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Manuka Resources Limited (“Manuka” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide a progress update on the restart of gold doré production from its 100% owned Mt Boppy gold mine (“Mt Boppy”) located in the Cobar Basin, NSW (Figure 1).
Highlights
- Manuka is executing a strategy to construct a fit-for-purpose processing and gold doré production facility at its 100% owned Mt Boppy gold mine.
- Previously, ore from Mt Boppy had been hauled to and processed at the Company’s CIL plant located at the Wonawinta Silver Mine (“Wonawinta”) 150km south of Mt Boppy.
- Mt Boppy is forecast to be a low capex (A$11.6M), high margin (~A$19M EBITDA per annum) operation1.
- Relocation of the existing 400kW ball mill located at Wonawinta to Mt Boppy has commenced. The ball mill is surplus to requirements at Wonawinta where a 1800kW ball mill has been previously installed.
- Acquisition of a second-hand Inline Pressure Jig (IPJ) and Intensive Leach Reactor (ILR) has resulted in approximately A$850k savings versus that originally budgeted. The purchased equipment is currently undergoing refurbishment at Gekko Systems, the original equipment manufacturer.
- The Company is currently investigating opportunities to increase milling capacity and accelerate gold production at Mt Boppy.
- The Company is targeting first gold production from Mt Boppy in Q4 2024.
Dennis Karp, Manuka’s Executive Chairman, commented:
“The execution of our plan to restart gold operations at Mt Boppy is well underway.
The opportunistic purchasing of selected second-hand processing equipment is consistent with our low capex strategy that includes the leveraging and repurposing of existing assets including the Wonawinta 400kW ball mill, diesel generators, 48-man accommodation camp and mobile screening plant.
We look forward to providing regular updates to the markets as we progress towards first gold production at Mt Boppy.
Figure 1: Location of Manuka’s Mt Boppy and Wonawinta Project within the Cobar basin.
Background
The Mt Boppy gold mine is an existing gold operation comprising a brownfields open pit and associated historic ROM stockpiles, rock dumps and tailings.
In April 2024, Manuka announced a strategy whereby a fit-for-purpose processing and gold production facility would be established at Mt Boppy for a capital cost A$11.6M to generate an average EBITDA of ~A$19M per annum over an initial 5-year period2.
A sonic drilling program over the Main Rock Dump and Tailings Storage Facility 3 (“TSF3”) was completed in late 2023 which improved confidence in Resource3 grade and ore type distribution and underpins the updated production strategy.
Previously, ore mined by Manuka at Mt Boppy had been hauled 150km to the CIL process plant located at Wonawinta at a cost of ~A$27/t. The updated strategy of on- site processing is expected to save in the order of A$7M per annum.
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Manuka Resources Limited
Overview
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR) is an ASX-listed mining company focused on gold and silver-gold projects in the Cobar Basin, one of Australia’s most prolific producers of base and precious metals. The company has 100 percent ownership of two fully permitted precious metals projects in the Cobar Basin - the Mt Boppy gold mine and Wonawinta silver project. In addition, MKR owns the Taranaki VTM iron sands project in New Zealand.
The company revealed a phased strategy focused on delivering maximum value to its shareholders. The first phase focuses on bringing back the Mt Boppy gold mine into production. The second phase will involve restarting mining and production at the Wonawinta silver mine, while the third phase will see the development of the Taranaki vanadium titano-magnetite (VTM) project.
The Mt Boppy gold mine was historically one of the richest in NSW, Australia and produced ~500,000oz gold at an average grade of 15 grams per ton (g/t) gold. Accordingly, the company is very excited about its exploration potential.
The current focus is on establishing a processing plant at Mt Boppy and recommence on-site gold production from Q4 2024. The ore from the Mt Boppy mine was previously being processed at the 850,000 to 1 million tpa processing plant at Wonawinta, located nearly 150 kilometres south-west of Mt Boppy. This is about to change as MKR has determined that it could save significantly on transportation costs as well as production efficiencies by building an on-site processing plant at Mt Boppy, which will materially enhance the project economics.
