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Redstone Resources
Overview
The electrification transition is well underway and has spurred a growth in demand for rare metals, such as lithium and base metals, including nickel and copper, which most clean technologies require. The overall sentiment for these battery metals remains healthy and optimistic, even amid global economic turmoil.
Australia is supporting this growth in demand through its mining-friendly, tier-1 jurisdictions. The country is a world leader in producing and exporting a plethora of metals and minerals, including iron, copper, lithium, nickel, bauxite and gold. Australia produces significant amounts of 19 in-demand minerals from more than 350 operating mines. The Musgrave Province contains a Mesoproterozoic crystalline basement terrain that reaches across the shared borders of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia. The terrain has significant deposits of several essential metals, including nickel, platinum group elements (PGEs), copper, gold, lead, zinc, chromite, and rare earth elements (REEs). Yet, much of Musgrave remains underexplored, especially for the base metals the world now needs.
Redstone Resources (ASX:RDS) is a base and precious metals exploration company, exploring its 100-percent-owned, highly prospective West Musgrave Project, which includes the Tollu Copper deposit, located in the West Musgrave Province of Western Australia. The company’s West Musgrave Project is located proximal to BHP’s world-class Nebo-Babel nickel-copper-PGE sulphide deposit and Succoth copper (nickel, palladium) deposit, and Nico Resources’ Wingellina nickel-cobalt project. Redstone also has other pending tenement applications prospective for nickel and copper in the same region. The company is led by a management team with expertise in geology and mineral exploration, business development and corporate law, creating confidence in the team’s ability to capitalize on its assets.
The unique Musgrave terrain has already drawn the interest of notable miners, such as BHP. BHP is progressing with the development of its Nebo-Babel nickel-copper-PGE sulphide deposit, which has been estimated to have a resource of 390 million tonnes grading 0.33 percent copper and 0.30 percent nickel, for 1.2 million tonnes of contained nickel metal and 1.3 million tonnes of contained copper metal (Mea + Ind + Inf – 2012 JORC). Final regulatory approval to begin construction of the Nebo-Babel mine has been granted. Other discoveries and deposits in the area, such as the Wingellina nickel-cobalt deposit, indicate the potential of the West Musgrave region to become a significant base metal jurisdiction.
Redstone’s flagship, 100-percent-owned West Musgrave Project is situated between these two deposits — approximately 40 kilometres east of BHP’s Nebo Babel nickel-copper-PGE deposit and 50 kilometres west-southwest of Nico Resources’ Wingellina nickel-cobalt deposit. Redstone’s West Musgrave Project is highly prospective yet largely underexplored. The asset has the right geological and structural setting for large magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposits, volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits and other large intrusive related hydrothermal systems.
Location of Redstone’s West Musgrave Project, which includes the Tollu copper deposit, in relation to the world-class Nebo-Babel Ni-Cu-PGE deposit.
The 100-percent-owned Tollu Copper Vein deposit, located within the West Musgrave Project, has a JORC-compliant indicated and inferred resource estimate of 3.8 million tonnes grading 1 percent copper, for 38,000 tonnes of contained copper with a cut-off of 0.2 percent. There is also a current estimated conceptual exploration target*, suggesting a potential for up to 627,000 tonnes of copper at Tollu. (*conceptual exploration target ranges from 31 to 47 million tonnes of mineralization at 0.8 to 1.3 percent copper, containing 259,000 to 627,000 tonnes copper.)
Outside Australia, Redstone Resources is an emerging battery metals explorer and has been building its portfolio of lithium and other critical mineral assets in Canada.
In May 2023, the company signed an exclusive option agreement to acquire 100 percent interest in the Attwood Lake Area Lithium Properties in Northwestern Ontario. The properties are considered highly prospective for lithium and/or rare element pegmatites.
Results from the Phase 1 Exploration Program at Attwood Lake showed numerous pegmatite outcrops. The program consisted of a helicopter‐supported geological mapping and sampling program for lithium and rare‐earth-element-bearing pegmatites. Results from the 209 rock grab samples collected indicate elevated Li is present across the project.
In July 2023, Redstone Resources entered into another exclusive option agreement to acquire 100 percent interest in the Radisson East and Sakami Projects located in the prolific James Bay Lithium District in Quebec, host to several advanced lithium projects and new lithium discoveries in Canada including:
- Patriot Metals (ASX: PMT, TSXV:PMET) Corvette Project (~170 kms east)
- Winsome Resources Ltd (ASX: WR1) Cancet Project (~100 kms east); and
- Q2 Metals Corp (TSXV: QTWO) Mia Lithium Project (~40 kms southeast).
These projects have a combined area of 90 square kilometres and cover more than 50 kilometres of highly prospective greenstone belts with coincident lithium‐in‐lake anomalism and are host to several known pegmatite occurrences and outcrops.
Prospectivity analysis and multispectral analysis recently undertaken by Redstone Resources on Radisson East and Sakami has identified a significant number of high priority lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite target areas requiring follow up exploration.
Redstone Resources also recently entered into a 50/50 joint venture agreement with Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) to acquire 100 percent of the highly prospective suite of lithium projects that include the Camaro, Taiga and Hellcat Projects in the James Bay Lithium Province in Quebec. Redstone will be the manager of the joint venture which covers 5,187 hectares of tenure. The joint venture also secured an option to acquire 100 percent of the PAK South and PAK Southeast Lithium Projects comprising 1,415 hectares in Ontario's Electric Avenue near Frontier Lithium's PAK Lithium Project.
An experienced management team leads Redstone with decades of experience in the mineral resources sector, with expertise in mineral exploration, mining operations and corporate finance.
Company Highlights
- Redstone Resources is an Australia-based mineral exploration company exploring highly prospective properties for copper and nickel in the West Musgrave region of Western Australia.
