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Tartana Makes Significant Strides at Copper Sulphate Plant with Recent Shipment Totalling 150 Tonnes
Tartana Minerals Limited (ASX: TAT) (the Company), is pleased to provide an update on activities at its Copper Sulphate plant, with a major shipment being completed last week totalling 150 tonnes. The product was sold via the Company’s 100% offtake partner, Kanins International, to one of the largest mining operations in the Northern Territory.
Highlights:
- Significant milestone achieved at Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate (Copper Sulphate) with 150 tonne shipment completed last week with product being sold, via offtaker Kanins, to one of the largest mining operations in the Northern Territory.
Tartana Minerals Managing Director, Stephen Bartrop, commented:
“This shipment marks an important milestone as it represents our largest shipment to-date within the Company’s recent sales to the North Australian mining industry. Improved plant performance has led to increased product quality and which is continuing to build a strong market for our ongoing copper sulphate pentahydrate production.”
Plant Production and Ongoing Activities
Production for the Company’s next shipment, targeted to be approximately 70 tonnes, is well advanced with approximately half the shipment completed and in storage with the remainder to be produced next week.
Plant production is ongoing with a significant improvement in plant reliability and copper sulphate pentahydrate quality which utilises Tartana’s proprietary process for creating free flowing crystal with low levels of impurities.
Ongoing exploration and metallurgical work to support future Copper Sulphate production
As reported in the June Quarterly Report (reported on the 31 July 2024) drilling of metallurgical hole D15 has been completed to a total depth of 300.8 m. This metallurgical hole is providing primary copper mineralisation samples for metallurgical testwork including flotation recoveries, potential concentrate grades and ore sorting. The results of this testwork and the core assaying are well advanced with the results expected shortly.
Figure 1. Truck with the first 48 bulka bags of three loads leaving the Tartana mine site on 27 August – 29 August 2024 totalling 150 tonnes.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Tartana Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Tartana Minerals
Investor Insight
Tartana Minerals is a new copper producer generating strong cash flow, with a substantial exploration footprint in a tier 1 mining jurisdiction. Tartana Minerals is creating shareholder value through investment in increasing its existing copper, zinc and gold resources and accelerating exploration of key projects within its highly prospective exploration portfolio. Tartana Minerals presents a compelling investment against the backdrop of a strong macroeconomic environment for copper.
Overview
Tartana Minerals (ASX:TAT) is a copper, gold, silver and zinc, producer, explorer and developer in Far North Queensland. Its flagship project is the 100 percent owned Tartana copper and zinc project which comprises four mining leases located north of Chillagoe. The company’s business model has involved refurbishing an existing heap leach - solvent extraction – crystallisation plant which is located on the Tartana mining leases. The refurbishment and commissioning of this plant is now completed and the company is producing copper sulphate pentahydrate which is sold to offtaker, Kanins International. Copper sulphate is priced on a premium plus percentage of the LME copper price and provides investors with leverage to anticipate increasing copper prices.
The company, formerly known as R3D Resources, changed its name to Tartana Minerals in April 2024. Tartana Minerals is based in Sydney, Australia.
Tartana Minerals has reported the following resources:
- 45,000 contained copper at 0.45 percent copper in combined inferred and indicated resources in the Tartana open pit and northern oxide zone
- 39,000 tonnes of contained zinc at 5.29 percent zinc in inferred resources in the Queen Grade project, also located on the Tartana mining leases, and
- 415 koz contained gold at 0.34 g/t in inferred resources at Mountain Maid – subject to a mining lease application.
These copper, zinc and gold resources remain open at depth and along strike and the company has designed drilling programs to expand these resources. In particular, the copper mineralisation and potentially the gold mineralisation have scope to be upgraded through ore sorting.
However, the refurbished heap leach – solvent extraction – crystallisation plant utilises existing copper in the ponds and the heaps and these copper sources will be replenished when we commence mining from the open pit.
The first and second shipments of copper sulphate were sold during the June 2024 quarter with further shipments are currently being prepared. The copper sulphate contains 25 percent copper metal and payment is based on the LME copper price for the preceding month plus a premium. It is one of the few forms of saleable copper where the copper content receives the full LME price.
Exploration
Chillagoe region of Far North Queensland is highly prospective with the discovery and development of a number of key projects over the last few decades including Red Dome (2.5 Moz gold), Mungana (1.2 Moz gold), and King Vol (250 kt zinc). These deposits occur along the Palmerville Fault in a similar location to the Tartana Mining leases.
The mining leases at Tartana contain copper, zinc and gold mineralisation but the company also has significant projects which are both east and west of the Palmerville Fault. In the west it has the Cardross and Mountain Maid copper-gold projects and further north it has the Beefwood project. Mountain Maid has gold resources mentioned above and which are open to the south and at depth while the company is finalising a maiden copper resource for the Cardross project. The Beefwood project comprises a buried geophysical target and surface sampling has recovered samples grading up to 180 g/t Au with no apparent source. Drilling is planned to test this target in the current dry season.
