belt is host to the Al Hajar Au-Ag-Cu-Zn deposit, and numerous other VMS base metal and Au mineral occurrences of Proterozoic age are present in the region (Figure 3).
Three known mineral occurrences occur in the tenement area – Haniyat (Ag-Cu-+/-Au+/-Zn), Wadi al Maytha (Ag-Cu) and Wadi Umm Rahka (Ag-Cu). Very limited rock chip sampling as part of regional scale mapping work in the 1960’s and 1970’s includes results up to 1.53% Cu, 0.44g/t Au and 160g/t Ag from these prospects, which were never followed up1.
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This article includes content from Metal Bank Limited, 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.
Octava to Commence Drilling at Yallalong High-Grade Antimony Project
Highlights
- Drill rig relocating to site with drilling to commence this weekend.
- The 3000m reverse circulation (RC) drill program is targeting further high-grade antimony at the Discovery prospect.
- Historic drilling at Discovery recorded high-grade antimony intercepts over a strike length of ~300m and remains open. Results include:
- YRC16: 7m @ 3.27% Sb from 12m including 1m @ 11.5% from 18m
- YRC06: 3m @ 6.83% Sb from 21m including 1m @ 13.6% Sb from 22m
- After drilling at Discovery, the drill rig will relocate to the Central antimony target, 2km north along strike. There has been no previous drilling at Central.
- A detailed geophysical survey over the antimony corridor at Yallalong is now complete, with the data being processed. This is expected to generate further targets within the antimony corridor.
Octava’s Managing Director Bevan Wakelam stated, "It’s great to have the rig heading to site and earlier than we had planned. The drilling will start on Discovery, then move to the Central target and should take about 2 weeks to complete. High-grade antimony has already been intersected at Discovery over a significant strike length and this drilling will further test the size. We will also twin some of the previously drilled holes."
Figure 1. Planned drill hole locations at the Discovery antimony target - Yallalong Antimony Project.
The antimony (Sb) mineralisation identified at Yallalong appears within a 10km north-south striking mineralised corridor that is interpreted to be related to a structural belt between the regional scale Darling and Woodrarung faults. Previous exploration identified four principal antimony targets where antimony mineralisation was exposed at surface. Only the Discovery Prospect has any drilling and remains open. Antimony ingot prices at that time were ~$8000/tonne compared to over $30,000/tonne now1.
Figure 2. Antimony targets at Yallalong antimony project with underlying geology.
Drilling at Discovery target recorded some of the highest-grade antimony drill intersections in Australia, at shallow depth, over a strike of ~300m including:
- YRC16: 7m @ 3.27% Sb from 12m including 1m @ 11.5% from 18m
- YRC06: 3m @ 6.83% Sb from 21m including 1m @ 13.6% Sb from 22m
- YRC27: 6m @ 1.35% Sb from 13m
After drilling at the Discovery target is complete, the rig will then move to the Central target, which is located 2 kilometres north along strike. There has been no previous drilling at the Central target.
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This article includes content from Octava Minerals Limited, 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.
Targeted Exploration Focus Delivers an Additional 471koz or 99% Increase in Ounces, and a Higher Grade for Ricciardo
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Ricciardo Deposit (part of the broader Golden Range Project) of 16.44 Mt @ 1.8 g/t Au for 947.5 koz gold.
- Represents a 99% increase in Ricciardo MRE contained gold ounces.
- Proven high-returning exploration with the increased Ricciardo MRE ounces delivered at an attractive all-in discovery cost of only approx. A$16/oz.
- High-quality resource additions given drilling focus on high-grade growth ounces with strong commercial potential.
- The updated Ricciardo MRE comprises:
- 467.5 koz @ 1.6 g/t Au open-pit gold Resource (75% M&I) (optimised pit shell constrained at A$3,300/oz)
- 480.0 koz @ 2.0 g/t Au underground gold Resource
- Critically, the Ricciardo system remains wide open at depth and along strike.
- Total Golden Range Project Mineral Resources now stand at over 1.28 Moz gold, a 58% increase from the previous level.
- This initial outcome validates the excellent potential for further growth within the broader 25km ‘Golden Corridor’ via the ongoing, simple strategy of targeting fresh rock extensions under shallow existing pits.
- RC drilling at the southern end of the ‘Golden Corridor’ targeting high-grade Resource growth is progressing well; 9 holes completed for 1,472 metres to date, assays pending.
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“This is the result we have been working towards all year. With less than 15,000m of targeted, efficient drilling we have added over 470 koz to the Ricciardo deposit, doubling the Resource.
We are excited by both the outcome itself, and the outlook that it delivers us for the wider corridor of gold deposits. The simple strategy of drilling below shallow open pits to find mineable ounces worked exceptionally well for our producing neighbours. The validity of this strategy is now beyond doubt, for us.
Not only is the Ricciardo system still wide open down-plunge, but the entire 25km long ‘Golden Corridor’ offers similar potential upside from such a relatively simple drilling focus.
In the middle of the infrastructure-rich southern Murchison, and located on existing Mining Leases, the opportunity in front of us is utterly irresistible.”
The Ricciardo Deposit
The Ricciardo Gold Deposit is located on existing mining leases 100% owned by WA8, in the Murchison Region, approximately 300 km east of Geraldton, and 420 km by road north-northeast of Perth. Sitting approximately 8km South of the Golden Range Mill on M59/421, and M59/458, within the Golden Range group of historic open pit mines and deposits.
Discovered in the 1990’s, open pit mining of the oxide resources commenced in 2001, and the plant entered Care & Maintenance twice (between July 2004 and 2009, and May 2010 to mid- 2013). Production was over 300 Koz before finally going into ongoing Care and Maintenance in August 2019.
The Ricciardo deposit is located 90km north of Capricorn Metals’ Mt Gibson Gold Project, 8kms south of the Company’s plant, 26km from the neighbouring Golden Grove processing facility and 40 km northeast of Vault Minerals’ high grade Rothsay gold mine (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The location of the Ricciardo gold deposit within the Golden Range Project; within the broader Southern Murchison region.
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth prior to Warriedar drilling. Historical mining operations at Ricciardo were primarily focused on oxide material, with the transition and primary sulphides mineralisation not systematically explored.
Warriedar’s drilling of Ricciardo during CY2024 achieved excellent results, demonstrating high- grade extensions to the resource. The results demonstrated that the previously quantified resource is part of a much larger system.
Warriedar engaged independent mining consultants, Measured Group to update the Ricciardo MRE, previously reported 476Koz gold.1
The Ricciardo Gold Deposit consists of six semi-continuous historical open pit mines along the 2.3 km arcuate stretch of the Mougooderra Shear Zone, running north to south. These mines are named (from north to south) Silverstone North, Ardmore, Copse, Silverstone, Silverstone South, and Eastern Creek (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Drilling carried out by the Company during 2023 & 2024, which was used to update the MRE.
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This article includes content from Warriedar Resources Limited, 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.
