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Brightstar Resources Limited (Brightstar or the Company) (ASX: BTR) is pleased to announce the initial assay results from the first two diamond drillholes at Cork Tree Well (CTW) within the Laverton Gold Project (LGP). These two holes, as part of a broader 20 hole program1, were completed in January 2024 with satisfying progress being made by Brightstar’s diamond drilling contractor and geology team.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Assays received from first two diamond holes completed at Cork Tree Well with numerous high grade gold assays up to 172.41g/t Au returned
- Multiple instances of visible gold observed in cut core supports high grade results
- Intercepts returned include 34.4m at 7.94g/t Au from 43.5m (CTWMET004), including
- 8.4m at 13.47g/t Au from 43.5m, and
- 3m at 7.05g/t Au from 54m, and
- 15.6m at 8.23g/t Au from 58m
- CTWMET004 was drilled in the virgin Delta deposit at Cork Tree Well North, with the gold mineralisation entirely contained with a mafic metadolerite and quartz breccia unit
- The Delta deposit remains completely open at depth, with the deepest hole previously drilled intercepting 31m @ 2.12g/t Au from 172m beneath the current open pit shell
- Assays received from CTWMET002 below the historical open pit at Cork Tree Well include:
- 6.5m at 1.42g/t Au (from 104m)
- 1.65m at 1.82g/t Au (from 112m)
- Two remaining holes (CTWMET003 and CTWMET001) prioritised for expedited turn- around, with another 16 holes pending drill completion & processing for PFS workstreams
Brightstar’s Managing Director, Alex Rovira, commented“These holes were the first diamond holes drilled at Cork Tree Well by Brightstar, with our understanding of the geological model and mineralisation styles defined by over 28km of previous Brightstar RC drilling being enhanced by the knowledge being gained from this +2,000m diamond core program currently in progress.
We have reinforced our view that the gold mineralisation at Cork Tree Well is structurally hosted, with a mafic metadolerite host rock observed in CTWMET004 at Delta, whilst gold mineralisation returned in CTWMET002 is positioned within a chert-breccia horizon in the sedimentary package underneath the shallow historically mined open pit.
Due to the high grades returned, several re-assays were completed to cross-check the veracity of the initial result in certain cases, with multiple high-grade re-assays and visible gold supporting a coarse-grained nuggety gold mineralisation model at Delta.
In order to provide sufficient rock mass for the metallurgical test work purposes across all oxidation states at the Delta (oxide, transitional and fresh), CTWMET004 was drilled sub-parallel to the ore body at Delta. Importantly, Delta is still open at depth with the deepest hole in the vicinity, SDR126001, returning 31m at 2.12g/t Au2 highlighting the immense potential for high grade depth extensions.
Given the inaugural diamond drilling results thus far, we remain of the view that we’ve barely scratched the surface at Cork Tree Well, with strong potential to build on the existing 303koz @ 1.4g/t Au Mineral Resource3 both at depth with high-grade plunging shoots and strike extensions targeting the structurally-controlled mineralised trends across geological units.
We look forward to updating our stakeholders with more information on our diamond program, including the expedited assays for CTWMET001 and CTWMET003. These four diamond holes will form the basis for metallurgical testwork within our Pre-Feasibility Study4 which envisages the broader Cork Tree Well project to form the baseload ore feed to our wholly owned processing plant and associated infrastructure located ~30km south of Laverton”.