- The West Musgrave region has already drawn the interest of miners who have made significant discoveries, including the world-class Nebo-Babel nickel-copper-PGE sulphide deposit and the Wingellina nickel-cobalt deposit.
- Redstone’s flagship West Musgrave Project is located near these existing projects, only 40 km west of BHP’s Nebo-Babel deposit, indicating the potential of the company’s tenure.
- The company owns 100 percent of the West Musgrave Project, which includes the Tollu Copper vein deposit.
- It has the right geological and structural setting for large magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposits, VHMS deposits and other large intrusive-related hydrothermal systems
- The Tollu Copper vein deposit is proof of a significant hydrothermal system in the project area.
- In May 2023, Redstone entered into an agreement to acquire a 100 percent interest in the Attwood Lake Area Lithium properties, in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, which was closely followed by another option agreement entered into in July 2023, to acquire 100 percent of the Radisson East and Sakami Projects in James Bay, Quebec, Canada. These projects are known to be highly prospective for lithium and/or rare earth element pegmatites, and close to several advanced lithium projects.
- The Attwood and Radisson East and Sakami Project acquisitions complement the company’s West Musgrave copper-nickel project and its strategy to increase exposure to the growing global battery metals and explore for critical minerals in high demand.
- A Phase 1 exploration program conducted on the Attwood project has identified numerous pegmatite outcrops with sample assay results indicating elevated lithium is present across the project.
- Several high priority exploration targets have been confirmed from recent prospectivity analysis and multispectral analysis undertaken over the Radisson East and Sakami Projects.
- Redstone Resources has also entered into a 50/50 joint venture agreement with Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) to acquire 100 percent of a highly prospective suite of lithium projects in James Bay, Quebec, and option agreement for lithium projects in Northwestern Ontario.
- A strong management team leads the company with decades of experience in the resources sector.
Key Projects
The West Musgrave Project
The West Musgrave Project covers 237 square kilometres of highly prospective yet underexplored terrain. The asset is 40 kilometres east of the world-class Nebo-Babel nickel-copper-PGE sulphide deposit owned by BHP, and contains suitable geological structure and settings for nickel-copper deposits. Redstone plans to continue the exploration of the asset to follow up on recent drilling and exploration results which identified numerous prospective targets.
Significantly, recent drilling at 7.5 km northeast of the Tollu Copper Vein deposit has confirmed for the first time the presence of mafic-ultramafic intrusions on the project, which are potential host and/or source rocks for nickel-copper-PGE ± cobalt mineralisation. This confirmation is significant for Redstone especially considering the western boundary of the project area is only 40 kms east of the BHP-owned world-class Nebo Babel nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE deposit and may also be a potential explanation for a source of the high grade copper at Tollu.
The Tollu Copper Vein Project
Redstone’s Tollu Copper Vein deposit is located within the broader West Musgrave Project and has already produced promising drilling results. Tollu hosts a giant swarm of hydrothermal copper-rich veins in a mineralized system covering an area of at least 5 square kilometres. Copper mineralization is exposed at the surface and forms part of a dilation system within and between two major shears.
Redstone has defined a JORC 2012 resource estimate for Tollu of 3.8 million tonnes grading 1 percent copper, for 38,000 tonnes of contained copper and 0.01 percent cobalt, which equates to 535 tonnes of contained cobalt. However, the company considers that this estimate may be far greater with further drilling.
Drilling results from Redstone Resources’ most recent exploration program continue to deliver outstanding copper results for the Chatsworth and Forio prospects at the Tollu Copper Vein deposit.
At Chatsworth, RC drill hole TLC205 intersected 11 metres at 1.2 percent copper from only 29 metres downhole, extending the previously intersected high‐grade copper lens a further 20 metres towards the surface.
Together with the previous drilling, TLC205 has shown that the targeted high grade copper lens at Chatsworth is up to 26 metres thick (downhole), has a copper grade always over 1 percent copper and extends over 140 metres vertical from TLC205 to its deepest intersection to date in TLC188 at 174 metres-184 metres downhole. No drilling has tested beneath the intersection in TLC188 and so this significant, up to 26 metre thick (downhole) vertically long high-grade copper lens remains open at depth.
Previous intersections of the same high‐grade copper lens intersected in TLC205 include:
- TLC188 ‐ 10 m at 2.51 percent copper from 174 m downhole including 3 m at 4.71 percent copper from 175 m downhole;
- TLC189 ‐ 26 m at 1.46 percent copper from 61 m downhole including 1 m at 5.1 percent copper from 84 m downhole;
- TLC033 ‐ 5 m at 2.21 percent copper from 100 m downhole; and
- TLC034 ‐ 15 m at 1.39 percent copper from 136 m downhole including 3 m at 3.67 percent copper from 122 m downhole.
E-W Cross-section of high grade copper lens at Chatsworth Prospect, Tollu Copper Deposit. Recent intersection in RC drill hole TLC205 is shown along with intersections from 2021 drilling in TLC188 and TLC189 as well as intersections in historical drilling, RC drill holes TLC033 and TLC034
Recent drilling has also delivered further high-grade intersections at Forio, including the highest Cu grade ever intersected with 1 m at 18.5 percent copper from 18 m downhole in RC drill hole TLC203.
Drilling completed at Forio in late 2022 RC drilling campaign at Tollu were aimed at testing the continuity along strike of a zone of high grade copper lenses at Forio identified in previous drilling.
The high grade Cu intersections at Forio include:
- 8 m at 4.1 percent copper from 13 m downhole depth (TLC203) including 1 m at 18.5 percent copper from 18 m downhole.
- 4 m at 1.2 percent copper from 45 m downhole (TLC203)
- 6m at 1.47 percent copper from 80 m downhole (TLC201).