MKR estimates the total cost of building the processing plant to be between AU$10 million and AU$15 million. Compared to this, the annual cost of hauling ore from Mt Boppy to Wonawinta is AU$6 million to AU$7 million (nearly 50 percent of the total capex). MKR anticipates Mt Boppy to deliver total EBITDA of >AU$90 million and cash flow of >AU$80 million over a five-year mine life. It is important to note that the current market capitalization of MKR is just AU$55.1 million, much lower than the anticipated five-year EBITDA and cash flow.
The initial five-year mine plan is largely focused on the screening and processing of gold-bearing waste material above ground on the Mt Boppy mine site. The company has been processing these wastes from June 2023 to December 2023 at its Wonawinta plant and now wants to optimize the process.
The cash flows from the Mt Boppy mine will be used to fund the restart of the Wonawinta silver mine, which is currently under care and maintenance. Wonawinta contains total resources of 38.8 million tons (Mt) at 42 g/t silver for 52.4 million ounces (Moz). Within this, there is a higher-grade component of 4.5 Mt at 97 g/t silver for 14 Moz. Manuka Resources is targeting a mineral resource update for Wonawinta in Q2 2024. The Wonawinta silver project will be the largest primary silver producer in Australia and expected to be back in silver production within 12 months.
The gold and silver market appears to be in an upward trend, with prices for both precious metals hitting their all-time high in 2024, which bodes very positively for MKR.
Company Highlights
- Manuka Resources is an ASX-listed mining company focused on exploring and developing gold and silver assets in the Cobar Basin in New South Wales, Australia.
- The company’s two principal assets – the Mt Boppy Gold Mine and the Wonawinta Silver Mine – are both located in the prolific Cobar Basin. In addition, MKR holds a 100 percent interest in the Taranaki VTM iron sands project, located in New Zealand.
- The primary focus is on bringing the fully permitted Mt Boppy mine back into production by Q4 2024. The company aims to establish an on-site processing plant at Mt Boppy and in turn free up the Wonawinta processing plant for silver production from the Wonawinta silver mine, which was being used to process Mt Boppy ore.
- The results of the recently completed sonic drill program coupled with an updated mineral resources estimate at Mt Boppy (100 percent increase in indicated gold ounces) improve confidence in the recommencement of gold dore production at Mt Boppy.
- A dedicated processing facility at Mt Boppy will improve the project economics and also allow for an additional revenue stream by freeing up the Wonawinta processing plant to process ore from the Wonawinta silver mine (placed on care and maintenance in February 2024, and targeting release of its maiden silver reserve under Manuka ownership before the end of June 2024).
- The cash flows from the Mt Boppy mine will be used to fund the restart of the Wonawinta silver mine, which is also expected to become operational by late Q1 or early Q2 2025.
- Elevated gold and silver prices should substantially benefit Manuka Resources, resulting in improved profitability and cash flows as it brings both its gold and silver projects into production.
Key Projects
Mt Boppy Gold Project
The Mt Boppy gold project comprises three mining leases, four gold leases and one exploration license, spanning an area of more than 210 sq. km. in the prolific Cobar Basin in New South Wales, Australia. The project was acquired by Manuka in 2019, and has a current mineral resource of 4.3 Mt at 1.19 g/t gold. This includes a combination of oxidized and transitional/fresh mineralization in the ground, as well as mineralized rock dumps and tailings.
Historically, Manuka Resources has processed its stockpiles and gold mineralized waste products through its Wonawinta processing plant. However, inefficiencies associated with trucking and processing ore at the distant Wonawinta plant has led the company to revise its strategy. It is now looking to construct a processing plant at Mt Boppy so that ore from the mine can be processed on-site. Mt Boppy has excellent infrastructure including a 48-person mine camp and is fully permitted for the proposed processing plant and on-site production.
As a precursor to the commencement of on-site production, Manuka Resources undertook a sonic drilling program at Mt Boppy to improve confidence in the mineral resource base. A 26-borehole, 506-meter sonic drilling evaluation program over the Mt Boppy rock dumps and dry tailings was completed in December 2023. The program led to a 100 percent increase in indicated resources compared to the previous estimate.