Figure 1 - CTWMET004 at 71.85m, showing visible gold (VG, circled) with $2 coin (20.5mm diameter) for scale
Figure 2 - CTWMET004 at 48.80m, showing visible gold (VG, circled) with $2 coin (20.5mm diameter) for scale
Table 1 - Significant Intercepts (>1g/t Au) for CTWMET004 & CTWMET002
Figure 3 - Q1/24 Diamond Drill Program - Cork Tree Well
Due to the nuggety and high-grade nature of the gold mineralisation observed in CTWMET004, multiple samples had repeat assays completed following from best QA/QC laboratory practice. The repeat fire-assays provided additional analytical insight into the nuggety nature of mineralisation in addition to the visible gold observed. Where multiple repeat assay runs occurred, an average of the results has been used in the reporting in Table 1 above and within this announcement. The full break-down of the re-assayed samples are outlined below in Table 2. Repeat assays were not conducted on all fire-assay samples and significant intercepts reported in this announcement will be re-evaluated following from planned additional analyses using a larger sample mass, towards a better representation of the mineralisation at Cork Tree Well and within the ‘Delta’ deposit.
Brightstar will be conducting continued analysis into the effects of the nuggety gold at Cork Tree Well, and specifically within the ‘Delta’ deposit, in future drilling programs. Metallurgical analyses in addition to re- assaying more samples using additional analytical methods (incorporating a greater sample mass) will assist with continued understanding of the nature of mineralisation. Additional analytical methods will commence with screen fire assaying to identify and better quantify the presence of coarse gold with photon analyses considered in conjunction with screen fire assaying processes.
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This article includes content from Brightstar 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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Brightstar Resources
Investor Insight
A gold-focused emerging gold producer with a clear pathway to production growth, Brightstar Resources presents a compelling investment case driven by its mining and development hubs strategy and a district-scale resource opportunity.
Overview
The price of gold stays strong. In April 2024, the yellow metal’s price passed US$2,400 per ounce for the first time. The reason is multifaceted. The world teeters on the brink of a severe recession while some markets attribute the increase to safe haven rush. Amidst ballooning interest rates, bank failures and falling bond yields, demand for gold continues to rise. At this precise moment, gold is simultaneously an excellent portfolio diversifier and a compelling hedge against ongoing inflation — particularly if one invests in the right company.
Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) aims to be that company. An emerging mining and development company, Brightstar occupies a strategic land position of roughly 1,200 square kilometers in the Sandstone Greenstone Belt, 300 square kilometers in the Laverton Tectonic Belt and 80 square kilometers of the Menzies Shear Zone.
The company also owns an existing processing facility that can potentially provide tremendous shareholder value in a low-capital cost restart scenario.
That plant, once fully refurbished and operational, could prove a key differentiator for the company, enabling fast gold production at a low capital cost. This is especially noteworthy given that many other gold companies trading on the ASX are largely focused on greenfield exploration and development. Even once those companies discover a promising resource, mining and processing facilities would still need to be built, undertakings which can incur significant upfront capital costs and take several years.
Brightstar's Laverton gold assets are all centered on a 100 percent-owned 300-square-kilometer tenure in the Laverton Tectonic Zone and all within 70 kilometers of the Laverton Processing Plant. Additionally, all resources within this zone are open along strike and at depth. Only minor drilling programs have been conducted in recent years, paving the way for significant exploration upside with the potential for further regional and greenfields discoveries.
Brightstar also owns 100 percent of the Menzies Gold Project, a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of roughly 20 kilometers along the Menzies Shear Zone and adjacent to the Goldfields Highway.
In 2023 and 2024, the company announced a mineral resource upgrade to the Cork Tree Well deposit (Laverton gold project) and also delivered two maiden mineral resource estimates at the Link Zone and Aspacia deposits (Menzies gold project). This has grown the total group MRE by approximately 150 koz gold through organic exploration. Brightstar also recently announced the results from DFS-level metallurgical testwork programs at Cork Tree Well with returned recoveries over 90 percent, including a high gravity gold content, ranging from 25 percent - 60 percent.
The company has also acquired 100 percent of the shares and options of Linden Gold Alliance, a gold producer, developer and explorer with existing mineral resources of 350 koz @ 2.1 g/t gold near Brightstar in the Laverton district. Brightstar’s MRE has reached 1.1 Moz gold across the Menzies and Laverton projects, with an additional 0.35 Moz gold in resources added after the successful acquisition of Linden Gold Alliance.