The high grade copper intersections in RC drill holes TLC201 and TLC203 extend the zone of high grade copper lenses at Forio along strike north and south for at least 60 m continuous.
Long-section of RC drill holes TLC201 and TLC203 recently drilled to test for extension of the high grade copper mineralisation intersected in TLC181, TLC153 and TLC173 in previous drilling. Cross-section is drawn along strike N-S of the Forio vein system and looking towards the east
The significant drilling intersections of high‐grade copper mineralisation at both the Chatsworth and Forio Prospects (dating back to 2017) at Tollu are yet to be included in the existing JORC 2012 Tollu resource estimate, which suggests there may be opportunities in the Tollu resource yet to be realised.
Attwood Lake Lithium Project
Geologist exposes pegmatite outcrop beneath lichen.
The Attwood Lake lithium project is located approximately 115 kilometres east‐southeast from the community of Pickle Lake in northwestern Ontario. Geologically, the project forms part of the Neoarchean English River subprovince of the Superior Province. It straddles or is located within a few kilometres of the boundary to the Uchi subprovince, which is located to the north. The English River subprovince is an Archean gneiss belt of mostly metasediments and sedimentary derived‐orthogneisses. Reconnaissance bedrock mapping by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) in 2016 identified largely gneissic metasediments in the western part and along the eastern margin of the property, while the central part is dominated by muscovite‐bearing, peraluminous granitic rocks including some metavolcanic and migmatized supracrustal rocks. Mapping identified muscovite‐bearing pegmatites, mostly in metasediments near their contact with the granitic rocks, a setting that is favorable for potential lithium pegmatites.
Results from the Phase 1 Exploration Program at Attwood Lake showed numerous pegmatite outcrops. The program consisted of a helicopter‐supported geological mapping and sampling program for lithium and rare‐earth-element-bearing pegmatites. Results from the 209 rock grab samples collected indicate elevated Li is present across the project.
Radisson East and Sakami Lithium Projects
The Radisson East and Sakami lithium projects in the prolific James Bay Lithium District, Québec are located near:
- Patriot Battery Metals Inc. (ASX:PMT, TSXV:PMET) Corvette Project (~170 kms east)
- Winsome Resources Ltd (ASX:WR1) Cancet Project (100 kms east)
- Q2 Metals Corp (TSXV: QTWO) Mia Lithium Property (~40 kms southwest)
Radisson East and Sakami Lithium Project location map
The Sakami Lithium Project spans 68 square kilometres consisting of three claim blocks within the La Grande sub‐province approximately 14 kilometres north of the boundary between the La Grande and Opinaca sub‐provinces, in a similar geological setting as the Corvette (Patriot Battery Metals), Cancet (Winsome Resources) and Adina Lithium Deposits (Winsome Resources) lithium deposits, which all occur 10 to 20 kilometres north of the boundary.
A prospectivity analysis has generated eighteen target areas that are prospective for LCT
pegmatites across the Sakami Lithium Project. The two easternmost claim blocks follow a north‐south trend of elevated prospectivity scores, and the northwestern‐most claim block is highlighted by an elevated prospectivity score along its northern boundary. The north‐south trend of prospectivity appears to be associated with amphibolite and paragneiss units along north‐northeast‐trending faults. The highest priority targets on the Sakami Lithium Project are targets S01 through S04 to the south end of the project towards the La Grande‐Opinaca sub‐province boundary. These high priority targets occur in an area where a north to south trending amphibolite unit is truncated by east-to-west faulting and an increase in low-level geochemical anomalism that is associated with LCT pegmatites occurs in the direction of the La Grande‐Opinaca regional geological boundary.
Prospectivity analysis of Sakami Lithium Project
The Radisson East Lithium Project spans 22 square kilometres consisting of two claim blocks, both within the La Grande sub‐province and 55 kilometres to the northeast of Q2 Metals’ Mia Lithium project.
The prospectivity analysis has generated six target areas for prospective LCT pegmatites across the Radisson East Lithium Project. The easternmost claim block follows a northwest trend of elevated prospectivity, and includes targets RE01 and RE02, the highest priority targets on this project. The westernmost claim block follows a northeast trend of lower but slightly elevated prospectivity scores and includes targets RE03 through RE06. These trends of elevated prospectivity both follow basalt units that underlay both claim blocks.
Prospectivity analysis of Radisson East Lithium Project
A preliminary field programme will be completed over the Sakami and Radisson East Projects to assess the highest prospectivity target areas identified from a recent prospectivity analysis, in conjunction with the significant number of potential LCT pegmatite outcrop targets identified by multispectral analysis. The first pass programme will include field mapping, outcrop sampling and geochemical sampling to verify the presence of pegmatite outcrops and to test for lithium mineralisation.
Redstone and Galan Joint Venture
James Bay Lithium Projects - Taiga, Camaro and Hellcat
The Redstone and Galan 50/50 JV recently acquired the James Bay Lithium Projects, namely three high quality projects consisting of Taiga, Camaro and Hellcat Projects (TCH). The projects cover 3,850 hectares and are adjacent to Patriot Battery Metals’ (TSXV:PMET) Corvette Lithium discovery in James Bay. PMET’s CV8 pegmatite is one of the finest new hard rock lithium discoveries, with grab samples averaging 4.6 percent lithium oxide Li2O, and is located only 1.4 kilometres north of the Taiga Project. PMET’s newly-discovered CV13 pegmatite cluster is located 1.5 kilometres north of the Camaro Project.
James Bay Project Highlights:
The Taiga and Camaro are situated in the Meso-Archean to Paleoproterozoic La Grande Subprovince of the Superior Province underlain by the Poste Le Moyne and Langelier plutons, respectively. The Camaro project is hosted in the Semonville Pluton with local windows of the Rouget Formation metabasalt. Properties are hosted in hornblende biotite diorite, quartz-rich diorite, biotite hornblende tonalite, granodiorite, granite, conglomerate, wacke, and amphibolite.