The updated mineral resource comprises 4.28 Mt at 1.19 g/t gold for 163 koz of contained gold, of which 82 percent is in the measured and indicated categories. A further high-grade subset of the resource (including open pit, rock dumps and tailings) comprising 1.8 Mt at 1.74 g/t containing 102 koz gold has been identified as a basis for future mine planning.
Following the results of the sonic drill program, MKR determined to establish a 200,000 tpa processing plant at Mt Boppy. The company estimates a five-year mine life and a total gold dore production of >48,000 oz over the initial mine life. The mine plan is fairly low in capex requirements with a total planned capital cost of AU$10 million to AU$15 million. Notably, the annual cost of ore haulage from Mt Boppy to Wonawinta plant is AU$6 million to AU$7 million. Thus, the on-site plant will offer significant cost savings and improve the project economics.
Manuka Resources anticipates Mt Boppy to deliver total EBITDA of >AU$90 million and cash flow of >AU$80 million over a five-year mine life.
Wonawinta Silver Mine Project
The Wonawinta silver mine project comprises one mining lease and seven exploration licenses spanning a total area of 920 sq. km. The Wonawinta project hosts a resource of 38.8 Mt @ 42.0 g/t silver, equating to 52.4 Moz contained silver. Within this there is a higher-grade component of 4.5 Mt at 97 g/t silver for 14 Moz silver.
The Wonawinta plant
The Wonawinta project is fully permitted with all the necessary infrastructure, including an 850,000 to 1 million tpa processing plant. The plant has been used for processing ore from Mt Boppy. The Wonawinta silver mine is currently under care and maintenance. The company is considering the possibility of resuming operations at Wonawinta, leveraging the improved silver price environment. Manuka is targeting a mineral resource update for Wonawinta in May 2024 and production by Q1 or Q2 2025.
Taranaki VTM Project
The Taranaki VTM project is located within New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, approximately 22 to 36 kilometres offshore, outside the 12 nautical mile boundary from the coastline. The project boasts a JORC resource of 3.2 billion tons at 10.17 percent iron oxide, 1.03 percent titanium dioxide and 0.05 percent vanadium oxide. It holds a mining license allowing initial extraction of 50 million tons annually, resulting in 5 million tons of VTM concentrate per year for 20 years (concentrate grade of 56 to 57 percent iron, 8.5 percent titanium dioxide and 0.5 percent vanadium pentoxide). At this extraction rate, the JORC resource provides approximately 60 years of potential mining inventory.
The project is anticipated to sit in the lowest quartile of the iron ore production cost curve. The next step for Manuka is to complete a bankable feasibility study on the project.
Management Team
Dennis Karp – Executive Chairman
Dennis Karp is a former commodities trader with nearly four decades of corporate experience. He started his career in 1983 and worked in HSBC until 1997 before moving to Tennant, one of Australia’s largest physical commodities trading companies with operations in Asia and Europe. He was a principal shareholder of Tennant Metals until 2010 and a managing director until December 2014. He founded ResCap in December 2014. Since then, he has participated in diverse resource projects and investment opportunities across base metals and bulk commodities. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town.
Alan Eggers – Executive Director
Alan Eggers has over 40 years of experience in the mining sector. He is a geologist and was the founder of Summit Resources, which became an ASX top 200 company and was acquired by Paladin Energy in 2007 for AU$1.2 billion. Throughout his career, he has held director positions at numerous companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Honours, and Master of Science degrees from Victoria University of Wellington. He is recognized as a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists and holds memberships in AusIMM and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
Anthony McPaul – Non-executive Director
Anthony McPaul possesses over 40 years of expertise in mining and mineral processing. He has overseen a diverse array of operational projects, spanning from base to precious metals, in both surface and underground mining operations. He has directly managed all facets of production and scheduling. He served in senior leadership roles at various companies, including CRA, Denehurst, MIM and, more recently, Newcrest. McPaul is currently the chairman of the NSW Minerals Council Board and Executive Committee, and he is also a member of the newly established Mineral Industry Advisory Council.