In August 2024, Brightstar entered into a scheme implementation deed to acquire 100 percent of Alto Metals (ASX:AME), which owns the Sandstone gold project located in East Murchison. The project has a current mineral resource of 1.05 Moz of gold at 1.5 g/t.
Brightstar also completed the acquisition of the gold rights at the Montague East gold project (MEGP) from Gateway Mining Limited (ASX:GML). The project is located 70 km from the Sandstone gold project. The acquisition adds a further 9.6 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 0.5 Moz gold to Brightstar’s JORC Mineral Resource Estimate, giving the company a total mineral endowment of 38.3 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 2.0 Moz gold.
The acquisition of the MGEP from Gateway Mining and 100 percent of Alto’s shares creates a third district-scale resource base for the company called the Sandstone Hub. Upon consolidation of the Laverton, Menzies and Sandstone hubs, Brightstar’s mineral resources would reach 3 Moz at 1.5g/t gold.
Subsequent to the deal with Alto Metals, Brightstar entered into a $4 million drill-for-equity agreement with Topdrill to aggressively advance the consolidated Sandstone gold project. The deal strengthens Brightstar's financial capacity to fulfill its multi-hub exploration and development strategy, which includes the Menzies, Laverton and Sandstone hubs.
Company Highlights
- Brightstar Resources is an ASX-listed mining and development company with more than 3 million ounces of gold resources and an on-site processing infrastructure across its project locations in Laverton, Menzies and Sandstone in Western Australia.
- Brightstar's mineral assets are situated across roughly 300 square kilometers of 100-percent-owned land in the Laverton Tectonic Zone and ~80 square kilometers in the high-grade Menzies Shear Zone.
- The Laverton Gold project has a mineral resource of 9.7 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 511 koz gold and the Menzies gold project has 13.8 Mt @ 1.3g/t gold for 595 koz gold.
- In 2023, the company completed a scoping study into the development of its Menzies and Laverton gold projects and the refurbishment and restart of its processing plant in Laverton.
- In 2023 and 2024, Brightstar completed a small-scale mining joint venture with BML Ventures which involved a 50/50 profit-sharing agreement to exploit the Selkirk deposit at Menzies. In April 2024, Brightstar announced that this joint venture delivered a net profit to Brightstar of $6.5 million.
- In June 2024, the company successfully acquired all of the issued ordinary shares and options in Linden Gold Alliance, a gold producer, developer and explorer with existing mineral resources of 350 koz @ 2.1 g/t gold near Brightstar in the Laverton district.
- As part of the merger with Linden Gold, Brightstar released a scoping study into Linden’s development-ready Jasper Hills gold project, which delivered key metrics including:
- 140 koz mined over 3.75 years (35 koz pa)
- Net present value of AU$99 million
- Internal rate of return of 736 percent
- Pre-production capital requirements of $12 million
- All-in sustaining costs of AU$1,972/oz
- Jasper Hills is located just 50 km SE of Brightstar’s processing plant in the Laverton gold project
- Brightstar has recently completed the acquisition of the gold rights at the Montague East gold project (MEGP) from Gateway Mining Limited (ASX:GML), and has entered into an agreement to acquire Alto Metals (ASX:AME) further creating the company’s third district-scale resource base known as the Sandstone Hub.
- Brightstar plans to continue generating shareholder value through a combination of development and strategic acquisitions along with some exploration.
Key Projects
Laverton Hub
Brightstar’s Laverton hub is comprised of the Cork Tree Well, Beta and Alpha project areas with the addition of the Second Fortune gold mine and the Jasper Hills projects.