The Hellcat Project hosts Vieux Comptoir Granitic suite believed to be the source of the spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes found within the region. The primary greenstone within the project is amphibolites of the rouget greenstone belt, a similar age to the Grupe de Guyer greenstone belt, located within Patriot Battery Metals Corvette discovery.
Previous initial exploration on the James Bay Lithium Projects completed by Axiom Exploration identified 28 prospective pegmatite dykes.
Ontario Lithium Projects - PAK South and PAK Southeast
As part of the joint venture with Galan Lithium, Redstone Resources has secured an option to acquire 100 percent of the PAK South and PAK Southeast claims in Ontario’s “Electric Avenue”, located approximately 170 kilometres north of Red Lake, Ontario, in the Red Lake Mining Division.
The PAK South and PAK Southeast properties cover 1,258 hectares and 157 hectares, respectively, and several pegmatite units have been identified in regional mapping by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS).
The projects are adjacent to Frontier Lithium’s (TSXV:FL) PAK Lithium Project, which includes two lithium deposits, the Spark Deposit and PAK Deposit, and two other prospects.
Highlighting the prospectivity of the Electric Avenue province, Frontier recently reported an intersection of 108.4 m of continuous pegmatite averaging 2.12 percent lithium oxide from its Spark Pegmatite(Frontier’s TSX-V announcement dated 25 September 2023).
Board and Management
Richard Homsany - Non-executive Chairman
Richard Homsany is executive vice-president of Mega Uranium, a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company and executive chairman of Toro Energy Limited, an ASX-listed uranium company. He is also the non-executive chairman of Galan Lithium and the Health Insurance Fund of Australia Limited.
Prior to this Homsany was a corporate and commercial advisory partner with one of Australia’s leading law firms. He is currently the principal of Cardinals Lawyers and Consultants and has been admitted as a solicitor for over 20 years. Homsany has extensive experience in corporate law, including advising public resources and energy companies on corporate governance, finance, capital raisings, takeovers, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and divestments.
He also has significant board experience with publicly listed resource companies and in the resources industry. He has also worked for an ASX top 50-listed internationally diversified resources company in operations, risk management and corporate.
Homsany is a certified practicing accountant and is a fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA). He has a commerce degree and honors degree in law from the University of Western Australia and a graduate diploma in finance and investment from FINSIA.
Edward van Heemst - Non-executive Director
Edward van Heemst is a prominent Perth businessman with over 40 years of experience in managing a diverse range of activities with large private companies.
He is the managing director of Vanguard Press and was previously the long-time chairman of Perth Racing (1997 to 2016). He was also appointed as non-executive chairman of NTM Gold, an ASX-listed company from July 2019 to March 2021.
Van Heemst holds a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Melbourne, an MBA from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia.
He has extensive knowledge of capital markets and established mining industry networks.
Brett Hodgins - Technical Director
Brett Hodgins has over 20 years of professional experience in the resources sector primarily focused on exploration and mining operations. He began his career as a geologist with Robe River Mining and Rio Tinto Iron Ore. During that time he was involved with the commissioning and development of the West Angelas and Hope Downs operations. Hodgins' recent roles include general manager project development for Iron Ore Holdings and he is president/CEO of Central Iron Ore Ltd, a TSXV-listed company gold and iron ore explorer. He brings a wide range of experience in exploration, feasibility studies, operations, and has a broad knowledge of the resource sector.
Hodgins has completed a bachelor of science degree with honors in geology from Newcastle University, diploma of management and a graduate diploma in finance and investment from FINSIA.
Dr. Greg Shirtliff – Geological Consultant
Dr. Greg Shirtliff has over 20 years of experience in industry-related geology and geochemistry, including a PhD in mine-related geology from the Australian National University. Since his studies, Shirtliff has spent over 17 years in various roles in the mining and exploration industry ranging from environmental, mine geology, resource development, exploration and management roles, exploration and technical projects inclusive of engineering and metallurgical. His roles have included several years at ERA-Rio Tinto’s Ranger Uranium Mine, as the senior geoscientist for Cameco Australasia and more recently as the lead geologist and technical manager for Toro Energy Ltd, an ASX-listed uranium development company in Australia where he is the exploration and technical lead responsible for increasing the viability of the company’s uranium and mineral resources, developing and directing the company’s uranium and non-uranium exploration strategy, aiding the company technically through EPA approval for a uranium, and guiding the engineering and metallurgical through to scoping level economic assessment.
Shirtliff has had recent exploration success at Toro Energy, discovering multiple zones of massive nickel sulphide mineralization along the Dusty Komatiite, arguably the first massive nickel sulphide mineralization discovered in the Yandal Greenstone Belt in Western Australia.
Shirtliff holds directorships on privately owned consultancy and prospecting companies.
Shirtliff is a long-standing member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the internationally recognized Society of Economic Geologists.
Airborne EM over Multiple Targets on Ti-Tree Project
- Augustus Minerals has contracted UTS Geophysics to conduct a VTEM Max survey over several Copper, Cu-Ni-PGE, Zn-Pb-Ag and Uranium targets along the money Intrusion and within proximity of the prospective 85k long Ti-Tree Shear.
- The surveys will cover:
- The Money Intrusion, prospective for Cu-Ni-PGE mineralisation.
- Copper Ridge and Nics Bore over anomalous Copper Drilling results
- The Coo Creek prospect where drilling by Augustus in 2023 identified strongly anomalous Zn-Pb-Ag mineralisation.
- The Munaballya Well North area which shows potential for economic Uranium mineralisation.