John Seton – Non-executive Director
John Seton is a lawyer with extensive experience in the mineral resources sector. He has served as director in several ASX and NZX listed companies. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University, Wellington, and a Master of Law (Honours) from the University of Auckland and is a chartered fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Haydn Lynch – Chief Operating Officer
Haydn Lynch has over 25 years of experience in M&A, capital markets and private equity. He has been involved in executing several domestic and cross-border transactions in various sectors including metals and mining, and industrials. He has held leadership roles in global investment banks, including Bankers Trust Australia, Investec Bank, RBC Capital Markets and Southern Cross Equities. He has undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from the University of Queensland and a Master in Commerce from the University of New South Wales.
Rod Griffith – Mining and Technical Consultant
Rod Griffith has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, both in Australia and internationally, working in senior management roles, including as chief operating officer and general manager. He has significant Central Western NSW experience with KBL Mining, Silver City Minerals, Girilambone Copper and Cobalt Blue, across a number of commodity groups and mining styles. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Surveying from the University of Newcastle, along with a postgraduate diploma in mining engineering from the University of Ballarat.
Phil Bentley – Chief Geologist
Phil Bentley has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry across New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia, holding senior geological roles as well as senior management and director positions. He has worked as a Chief Geologist at Randgold Resources and Randgold & Exploration, Global Head of Exploration at Trafigura Mining Services, and Principal Geologist Africa at CSA Global South Africa. He is a Qualified person under NI 43-101 (Canadia) and JORC (Australia) and is a Fellow of the South African Geological Society. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geology at Victoria University of Wellington. He also has a Masters of Science in Economic Geology at Victoria University of Wellington and a Master’s of Science in Mineral Exploration from Rhodes University, Grahamstown South Africa.
Dynasty Gold: Gold-focused Exploration with High-grade Gold Assets in Canada and the US
Dynasty Gold (TSXV:DYG) offers a compelling investment value proposition with its 100-percent-owned Thundercloud and Golden Repeat gold assets in Canada and the US. The company is advancing its key asset, the high-grade Thundercloud gold project, located in Northwest Ontario, Canada, a highly prospective property with significant exploration upside. The property was acquired from Teck Resources in 2021, with $10 million in previous exploration expenditure and an NI 43-101 resource estimate completed in December 2021.
The Thundercloud gold project is located in the Archean Manitou-Stormy Lakes Greenstone Belt in Ontario, Canada. Thundercloud spans 2,250 hectares and is part of the Wabigoon Subprovince, known for hosting several significant gold deposits. The project has been de-risked by the amount of drilling by Teck Resources in the 2000s. Dynasty has benefited from Teck’s datasets and is able to expedite its exploration and advance it to the current resource within two years from its maiden drill program on the property.
Historical drilling and exploration at Thundercloud have identified several zones of gold mineralization, with high-grade intercepts suggesting the presence of an extensive gold system
Company Highlights
- Dynasty Gold has two highly prospective, high-grade gold projects in North America - Thundercloud and Golden Repeat.
- The flagship Thundercloud project, acquired from Teck Resources in 2021 and with more than $10 million in previous exploration expenditures, is the current focus of Dynasty’s exploration and drilling program.
- Drilling and exploration work done by Dynasty to date has effectively increased the resource at Thundercloud from 187,000 ounces inferred to 232,000 ounces measured and indicated at a high grade of 8.04 g/t gold at 3.03 g/t cut-off, a possible open-pit operation. At 0.5 g/t cut-off, the project hosts 439,000 oz at 2.14 g/t. To date, more than 90 percent of the drill holes are less than 250 meters and 90 percent of the property has seen little drilling.
- Thundercloud is a brownfield project with extensive historical data, making it a lower-risk investment compared to other greenfield exploration projects.
- Dynasty’s second asset, the Golden Repeat gold project, is located within the Midas Gold Camp in Elko County, Nevada. The project is drill-ready with permits in place.
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Dynasty Gold
Investor Insight
With a portfolio of brownfield, high-grade gold assets with millions of dollars in exploration expenditures, Dynasty Gold stands apart from its peers and offers a compelling investment value proposition.
Overview
Dynasty Gold (TSX-V:DYG) is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company with two 100-percent-owned gold assets in Canada and the US: Thundercloud and Golden Repeat.