Highlights:
- Cork Tree Well, Alpha and Beta have current total JORC mineral resource estimate of 9.7 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 511 koz (52 percent measured and indicated category). All mineral resources are on granted mining leases
- Cork Tree Well (6.4 Mt at 1.4 g/t gold for 303 koz gold)
- Alpha (1.4 Mt at 2.3 g/t gold for 106 koz gold)
- Beta (1.9 Mt at 1.7 g/t gold for 102 koz gold)
- Main project area Cork Tree Well is open at depth and along strike with recent drilling results of 34.4 meters at 7.94 g/t gold from 43.5 meters (CTWMET004) and 27.6 meters at 17.8 g/t gold from 51 m (CTWMET003)
- Second Fortune has a mineral resource estimate head grade of ~11g/t gold with an average ore body width of ~0.6 meters.
- Jasper Hills is located 50 km from Brightstar’s existing processing facility along a wholly-owned private haul road, allowing unimpeded, direct access to both projects
- Permitted, previously mined and production-ready
- Last mined by current owners in 2020 with 23,000 oz gold mined
- Scoping Study outcomes include:
- Pre-production capex of $12 million required (maximum capital drawdown)
- Open pit mine at Lord Byron and underground mine at Fish
- Production of 141 koz over four years (35 koz per annum)
- LOM EBITDA of $135 million (@ AU$3,000/oz)
Menzies Hub
The Menzies Hub comprises a tenement holding of a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of more than 20 km. The majority of deposits hosted along the Menzies Shear Zone are located adjacent to Goldfields Highway in Menzies (130km north of Kalgoorlie).
Highlights:
- Total Current Resource: 13.7 Mt at 1.3 g/t gold for 595 koz gold (36 percent measured and indicated)
- September 2023 scoping study showed the simultaneous development of open pit mining at Lady Shenton system and underground mining at Yunndaga:
- 1.9 Mt @ 1.63 g/t Au (100 koz) in open pit mining at Lady Shenton
- 650 kt @ 2.91 g/t (60 koz) in underground mining at Yunndaga
- Low capex of $22 million
- Significant opportunities to find virgin discoveries and brownfields mineral resource growth:
Sandstone Hub
The consolidated Sandstone project is over 100 km from existing third-party milling operations in the Murchison. This third processing hub boasts Alto’s Sandstone project with a mineral resource of 1.05 Moz at 1.4 g/t gold and Gateway’s Montague gold project with a mineral resource of 0.5 Moz @ 1.6 g/t gold.
Brightstar aims to fast-track the development timetable through:
- A focused, multi-rig infill drill out to take the inferred mineralisation into measured and indicated status to underpin mining studies and project advancement
- The application of Brightstar’s dedicated in-house geological and mining engineering team to retain crucial project IP and fast-tracked mining studies;
Brightstar Processing Facility
Situated close to Brightstar's existing mineral assets at Laverton, the Brightstar Processing Plant provides the company with a considerable operational head start over its peers.
Highlights:
- Extensive Infrastructure: Current facilities at the plant include two ball mills, a power station and gravity and elution circuits. Other infrastructure includes:
- A tailings storage dam
- An on-site process water pond
- A 60-person accommodation camp
- An airstrip at the Cork Tree Well Project
- Vehicles and equipment include a forklift, bobcat, two loaders, multiple light vehicles and a 30-tonne crane.
- A Leg Up Over Competitors: The presence of pre-existing processing infrastructure represents significant time savings compared to greenfields development. Brightstar had an independent valuation completed which valued the processing plant at AU$60 million in replacement value.
- Low Upfront Capital Cost: As part of the scoping study released in September 2023, GR Engineering estimated a capital cost requirement to refurbish and expand the milling capacity would cost just AU$18.5 million.
- Close to Existing Assets: Brightstar's major development projects — Cork Tree Well, Jasper Hills, Beta and Alpha — are all close to the plant.
Gold doré bars (BTR005 – BTR016) poured on 9 March 2024
Management Team
Alex Rovira - Managing Director
Alex Rovira is a qualified geologist and an experienced investment banker having focused on the metals and mining sector since 2013. Rovira has experience in ASX equity capital markets activities, including capital raisings, IPOs and merger and acquisitions.