- The surveys will help to advance the untapped potential of the Ti-Tree project to host economic mineralisation of multiple commodities.
Andrew Ford, GM Exploration
“The VTEM survey will provide key targeting data over three highly prospective and different prospects with potential for multiple commodities. Whilst the high prospectivity for copper mineralisation has been well documented, the addition of uranium and Broken Hill base metal style mineralisation highlights the quality of the underexplored Ti-Tree project”.
VTEM
UTS Geophysics has been engaged to conduct a helicopter borne VTEM Max survey comprising 646-line km over three separate survey areas. The system is excellent for locating discrete conductive anomalies as well as mapping lateral and vertical variations in resistivity which helps map structure, alteration and rock type. The system also collects magnetic data through a caesium magnetometer. The transmitter/receiver loop is suspended on a cable approximately 40m below the helicopter (Figure 1).
Figure 1 VTEM Max helicopter deployed electromagnetic survey arrangement.
Figure 2 Prospects and VTEM Survey areas.
Money Intrusion
The Money Intrusion, which has proven potential to host Ni-Cu-Co-PGE (platinum group elements), is part of the regional Mundine Well Dolerite Suite, a regionally extensive dolerite (strike length >80km). This extensive mafic intrusion, which is comprised of a variety of lithologies, including gabbro in the core, olivine dolerite on the chilled lower contact or keel and fine-grained dolerite on the outer edges. Mapping, aeromagnetics and multi-spectral imagery show that the Money Intrusion within the Ti-Tree Project covers a strike length greater than 16km, reaching widths >600m in the north of E09/23241.
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This article includes content from Augustus 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.
Latest Kameelburg Assays Up To 10.38% Nb2o5 and 9.89% TREO
Highlights
- A total of 74 highly prospective rock samples recently collected from various beforsite and mafic dykes
- Most notable assays reveal up to 10.38% Nb2O5 and 9.89% TREO
- Large scale geological mapping of Kameelberg carbonatite is nearing completion
- Track access clearance & preparation for underground water supplies underway for upcoming maiden diamond drilling programme
Results from recently collected seventy-four (74) samples were received and highlighted the REE rich nature of the carbonatite with TREO(+Y) assays ranging from 1.16 to 9.89%, refer to Figure 1 for samples locations and Table 1 for results.
Figure 1: Southern Carbonatite Margin Geological mapping area with rock chip samples
Niobium Results Along Mafic Dykes
In addition to sampling the carbonatite plug, a further four (4) samples were collected across the Nb dyke zone on the southwest flank of the carbonatite. Results for these samples ranged from 5.44% to 10.38% Nb2O5. This provides additional confidence to previous niobium findings (see announcements dated 28 February 2024 and 27 December 2023). Table 2 compiles the Nb results with Figure 2 depicting recent sample locations in relation to the previous Nb2O5 results.
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This article includes content from Aldoro 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.
Firetail Resources
Overview
Firetail Resources (ASX:FTL) is an Australian exploration company building a strategic portfolio of battery metals in Australia and Peru.
Batteries are a critical foundation of the transition to a greener and more sustainable future. Consequently, between electric vehicles and renewable energy, global demand for batteries is expected to increase from 185 GWh in 2020 to over 2,000 GWh by 2030. This is expected to have a profound impact on the market for battery and base metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper.
Firetail Resources aims to leverage this significant opportunity to find the critical resources to support the world’s journey to electrification. Under the direction of a proven board and management team with decades of collective experience in mining exploration, development and production, Firetail Resources boasts a diversified asset portfolio with multiple drill-ready targets and advanced exploration projects that all have tremendous potential to increase shareholder value.
Firetail's Australian Yalgoo-Dalgaranga, Mt. Slopeaway and Paterson projects are all located in proven geologic domains and display significant upside for substantial mineral resources. The company's more recent acquisition of two projects in Peru strongly complements these assets.
As the world's third-largest copper producer, Peru has a massive mining industry with a strong prominence in the country’s national economy. Long recognized as an excellent, low-risk mining jurisdiction, the country recently approved roughly $600 million worth of new mining projects. Unsurprisingly, nearly every major global mining company is either operating in the jurisdiction or is aware of it.
Although only recently acquired, Firetail's Picha Copper project is now one of its most promising assets. The Picha Project was acquired as part of a deal that includes a farm-in agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation (TSE:ABX) for an earn-in of up to 70 percent interest in the Charaque Project.
Picha is located along a NNW regional trend of carbonate-replacement (CRD) and epithermal deposits, including the San Gabriel Gold Project (Buenaventura NYSE:BVN), which is fully permitted and in construction; and the Berenguela Ag, Cu, Mn, Zn Deposit (Aftermath Silver TSXV:AAG).
In 2024, Firetail Resources announced the acquisition of York Harbour copper project, Canada. The company has signed a binding option agreement to acquire up to 80 percent of York Harbour project via a staged earn-in. York Harbour is a Cyprus-style volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) exploration project, located 180 km west-south-west of FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX:FFM) Green Bay copper project.
With a diversified portfolio of battery and base metals assets in two leading mining jurisdictions, Firetail is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the transition to green energy, driving considerable shareholder value in the process.
Company Highlights
- Demand for batteries is expected to exponentially increase by 2030, consequently driving the demand for battery and base metals.
- An Australian exploration company, Firetail Resources is well-positioned to take advantage of this market trend via a portfolio of Australian and Peruvian battery metals projects.
- Firetail's drill-ready assets are supported by smart field exploration and drilling programs to unlock their resource potential and increase shareholder value.
- The company's current portfolio of assets includes lithium, copper, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, lead, zinc and nickel.
- All of Firetail's exploration activities are directed by a board and management team with a proven track record in mineral exploration, development and production.