Dynasty Gold is currently focused on advancing its key asset, the high-grade Thundercloud gold project, located in Northwest Ontario, Canada, a highly prospective property with significant exploration upside. The property was acquired from Teck Resources in 2021, with $10 million in previous exploration expenditure and an NI 43-101 resource estimate completed in December 2021.
Its second exploration project, Golden Repeat, is located within the Midas Gold Camp in Elko County, Nevada. The project is drill-ready with permits in place.
Established in 2000 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Dynasty Gold is led by a highly experienced management and technical team setting the company on a strategic path to success. Larry Kornze, the company’s VP of exploration, is credited for the discovery of Barrick's 40 million ounce gold deposit at the Betze Mine, on the Carlin Trend in Nevada. More than 50 percent of the company is owned by insiders and long-term shareholders, including Rob McEwen, Dynasty’s largest shareholder.
Company Highlights
- Dynasty Gold has two highly prospective, high-grade gold projects in North America - Thundercloud and Golden Repeat.
- The flagship Thundercloud project, acquired from Teck Resources in 2021 and with more than $10 million in previous exploration expenditures, is the current focus of Dynasty’s exploration and drilling program.
- Drilling and exploration work done by Dynasty to date has effectively increased the resource at Thundercloud from 187,000 ounces inferred to 232,000 ounces measured and indicated at a high grade of 8.04 g/t gold at 3.03 g/t cut-off, a possible open-pit operation. At 0.5 g/t cut-off, the project hosts 439,000 oz at 2.14 g/t. To date, more than 90 percent of the drill holes are less than 250 meters and 90 percent of the property has seen little drilling.
- Thundercloud is a brownfield project with extensive historical data, making it a lower-risk investment compared to other greenfield exploration projects.
- Dynasty’s second asset, the Golden Repeat gold project, is located within the Midas Gold Camp in Elko County, Nevada. The project is drill-ready with permits in place.
Key Projects
Thundercloud Project
The Thundercloud gold project is Dynasty Gold’s flagship asset, located in the Archean Manitou-Stormy Lakes Greenstone Belt in Ontario, Canada. The property spans 2,250 hectares and is part of the Wabigoon Subprovince, which is known for hosting several significant gold deposits. The project has been de-risked by the amount of drilling by Teck Resources in the 2000s. Dynasty has benefited from Teck’s datasets and is able to expedite its exploration and advance it to the current resource within two years from its maiden drill program on the property.
The project has seen various phases of exploration, including drilling, geophysics, and surface sampling, all of which highlight the presence of a high-grade gold deposit. Thundercloud comprises two main zones – Pelham and West Contact.
The project area is characterized by a mix of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, which are favourable hosts for gold mineralization. The presence of extensive deformation, faulting and hydrothermal alteration within these rocks suggests a high potential for gold deposition. The gold mineralization at Thundercloud is primarily associated with shear zones and quartz-carbonate veins, typical of orogenic gold deposits. These types of deposits are known for their size and high-grade gold potential.
Thundercloud’s high-grade mineralization sets it apart from neighbouring gold projects with relatively lower grade gold intercepts, including NexGold’s Goliath and Goldlund gold projects with a resource of 1.5 Moz of gold at 1.5 g/t, and 2.3 Moz gold at 1.5 g/t, respectively. NexGold’s similar market valuation, highlights the market’s underappreciation of Dynasty Gold’s advanced-stage, higher-grade asset.
Historical drilling and exploration at Thundercloud have identified several zones of gold mineralization, with high-grade intercepts suggesting the presence of an extensive gold system. During the 2022 and 2023 drilling seasons the company successfully increased its non-compliant internal resource estimate to approximately 250,000 oz gold (this is an internally generated new model, which is not NI 43-101 compliant). The company aims to have an updated NI 43-101 Resource Estimate by the end of the year.
There are 87 drill holes for a total of approximately 16,793 meters of drilling within the Thundercloud database used to support the internal mineral resource estimation. Drill holes have intercepted mineralization at depths of up to 350 m below surface. Gold mineralisation has been defined along a strike length of 430 m and 150 m down-dip.