Richard Crookes - Non-executive Chairman
Richard Crookes has over 35 years’ experience in the resources and investments industries. He is a geologist by training having previously worked as the chief geologist and mining manager of Ernest Henry Mining in Australia.
Crookes is managing partner of Lionhead Resources, a critical minerals investment fund and formerly an investment director at EMR Capital. Prior to that he was an executive director in Macquarie Bank’s Metals Energy Capital (MEC) division where he managed all aspects of the bank’s principal investments in mining and metals companies.
Andrew Rich - Executive Director
Andrew Rich is a degree qualified mining engineer from the WA School of Mines and has obtained a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Rich has a strong background in underground gold mining with experience predominantly in the development of underground mines at Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) and Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX).
Ashley Fraser - Non-executive Director
Ashley Fraser is an accomplished mining professional with over 30 years experience across gold and bulk commodities. Fraser was a founder of Orionstone (which merged with Emeco in a $660-million consolidation) and is a founder/owner of Blue Cap Mining and Blue Cap Equities.
Jonathan Downes - Non-executive Director
Jonathan Downes has over 30 years’ experience in the minerals industry and has worked in various geological and corporate capacities. Experienced with gold and base metals, he has been intimately involved with the exploration process through to production. Downes is currently the managing director of Kaiser Reef, a high grade gold producer, and non-executive director of Cazaly Resources.
Dean Vallve – Chief Operating Officer
Dean Vallve holds technical qualifications in geology & mining engineering from the WA School of Mines, an MBA, and a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Vallve was previously in senior mining and study roles at ASX listed mid-cap resources companies Hot Chili (ASX:HCH) and Calidus Resources (ASX:CAI).
Olympio to Acquire Advanced Bousquet Gold Project, Quebec, Canada
Highlights
- Option to acquire up to 80% of the Bousquet Gold Project from Bullion Gold
- Located on the Cadillac Break, a regional structure associated with world class gold and copper mineralisation (>110 Moz Au1)
- Numerous high-grade prospects including Paquin East with historical intercept of 9m @ 16.96g/t Au6
- Within 15km of multi-million ounce working gold mines (Agnico Eagle’s La Ronde - 15.8Moz Au2 and Iamgold’s Westwood - 2.4Moz Au3)
- High-grade, quartz hosted vein systems with common visible gold, similar to nearby O’Brien Project 15km to the east (1.0Moz Au4, Radisson)
- 24km2 of contiguous tenure, covering a 10km strike of the Cadillac Break
- Complements the Company’s Dufay Au-Cu Project 60km to the west, and provides a combined 20km strike exposure to highly prospective segments of the Cadillac Break
- Excellent road, rail and hydroelectric infrastructure runs through the project, with year- round access
- Underexplored property with the majority of drillholes completed pre-1947
- The Option provides further exposure to a strong gold price with flexible structure terms
Olympio’s Managing Director, Sean Delaney, commented:
“Acquiring the advanced Bousquet Gold Project presents a significant opportunity for Olympio to expand our exposure to one of the world’s premier gold-bearing structures—the renowned Cadillac Break. The project is strategically positioned between substantial gold deposits to the east and west, with numerous high-grade gold prospects featuring gold both at surface and in drilling. This makes Bousquet an exceptional exploration target. The geological setting and mineralisation style closely resemble the nearby million-ounce O’Brien Project, where high-grade gold zones are often associated with visible gold in quartz veining.
“The Project is next to working gold mines with under-utilised mills (<20km by road), with a major highway, railway and hydroelectric power all traversing the centre of the project.
Bullion are divesting Bousquet to focus on their large Bodo polymetallic project which provides Olympio with this great opportunity to explore in one of the world’s best gold regions.”