Key Projects
Picha (Copper)
Located in Southern Peru's Moquegua and Puno departments, Picha represents Firetail's most recent acquisition. Intended as a complement to the company's portfolio of battery metals assets, the highly prospective 200-square-kilometre copper project hosts multiple drill-ready targets which Firetail plans to test in the coming months. Picha was obtained as part of a deal that included a farm-in agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation for the Charaque Project located 30 kilometres to the northeast.
Firetail recently confirmed its official drill permit for Picha and site preparations are underway for a October drilling campaign.
Project Highlights
- Promising Geology: Picha is located within Peru's Epithermal Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn metallogenic zone along a north-northwest regional trend of carbonate-replacement and epithermal deposits.
- Nearby Projects: Picha is situated roughly 17 kilometres east-northeast of Compania de Minas Buenaventura's San Gabriel gold-copper-silver project, which hosts:
- Reserves of 14.9 Mt with 4.04 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 6.43 g/t silver representing 1.94 Moz gold.
- Resources of 24.86 Mt with 2.10 g/t gold and 8.46 g/t silver.
- Multiple Mineralisation: The project is prospective for multiple styles of copper mineralisation, including epithermal, stratabound, polymetallic carbonate replacement and porphyry-style. It also hosts several untested and geologically significant geochemical and geophysical anomalies, displaying similar mineralisation to the Storm/Seal copper project on Somerset Island.
- Significant Exploration Potential: Firetail has identified 13 exploration targets through a combination of geological mapping, surface sampling and geophysical surveys. Thus far, the company has collected 651 rock/chip samples and 289 soil samples and performed 118 line-kilometre IPs and 240 line-kilometre magnetic surveys. Highlights of its exploration work include:
- Widespread surface copper mineralisation coincident with IP anomalies.
- Channel Sample Results
- Cobremani: 41.6 metres at 1.12 percent copper and 22.85 g/t gold.
- Maricate: 17.6 metres at 1.95 percent copper and 29.58 g/t gold.
- Cumbre Coya: 32.85 metres at 0.61 percent copper and 209.76 g/t gold.
- Fundicion Target: Identification of a large chargeability anomaly reflecting potential sulphide mineralisation and/or alteration at depth indicative of a large porphyry body. This anomaly is roughly 2 kilometres long and 2 kilometres across at its widest point.
- Additional Drill Targets: Firetail's second IP survey revealed additional anomalies, including:
- Ichucollo: Semi-contiguous 2.5-kilometre long IP anomaly with coincident surface mineralisation and sample results of 24 metres at 1.08 percent copper, 13 metres at 1.38 percent copper and 30 metres at 0.79 percent copper. Manto-type mineralisation at the target's southern end also averages 1.45 percent copper over 18 metres.
- Huancune: A 1.5-kilometre long anomaly coincident with surface mineralisation. Multiple channel samples ranging from less than 0.5 percent copper up to 3.95 percent copper.
Charaque (Copper)
The Charaque Copper Project is located roughly 30 kilometres northeast of Firetail's Picha project, consisting of eight claims covering roughly 60 square kilometres. The region around the project is an active exploration area where multiple leading mining companies maintain significant landholdings, including Barrick Gold, Teck Resources (TSE:TECK.B) and Fresnillo (LON:FRES).
Charaque was acquired via a farm-in agreement between Firetail and Barrick Gold which entitles the latter to earn up to a 70 percent interest in the project.
Yalgoo & Dalgaranga (Lithium)
Firetail's Yalgoo and Dalgaranga lithium projects collectively span more than 1,750 square kilometres in Western Australia's highly prospective Murchison region. Located close to Geraldton Port and with easy access to all necessary infrastructure, the two projects host known lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites with a strong rubidium association. Firetail recently completed a small maiden drilling program in the Johnson Well area of Yalgoo, itself the site of a historic lepidolite mine.
Rock chip sampling of surrounding areas is ongoing along with a detailed analysis of lithium prospectivity. Results and a project update are expected within four to six weeks.
Project Highlights
- Yalgoo Exploration Results: Thus far, exploration at Yalgoo has returned highly promising results, including:
- A 25-kilometre "Goldilocks Zone" at Yalgoo confirmed to host LCT pegmatites with historic results of up to 3.75 percent lithium oxide.
- Rock chip assay results of up to 0.54 percent lithium oxide and under 1 percent rubidium.
- High-grade rubidium, including 10 metres at 0.44 percent rubidium from 10 metres.
- Dalgaranga Exploration Results: Firetail has completed detailed geological mapping in the project's north, returning anomalous lithium, rubidium, caesium and tantalum values indicative of LCT pegmatites. The company plans to undertake further mapping in the area.
- Dalgaranga's Strong Prospectivity: Dalgaranga counts several advanced critical minerals projects amongst its neighbours which together confirm its prospectivity:
- King Tamba (ASX:KTA): Maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 5 Mt at 0.14 percent rubidium oxide with a lithium oxide credit. Open mineralisation in all directions with a planned infill drill program to expand MRE.
- Aldoro Resources Limited (ASX:ARN): Aldoro's Niobe Tantalum-Lithium project has delivered a maiden inferred JORC MRE of 4.6 Mt at 0.17 percent rubidium oxide and 0.07 percent lithium oxide. Potential to upgrade is present thanks to mineralisation at shallow depth.
- Farm-in Agreement on Southern Yalgoo Tenement: Completion of the farm-in agreement completed with SensOre (ASX:S3N), through its joint-venture subisidiary Exploration Ventures AI Pty (EXAI) in partnership with German resource investment group Deutsche Rohstoff AG, on tenement E59/E2252, a part of the Firetail Yalgoo Lithium Project. As per the agreement, EXAI is to earn up to 80 percent of lithium rights on E59/E2252 by spending $3.5 million in two stages. Additional considerations of up to $600,000 will be fulfilled upon the delivery of maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) and pre-feasibility study (PFS). SensOre will further provide Firetail access to its proprietary AI technology across the Yalgoo and Dalgaranga Lithium Projects. The two companies will work closely together to identify and confirm Lithium exploration targets in the region.