Pelham Zone
The Pelham Zone is the most advanced exploration target within the Thundercloud project. It is 47 m south-east of Dryden in Northwest Ontario. It has been the focus of much of the drilling and exploration efforts due to its substantial high-grade gold potential. During the 2022 exploration season, the discovery hole DP22-03 returned 8.42 g/t over 73.5 m including 6.5 m of 72.2 g/t. The zone is characterized by a series of east-west trending shear zones containing quartz-carbonate veins with visible gold. These shear zones are hosted within mafic metavolcanic rocks, which have undergone significant hydrothermal alteration.
West Contact Zone
The West Contact Zone is located to the southeast of the Pelham Zone. Limited drilling in the West Contact Zone has encountered gold mineralization associated with quartz veins and brecciated zones, with grades comparable to those found in the Pelham Zone. Further exploration is planned to expand on these initial findings. A rock chip sampling program was completed in the West Contact zone, an area immediately to the south of where Teck’s trenching data returned 8.02 g/t gold over 39 meters. The assay results from the program extended the mineralization by 30 meters. Total surface mineralization is 69 meters averaging 5.85 g/t gold. Follow-up drilling will start in September and October of this year.
2024 Summer and Fall Exploration Program
Dynasty completed approximately 2,200 meters of drilling in August 2024 to further delineate the resource. Drilling will continue in September. Assay results are pending.
Golden Repeat Project
The company owns 100 percent interest in the Golden Repeat gold property situated in the Midas region of Nevada. In summer 2011, Dynasty conducted a three-hole test drill program to follow up the Romarco drill program that was conducted in the 1990s. Assay results returned up to 3.4 g/t over 1.7 m gold and 44 g/t silver. Very little drilling has been done on Golden Repeat.
Management Team
Ivy Chong – President, CEO and Director
Ivy Chong has held senior executive positions in the mining and oil and gas industries since 1996. She was credited for closing several option and joint venture agreements with Teck, AngloGold Ashanti, Azimut, Avocet Mining, and many others. Chong has assisted multiple companies with their IPOs and raised capital for resource companies in Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to entering the resource industry, she worked for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Deloitte and Touche, LLP.
Roman Shklanka – Director
Roman Shklanka is an explorationist with over 45 years of international experience in the mining industry. His past positions include, chairman of Canico Resources, which was acquired by CVRD (Vale) in 2005; chairman of Sutton Resources, acquired by Barrick Gold Corporation; and vice-president of exploration for Placer Dome. He was responsible for the acquisition and exploration of numerous major mines, among them the Australian Granny Smith gold mine, Osbourne copper mine and the Kidston gold mine. He has received a number of achievement awards and was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2009.
Larry Kornze – VP Exploration and Director
Larry Kornze brings more than 30 years of international gold exploration experience. Kornze was credited with the discovery of Barrick's 40 million ounce gold deposit at the Betze Mine on the Carlin Trend in Nevada, in the late 80s. He was part of Barrick's team responsible for the discovery of the Miekle, Deepstar, Screamer and Rodeo deposits in Nevada. Kornze has held positions with Newmont and Getty Mining in North America, prior to joining Barrick Gold.
Richard Redfern – Director
Richard Redfern is a certified professional geologist and “qualified person” under NI 43-101 and a consultant with 35 years of exploration and mining industry experience worldwide. He held positions as senior exploration geologist with Barrick Gold in Mexico, VP Exploration for Goldstake Explorations in South Dakota and Australia, and has worked for Homestake Mining in the western United States. Redfern has extensive exploration experience in gold and porphyry-type prospects in the southwestern US, Mexico and British Columbia. He was instrumental in the recent discovery of the Moly Dome molybdenum-rhenium-gold-silver porphyry deposit in northern Nevada.
Nightflower Exploration Target Upgrade Following Antimony Price Increase
Highlights:
- Nightflower project is a high grade silver deposit with historically impressive intersections from past drilling including 9 m @ 506g/t Silver (>16 oz/t), 12.6% Lead, and 1.46% Zinc.1
- An Exploration Target range reported on 6 June 2022 has now been substantially upgraded to 2.75 Mt @ 364 g/t Ag Eq for 32 Moz Ag Eq to 5.36 Mt @ 270 g/t Ag Eq for 47 Moz Ag Eq. The Exploration Target is conceptual in nature only and there is no guarantee that further exploration will define a resource.