Figure 1 Setting of Olympio projects, Bousquet and Dufay, on the Cadillac Break
The Bousquet Gold Project is a strategic land acquisition which complements the Dufay Gold-Copper Project 60km to the west along the renowned Cadillac Break. The southern half of the project covers a well-defined, regionally mineralised zone to the south of the Cadillac Break, which hosts numerous gold prospects within Timiskaming Group sediments that are exclusively correlated with the development of the Cadillac Break.
The Bousquet Project includes several advanced gold prospects and numerous structural and geophysical targets that remain untested by drilling or modern exploration. The majority of drilling on the project is pre-1947, and all prospects remain under-explored.
HIGH GRADE QUARTZ VEINS IN FAVOURABLE GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Gold mineralisation at Bousquet is structurally controlled, quartz vein-hosted, high-grade gold associated with second and third order structures peripheral to the Cadillac Break, which is typical of the majority of mineralisation on the Cadillac Break1.
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This article includes content from Olympio Metals 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.
Adavale Resources
Investor Insight
Adavale Resources’ transformative January 2025 acquisition of gold and copper assets in the prolific Lachlan Fold Belt in New South Wales puts the company on a growth trajectory, presenting a compelling investment opportunity for savvy investors.
Overview
Adavale Resources (ASX:ADD) is a dynamic junior exploration company primarily focused on its flagship gold and copper projects in New South Wales (NSW), within the prolific Lachlan Fold Belt. This portfolio spans 354.15 sq kmand comprises four tenements: EL7242, EL8830, EL8831 and EL9711. The acquisition of these assets represents a transformational opportunity, strategically positioning Adavale Resources in one of the world’s richest gold and copper belts.
Parkes Project in the Lachlan Fold Belt
In addition to gold and copper, Adavale boasts extensive uranium assets in South Australia and nickel projects in Tanzania. These diversified holdings place the company at the forefront of exploration across commodities critical for global industrial and technological advancement.
Adavale Resources is poised for significant growth as it advances its gold and uranium projects through strategic drilling programs in 2025. With a robust exploration pipeline, world-class assets in tier-one jurisdictions, and a leadership team aligned with shareholder interests, the company is well-positioned to capitalise on favourable commodity trends.
Company Highlights
- A junior explorer, with projects in tier-one jurisdictions; focused on gold and copper, Adavale also holds valuable uranium and nickel licences .
- The January 2025 acquisition of the Parkes project in the Lachlan Fold Belt, spanning 354.15 sq km, strategically positions Adavale to expand on the historic orogenic gold resource (124 koz gold) and make a major epithermal and/or porphyry gold and copper discovery in this tier-1 mining jurisdiction. The Lachlan Fold Belt assets are strategically located near world-class mining operations, including Cadia, Northparkes and Cowal.
- The company’s extensive uranium tenements span 4,959 sq km across the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula, regions known for hosting tier-one uranium deposits.
- Adavale’s nickel projects in Tanzania’s East African Nickel Belt are strategically located adjacent to the Kabanga nickel project — the world’s largest undeveloped high-grade nickel sulphide deposit.
- Drilling and resource-definition programs in 2025 will target key gold, copper and uranium assets, building on the company’s diversified growth strategy.
Key Projects
Gold and Copper – Lachlan Fold Belt, NSW
Adavale Resources recently acquired a 72.5 percent interest in the Parkes project, located in the highly prospective Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales. Adavale’s flagship project encompasses 354.15 sq km across four tenements in the Lachlan Fold Belt, a region that has produced over 80 million ounces (Moz) of gold and 13 million tonnes (Mt) of copper historically. The London-Victoria gold mine (EL7242) is a cornerstone of this portfolio, with historical production of 200,000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2 grams per ton (g/t). London-Victoria (EL7242) also recently received a successful renewal until November 2030.
Exploration activity in 2024 included diamond drilling, which intersected a 12-meter-thick zone of quartz-carbonate veining and shearing, consistent with high-grade mineralisation seen in historical operations. Assay results from this program are pending and expected to provide critical insights for resource expansion.