Mt. Slopeaway (Nickel)
Situated in Central Queensland, Firetail's Mt. Slopeaway Nickel Project contains an existing JORC 2012-compliant inferred mineral resource of 4 MT at 1 percent nickel, 0.2 percent cobalt and 1 percent manganese. Having recently been awarded project status, Firetail plans to conduct environmental and heritage surveys. Planning of an onsite drilling program is also underway.
Project Highlights
- Current Progress: In addition to drilling, heritage and environmental surveys, highlights of Firetail's work at Mt. Slopeaway include:
- Development of a geological model indicative of a manganese-cobalt-nickel layer at the base of a limonite section.
- Finalisation of a project land access agreement and completion of site earthworks.
- Phase 1 reverse circulation (RC) drilling with results exceeding historical nickel and cobalt assay data.
- A planned Phase 2 RC and diamond drilling program to upgrade the project's current resource classification.
- Extensional drilling to potentially expand the project's current inferred resource.
- Drilling Results: A drilling program completed in Q4 2022 returned up to 51 metres of thick laterite nickel-cobalt mineralisation.
Paterson (Copper)
Firetail's Paterson Copper Project spans five tenements across roughly 1,000 square kilometres in Western Australia. Heritage agreements for the project are in place and desktop studies are currently progressing, with multiple prospective target areas identified for drilling.
Project Highlights
- Shallow Intercepts: Paterson displays the shallowest known historical gold/copper intercepts in the region, with up to 6.5 percent copper, 0.99 g/t gold and copper, 0.99 g/t gold and 1,330 parts per million (ppm) molybdenum across an approximately 50-metre wide magnetite alteration zone.
- Drilling Targets: Paterson has identified the following potential targets for drilling at Paterson:
- 87WDRC2: 17 metres at 1.6 percent copper and 317 ppm molybdenum including 9 metres at 2.6 percent copper and 456 ppm molybdenum from 84 metres.
- 87WDRC6: 9 metres at 2 percent copper and 272 ppm molybdenum including 5 metres at 3.1 percent copper and 430 ppm molybdenum from 84 metres.
- 87WDRC8: 11 metres at 1.5 percent copper and 181 ppm molybdenum including 7 metres at 2.1 percent copper and 250 ppm molybdenum from 83 metres.
- 87WDRC14: 13 metres at 1.1 percent copper including 6 metres at 2 percent copper from 107 metres.
Management Team
Brett Grosvenor — Executive Chair
Brett Grosvenor is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the mining and power industry. He holds a dual tertiary qualification in engineering and a Master in Business. Prior to his current position, Grosvenor was the director of development at Primero Group, focused on the development of projects from an initial concept through to contract delivery and operation.
Grosvenor is currently a director of ASX-listed Perpetual Resources and Firebird Metals. He is a member of the project steering group for Patriot Battery Metals and also the Australian Industry Consultation Group for Battery and Critical Minerals.
Simon Lawson — Non-executive Director
Simon Lawson is a professional geoscientist with more than 16 years operational experience spanning multiple commodities and jurisdictions, and was a founding member of Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST).
He holds a Master of Science in geology from Auckland University and has more than 15 years of exploration, production and management experience in gold and base metals. He is currently the managing director of Spartan Resources (ASX:SPR) formerly Gascoyne Resources (ASX:GCY).
Cai Kecheng — Non-executive Director
Cai Kecheng is a representative of Hong Kong Jayson Mining Co. (Jayson), a substantial shareholder of Firetail. Kecheng has over eighteen years of experience in financial investment and corporate strategy. He is currently the associate president and head of investment & strategy for Jayson. Prior to that, he served as managing director at a number of private equity firms in Shanghai
George Bauk — Non-executive Director
George Bauk is an experienced director with over 17 years as a listed company director and 30 years within the resources industry including global operational and corporate roles.
He has experience managing everything from exploration to production in Australia and internationally, with expertise across a variety of commodities including rare earths, lithium, graphite, gold, uranium and copper. During his time as managing director of Northern Minerals, he led his team from a greenfields heavy rare earth explorer to one of the few global producers of high-value dysprosium outside of China.
Alongside his position as director at Firetail, he is also an executive chairman of ASX-listed Valor Resources (ASX:VAL) and Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT), as well as an executive director of PVW Resources (ASX:PVW).
Robin Wilson — Technical Director
Robin Wilson has held senior exploration positions in several exploration and mining companies, including Valor Resources, Polaris Metals, Tanganyika Gold, Troy Resources, CRA Exploration and Northern Minerals. He has also spent five years working in oil and gas exploration for Woodside Energy.
During nearly 30 years of involvement in mineral exploration, Wilson has worked on gold, nickel, REE, uranium, copper, lithium and phosphate projects throughout Australia, Africa, South America and North America and was involved in the initial discovery and outlining of several gold deposits in Australia. Between 2006 and 2021 he led the Northern Minerals exploration team that discovered the Browns Range REE deposits that have advanced through development to production of HRE carbonate.
Frank Bierlein — Technical Consultant
Dr. Frank Bierlein is a geologist with 30 years of experience as a consultant, researcher, lecturer and industry professional. He served on the Firetail board of directors from the time of its listing on ASX in April 2022 until July 2023. He remains a technical consultant to Firetail, in particular for ongoing technical work on the Mt Slopeaway Project.