- Antimony has contributed to the Exploration Target, however, recent significant increases in the Antimony price due to China's export restrictions have improved the project’s economics.
- Historical drilling results indicate Antimony grades up 3.05m @ 9.0% Sb, 24.0% Pb, 10.5% Zn, 14.9 oz/t Ag, and 0.38% Cu (Hole NF72DD11), although the Exploration Target is based on a 1% Sb grade.
- Drilling is now being planned to test the target and upgrade previously identified mineralisation to JORC 2012 reporting standards.
In mid-August China, the world’s largest producer of Antimony – producing 83,000t in 2023 (USGS) - accounting for 48% of the world’s supply, will be restricting Antimony exports from 21 September 2024. Consequently, the Antimony price has significantly increased and is currently trading at US$24,500/tonne (Argus Metals, Antimony ingot min 99.65% fob China).
The revised Exploration Target is summarised in Figure 1, incorporating the original tonnages from the 6 June 2022 announcement with revisions to the grade range, detailed later in this report.
Figure 1. Revised Exploration Target. Note: The Exploration Target is conceptual in nature only and there is no guarantee that further exploration will define a resource.
The estimated Antimony content range within the Exploration Target is summarized in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2. Revised Exploration Target with an estimated contained Antimony range. Note: The Exploration Target is conceptual in nature only and there is no guarantee that further exploration will define a resource.
Tartana Minerals Managing Director, Stephen Bartrop, commented:
“Significant increases in our Exploration Target, Antimony prices, and consequently the economics of the project underpins the importance of the Nightflower project. With production at the Tartana mine site reaching steady state, this opportunity is only more significant. Further this represents only one target (The Digger Lode mineralisation) and excludes the prospectivity of the adjacent Terrace lode and a possible further discovery.”
Nightflower Silver Project History
The Nightflower project is located 40 km north of Chillagoe in Far North Queensland. It covers a substantial part of the northern Featherbed Volcanic Group and the underlying and surrounding Hodgkinson Formation.
It was discovered as a high grade silver deposit in 1923 and was visited by the Queensland Premier in October 1923. On the Premier’s return to Brisbane he reported that the ore at Nightflower was very rich and a truck-load treated at Chillagoe gave about 30% of lead and 40 ounces of silver to the ton (Source: Qld Govt Mining Journal Vol XXIV, Oct 1923).
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Grande Portage Resources: Advancing the High-grade Herbert Gold Project in Alaska
Grande Portage Resources (TSXV:GPG;OTCQB:GPTRF);OTCQB:GPTRF) is a publicly held junior resource company exclusively focused on exploring and developing gold assets in southeast Alaska. The company is advancing its 100 percent owned Herbert Gold project, situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska, within the historic Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced over 7 million ounces of gold.
The Herbert Gold project has an updated mineral resource estimate of 1.44 million ounces at 9.47 g/pt gold indicated resource, and 515,700 ounces at 8.85 g/pt gold inferred resource.
Herbert Gold ProjectThe Herbert Gold project is an exploration stage, high-grade, mesothermal quartz vein system in the historic Juneau Gold Belt of southeast Alaska. Herbert consists of 91 unpatented lode claims located 25 km north of Juneau and to the south of Coeur Alaska's profitable Kensington gold mine. The property covers six parallel vein structures exposed at surface.
Grande Portage released an updated MRE on the project (2024) for 1.44 Moz (4.7 Mt at 9.5 g/t gold) and 0.5 Moz (1.8 Mt at 8.9 g/t gold) in the indicated and Inferred categories, respectively. The Herbert property remains open at depth and along strike. Overall, six or more promising gold-producing vein-fault structures that contain ribbon structures and quartz-sulfides are located on the property. Herbert Gold is one of Alaska's most promising districts and has remained remarkably underexplored.
Company Highlights
- Grande Portage Resources is a junior resource company advancing its high-grade Herbert Gold project, located in a prolific gold belt in Alaska.