In addition to the London-Victoria gold mine, the Ashes Prospect (EL8831) has returned high-grade rock chip samples, including results of 8.8 g/t gold and 5.5 percent copper. Similarly, the Birthday mine (EL8830) boasts historical grades averaging 11 g/t gold. The 2025 exploration strategy focuses on resource definition and advancing London-Victoria to JORC-compliant status, testing extensions, and unlocking additional mineralised zones at these prospects, supported by advanced geophysical and geochemical surveys.
Uranium – South Australia
Adavale holds 4,959 sq kmof uranium-rich tenements across the highly prospective Flinders Ranges outwash and Eyre Peninsula, regions known for hosting tier-1 uranium deposits. Historical drilling has revealed promising results, including intercepts of 1 metre at 263 parts per million (ppm) eU3O8 and 0.65 meters at 235 ppm eU3O8. These results underscore the region’s potential to host significant uranium resources.
The company is advancing its maiden 2,000 metre air core drilling program in Q1 of 2025, targeting paleochannel extensions and uranium redox boundaries, which have been identified through advanced geophysical surveys. Adavale’s uranium portfolio is particularly well-positioned to benefit from increasing global demand for uranium, driven by geopolitical factors, rising nuclear energy investment globally, and surging prices, which reached $106/lb in early 2024.
Nickel – East African Nickel Belt, Tanzania
Adavale’s nickel portfolio includes 1,315 sq km across 12 highly prospective exploration licences in Tanzania’s East African Nickel Belt. It is strategically located next to and along strike of the world-class Kabanga nickel project — the world’s largest undeveloped high-grade nickel sulphide deposit. Recent exploration at the Luhuma Central prospect has confirmed nickel sulphides in all five drill holes completed, with mineralisation trends extending southwest.
The company employs a combination of geophysical methods, including gravity, magnetics and Heli-EM surveys, to refine its understanding of subsurface structures and identify high-priority drill targets. Adavale’s ongoing exploration in this globally significant nickel belt is expected to build on recent successes, advancing resource definition and project development, making the company well-positioned to make a significant contribution to the global demand for battery metals.
Leadership Team
Allan Ritchie - Executive Chairman and CEO
Allan Ritchie is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance and resource management, including as director and officer of ASX and HK listed companies. Ritchie’s distinguished career spans both the energy, resources, and investment banking sectors, and includes leadership roles in both private and publicly listed companies.
Ritchie has served as non-executive director of ASX listed Hydrocarbon Dynamics (ASX:HCD), and executive director and deputy CEO of HK listed energy group, EPI Holdings (0689.HKEX).
Ritchie’s investment banking background includes structuring commercial transactions in the energy and resources sector. Senior roles include positions within Westpac, ANZ Bank, HSBC and BNP Paribas in Australia, London, New York and Asia Pacific. His investment banking achievements have been recognised several times at the top of BRW’s annual poll of bankers.
Ritchie graduated from the University of Technology in Sydney in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business and subsequently attained a post graduate diploma in Applied Finance from the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
John Hicks - Non-executive Director
John Hicks is a qualified geologist with over 40 years’ experience in exploration and mining in Australia. John is regarded as a nickel sulphide specialist, having held various senior exploration and development roles on several major nickel sulphide projects in Western Australia.
For the previous 15 years, Hicks was the general manager of exploration at Panoramic Resources (ASX:PAN), where he was instrumental in the discovery of the komatiite hosted Deacon and Lower-Schmitz orebodies at Lanfranchi and the intrusive hosted Savannah North nickel orebody in Western Australia. Hicks was also a key member of the team responsible for taking these discoveries through to final investment decisions.
Prior to joining Panoramic, Hicks held various roles with several notable mining companies including Australian Consolidated Minerals and WMC Limited where he worked on the Mount Keith nickel project. As an independent geological consultant between 1998 and 2005, he was involved with the Cosmos and the Honeymoon Well nickel projects.