Bierlein has held exploration and generative geology management positions with QMSD Mining, Qatar Mining, Afmeco Australia and Areva NC and consulted for, among others, Newmont Gold, Resolute Mining, Goldfields International, Freeport McMoRan and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He is currently a Non-executive director of Blackstone Minerals, Impact Minerals and Variscan Mines.
Leon Bagas — Senior Exploration Geologist
Leon Bagas is an exploration geologist with forty years of industry experience. He has held senior exploration roles with multiple Australian companies and senior research positions for the University of Western Australia.
Bagas is highly experienced in developing mineralisation models using geochemistry and geochronology. Combined with his proficiency in the field, this makes Bagas an excellent candidate to assist in the development of the exploration and drilling programs at Firetail's Paterson Orogen and Yalgoon-Dalgaranga project areas.
Phillip Mackenzie — Senior Exploration Geologist
Phillip Mackenzie has worked in Central Queensland over several decades, exploring the Marlborough and Yeppoon terrain to assess and explore for nickel, cobalt, chromite, magnesite and gold related to the Princhester Serpentinite. His work included management of projects and teams to perform activities ranging from regional sampling to resource drilling. As a result of his work, several hundred drill holes targeting lateritic nickel and cobalt were assessed and an indicated resource determined for a mining lease.
Aura Increases Tiris’ Mineral Resources by 55% to 91.3 Mlbs U3O8
KEY POINTS:
- Tiris’ global Mineral Resources increased by 55% to 91.3 Mlbs U3O8, up from 58.9Mlbs U3O81 (global Mineral Resources includes Tiris East and Oum Ferkik Project areas)
- The recent 15,262m drill program delivered a very large 28.9 Mlbs U3O8 increase in the Tiris East Uranium Project’s Mineral Resources, totalling 76.6 Mlbs U3O8, delivered at a discovery cost of only US$ 0.14 per lb U3O8
- Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources increased by 35% adding 10.3 Mlbs U3O8 providing further confidence to the Front End Engineering Design (“FEED”)2 production schedule
- Drilling results and the increase in Mineral Resources both demonstrate significant future resource growth potential at Tiris from ongoing exploration activities
- The major increase in the Tiris Mineral Resources:
- Reinforces Auras’ commitment to progress Tiris towards a development decision in late 2024 or early 2025;
- Offers significant potential to materially enhance the already excellent FEED economics of NPV8 US$ 388 M and IRR 36% after tax3,4, and
- Presents real opportunities to increase the Project’s future scale beyond the current 17-year mine life at 2 Mlbs pa U3O8 production
- Additional Mineral Resources were defined from extensions to known mineralisation and exhibit the same characteristics as the current shallow free digging mineralisation that has proven exceptional beneficiation characteristics
- Mine scheduling and optimisation including a review of the Ore Reserve Estimate will now be undertaken on the enhanced Mineral Resources
Aura Energy’s Managing Director and CEO Andrew Grove said:
"The resource growth at Tiris confirms our view that this is an important uranium province with the capacity for further growth upside.
The Board believes that the very significant increase in Mineral Resources resulting from the successful drilling campaign will have a materially positive impact on Tiris’ economics and has been delivered at a very low discovery cost of just US$ 0.14 per lb.
Mineralisation was identified not only from high strength radiometric anomalies, but from areas of low strength anomalies, significantly increasing the exploration potential of the area as these low-level anomalies have been ignored in past exploration.
More opportunities remain to expand the known mineralisation within the current granted tenements. In addition, the potential for future discoveries within the 13,000km2 of new tenement applications is significant as we have only just begun exploration over this district-scale opportunity.
The increased Mineral Resource inventory will further support the funding and development of the Tiris Uranium Project in the near future.”
Tiris Global Mineral Resource Estimate reported using a 100ppm U3O8 cut-off grade, see Table 1 for details
The drilling program undertaken in 2024 has delivered a major increase to the Project’s Global Mineral Resources totalling 184 Mt at 225ppm for 91.3 Mlbs U3O8 at a 100ppm cut-off grade. This is a 55% increase in the contained U3O8 from the previous MRE, reported in 2023, of 113Mt at 236ppm for 58.9Mlbs5 U3O8.
This drilling program was aimed at assessing additional resource potential at Tiris East and delivered a 10.3 Mlbs or 35% increase of Measured and Indicated (“M&I”) Resources, which stands at 83 Mt @ 219ppm for 39.9 Mlbs U3O8, and a 76% increase in total Inferred Resource, which stands at 102 Mt @ 229ppm for 51.4 Mlbs U3O8. The detail of the upgraded resource across the project areas and the previous resources are shown in Table 1.
In April 20246, Aura completed an air core (“AC”) drilling program of 2,995 holes for 15,262 metres, a 37% increase in the total number of holes available for resource calculations, to evaluate a previously announced exploration target of between 8 Mlbs and 32 Mlbs7. The Mineral Resource increase of
32.4 Mlbs U3O8 exceeded the upper end of the exploration target range, providing strong support to Aura’s exploration methodology, and is a strong indication to the mineralisation potential that may be available in regional leases that are currently under application8.
In addition to targeting extensions to known mineralisation, and testing previously un-drilled radiometric anomalies around Tiris East, the program considered several conceptual targets over low- level radiometric anomalies. Several of these conceptual targets returned very positive results, further increasing exploration potential of the area. This is a major change from previous exploration in the area.
Mineral Resource estimates were undertaken utilising Multiple Indicator Kriging (“MIK”) estimation methodology and recoverable Mineral Resources reported using a 10x10x1m Selective Mining Unit (“SMU”). The Competent Person for the 2024 Tiris Mineral Resource Estimates is Mr Arnold van der Heyden of H&S Consulting Pty Limited (“HSC”).
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This article includes content from Aura Energy, 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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