- Strong management team led by Ian Klassen who has 20 years’ experience in business management, public relations and government affairs.
- The company’s flagship Herbert Gold project, located near Juneau, Alaska, boasts a resource of 1.44 million ounces at 9.47 g/pt gold, and inferred resource of 515,700 ounces at 8.85 g/pt gold.
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Aurum Hits 40m at 1.03 g/t Gold at Boundiali BD Target 1
Highlights
- Step-back diamond drilling (14 holes for 4,485m) at BD Target 1 on the Boundiali BD tenement returns shallow, wide gold hits1 including:
- 40m @ 1.03 g/t Au from 136m inc. 5m @ 1.70 g/t Au (DSDD0076)
- 11m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 169m inc. 4m @ 4.14 g/t Au &
- 10m @ 2.02 g/t Au from 322m inc. 2m @ 9.18 g/t Au (DSDD0062)
- Gold mineralisation remains open at BD Target 1; along strike and down dip with mineralisation intersected down to 385m below surface
- Induced Polarisation (IP) survey (2.8km by 4.5km) completed at BD Target 1 to optimise drill targeting
- Actively drilling at BD Target 2 and Boundiali BM tenement; assay results expected soon
- Aurum is now utilising a second assay lab to improve assay turnaround time
- Two more diamond rigs (capable of drilling 900m downhole) have arrived, increasing Aurum’s fleet to six; drilling rate to reach ~10,000m per month (targeting 45,000m for CY2024)
- Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for Boundiali targeted for late CY2024
- Aurum is well-funded (~$20M) for continued aggressive exploration.
Aurum’s Managing Director Dr. Caigen Wang said: “We're delighted with another shallow, wide gold intercept at BD Target 1. Gold mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, with intersects as deep as 385m below surface. Every hole we drill helps us understand the controls on the high-grade gold shoots we find within these wider intercepts.
The new IP survey and structural data are guiding our drill targeting. With two new NOCK1300 diamond drill rigs operational, we're eager to test BD Target 1 down to approximately 900m.
With six rigs on site, we expect to achieve ~10,000m drilling per month, systematically exploring the full potential of the 13km by 3km target zone at BD and our other tenements within the Boundiali gold project. We're also improving our operations with new vehicles, a centralised camp, and we are using a second laboratory to enhance efficiency and assay turnaround times.
We're well-funded with ~$20 million cash at bank, allowing us to accelerate drilling and build on these encouraging results. We're targeting an inaugural JORC resource for Boundiali by late 2024.”
BD Target 1 - Latest Drill Results
Assay results reported in this release include 14 holes (4,485m) drilled at BD Target 1, which remains open with further drilling planned. More significant assay results for these holes2 include:
- 40m @ 1.03 g/t Au from 136m inc. 5m @ 1.70 g/t Au (DSDD0076)
- 11m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 169m inc. 4m @ 4.14 g/t Au &
- 10m @ 2.02 g/t Au from 322m inc. 2m @ 9.18 g/t Au (DSDD0062)
These new results are in addition to diamond holes drilled by Aurum at BD Target 1 and reported previously on 1 March 2024, 12 March 2024, 10 May 2024, 28 May 2024 and 17 June 2024, which include multiple +50 gold gram meter intervals over a 300m strike and down to an average depth of 200m (Table 1).
Table 1: Significant Intersections BD Target 1 over 300m strike
These shallow wide high-grade gold intercepts are predominately from the hanging wall lodes at BD target 1 and true widths are estimated at about 70% - 80% of reported downhole lengths.
Details of drill collar location and assay results for the new drilling on BD Target 1 are in Table 2 and Table 3 respectively. Plans showing Boundiali Gold Project location including assay results are presented in (Figure 1 to Figure 3). A cross section showing the latest drill results is presented in Figure 4.
Gold mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth on all prospects, with drilling ongoing and further work being planned. Aurum has prioritized a number of IP defined targets to define additional high priority targets for drill testing within the 2.8km by 4.5km IP surveyed area but sitting outside of currently drilled gold prospects.
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This article includes content from Aurum 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.
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