Maurice (Nic) Matich - Non-executive Director
Maurice (Nic) Matich is a mechanical engineer and finance professional with over 17 years’ experience in the resources sector. His wide industry experience includes the provision of engineering, risk consulting and insurance services to numerous tier-1 mining companies with operations in lithium, iron ore, mineral sands, gold and kaolin.
Matich previously served as managing director of Pinnacle Minerals (ASX:PIM) and executive director of Heavy Minerals (ASX:HVY), delivering both a maiden resource and scoping study (NPV8 $253M) for the Port Gregory project.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, Bachelor of Science (Phys/IT) and a graduate diploma in Applied Finance and is a graduate of the AICD.
Leonard Math - CFO & Company Secretary
Leonard Math is a chartered accountant with extensive experience managing financial operations for ASX listed resources companies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business (double major in accounting and information systems) from Edith Cowan University in 2003 and became a chartered accountant in September, 2008. He has held multiple director, CFO and company secretary roles in the resources sector, most recently with Summit Minerals (ASX:SUM).
Metallurgical Drilling Confirms Historic Grades at the Byro REE / Li Project
Highlights
- Assay results received from metallurgical drilling at the Byro REE & Li Project confirm historic REE / Li mineralisation intercepts.
- Intercepts of over 50m from surface with grades including 500ppm Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO) with 20% magnetic REE’s, 375ppm Lithium Oxide (Li2O) and 523ppm Vanadium Pentoxide (V2O5).
- Mineralisation has been intercepted in historic drilling over 30km of strike.
- The drilling was to provide fresh samples of the Byro black shale to undergo metallurgical extraction testwork.
Octava’s Managing Director Bevan Wakelam stated;
”Octava is investigating the potential for Australia’s first, large scale, low cost sedimentary basin deposit of REE’s, lithium and base metals. Metal extraction from black shales is a proven, low- cost technology used in other operations around the world. We will commence initial metallurgical testwork to determine the viability of extracting these metals from the black shale at Byro. We look forward to providing further updates as this work proceeds.
The Byro Project is located on the Byro Plains of the Gascoyne Region, Western Australia, 220km south-east of Carnarvon and consists of two granted Exploration Licences – E 09/2673 and E 09/2674 – totalling 798 km2. The Byro Project also has Native Title agreements in place. Nearby infrastructure includes accessibility to a commercial port (Geraldton) and power from the NW gas pipeline and future potential access to Western Australian government proposed green energy sites.
Two metallurgical HQ3 coreholes were drilled for a total of 204m. The holes were drilled adjacent to previously drilled RC holes to confirm mineralisation and to provide fresh sample material for metallurgical testwork.
Figure 1. Metallurgical Core Drilling at the Byro REE Project.
The Byro project lies at the centre of the Permian Byro Sub-basin of the Carnarvon Basin. The Byro Group hosts sedimentary packages of sandstones, siltstones and mudstones, including black shales and coal seams. The dominant unit in the tenure is the Bulgadoo shale, which consists of banded carbonaceous shale and arenite, containing beds of enriched pyrite, bivalves and bryozoans.
The black shales in the Byro sub basin appear to have formed a metal sink that contains large volumes of anomalous REE, Li and base metals. The source of the metals at Byro is likely the Archean basement rocks of the Yilgarn Craton located ~40km to the east. The REE host rocks at Byro have been transported to their current location, unlike typical REE clay exploration targets in Australia which are formed in situ, from weathered granitic basement rocks.
Permian Black shales are known worldwide for their potential to host enriched poly-metallic deposits. These deposits contain considerable volumes of lower concentration resources of base metals, rare earths, lithium and other strategic minerals. They offer the opportunity for large-scale, low-cost mining operations capable of supplying the metals for a number of years. Octava is examining the black shales at the Byro project for the same potential.
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