In the east of the Palmerville Fault, the company has the Bellevue/Dry River project, the OK South project and the Dimbulah Porphyry project, all copper projects with historic copper mines and prospects. Like many parts of Far North Queensland, historical exploration has not been systematic and thorough despite many promising expressions of surface mineralisation.
Tartana’s exploration team comprises of experienced exploration geologists with supporting cash flow from their copper production, they expect to be able drill the most promising targets in the short term.
Strong Macroeconomic Environment for Copper
Overall, the macroeconomic environment for copper remains strong. The LME three-month copper price hit US$5.24/lb on May 17, the highest since March 7, 2022, driven by a weaker US dollar, Chinese property stimulus measures, and a short squeeze on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures market.
In the near-to-mid term China’s demand for refined copper is expected to grow, due to better-than-expected performances from key consumer segments, including the power grid, solar installations and electric vehicle and air conditioning appliance sales. On the supply side the copper concentrate market is expected to remain in a significant deficit due to the estimated delay in the Cobre Panama mine restart but will be partially offset by the higher projected production from smelters in China. As a result, we see further demand growth and supply tightening for the copper market as positive for base metal equities who maintain significant leverage to increasing prices.
Company Highlights
- Tartana Minerals is producing copper sulphate pentahydrate from its heap leach – solvent extraction – crystallisation plant in Chillagoe with a 100 percent offtake agreement with Kanins International.
- Copper sulphate is priced at a premium plus percentage of the LME copper price, providing exposure to the booming copper market
- With copper, zinc and gold resources in separate projects and all within granted or soon to be granted mining leases, the company is investigating processing options which can potentially utilise available infrastructure.
- Near-term catalysts include targetted drilling programs to increase the JORC resource and expand on metallurgical test work, increasing the resource grade and estimate
- With the copper sulphate plant fully commissioned and in production, the company is now accelerating its exploration activities. The company has a range of prospects from advanced brownfields projects near existing historical mines to many prospects containing ‘ore grade’ surface mineralisation which have not been tested at depth.
- The company’s exploration portfolio includes the Beefwood/Bulimba, Bellevue, Dimbulah, Cardross and Maid projects. The exploration team is focused on target generation, particularly with the addition of critical minerals within its existing tenure and elsewhere.
Management Team
Jihad Malaeb – Non-executive Chairman
Jihad Malaeb is an experienced entrepreneur across a number of industries, including hospitality and construction, as well as having significant experience in mineral exploration and mining operations – both as an active investor and company director. He currently owns and operates a portfolio of hospitality businesses and real estate across Australia, which have been established over the past 30 years. Malaeb was previously a non-executive director of Critical Resources (ASX:CRR), where he helped steer CRR through the past few years as one of its largest shareholders and as a board member.
Dr Stephen Bartrop - Managing Director
Steve Bartrop’s professional experience spans more than 30 years covering periods in both the mining industry and financial sector. With a geology background, Bartrop has worked in exploration, feasibility and evaluation studies and mining in a range of commodities and in different parts of the world. In the financial sector, he has been involved in research, corporate transactions and IPOs spanning more than 20 years, including senior roles at JPMorgan, Bankers Trust and Macquarie Equities.
Bartrop is also a director of Southwest Pacific Bauxite (HK), a company developing a bauxite project in the Solomon Islands and chairman of Breakaway Research.
Bruce Hills – Executive Director
Bruce Hills is an accountant and is currently an executive director of Breakaway Investment Group, which operates the Breakaway Private Equity Emerging Resources Fund. Hills is a director of a number of unlisted companies in the mining and financial services sectors including The Risk Board and Stibium Australia. Hills has 35 years’ experience in the financial sector including 20 years in the banking industry primarily in the areas of strategy, finance and risk.
Dr Alistair Lewis – Non-executive Director
Dr Alistair Lewis is a successful entrepreneur and highly experienced medical doctor with over 40 years’ experience. For the past 10 years Lewis has been involved in the management of mining and exploration companies. In 2017, Lewis established Oosen Lewis Mining in North Queensland. He financed the aggregation of a substantial portfolio of gold, tin, tungsten and antimony assets and instigated subsequent extensive exploration programs. These assets now form part of the QSM portfolio.
Michael Thirnbeck – Independent Non-executive Director
Michael Thirnbeck is an experienced geologist with over 25 years in managing numerous mineral development projects in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Australia. He has been a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy since 1989 and holds B.Sc (Hons.) degree from University of Queensland.
Shuyi (Kiara) Wang
Shuyi (Kiara) Wang was appointed a director of Tartana Minerals on July 17, 2024. Wang is an accomplished, emerging leader with a strong academic and professional background. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy from The University of Melbourne and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at the prestigious Melbourne Law School.
Grande Portage Resources
Investment Insight
With an established mineral resource and further significant exploration upside, the Herbert Gold project has opened significant opportunities and options for Grand Portage to advance the project, generate cash flow, and create significant shareholder value.
Overview
Grande Portage Resources (TSXV:GPG;OTCQB:GPTRF) is a publicly held junior resource company exclusively focused on the exploration and development of gold assets in southeast Alaska. The company is currently advancing its 100 percent owned Herbert Gold project situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska and within the historic Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced over 7 million ounces of gold.
The Herbert Gold projects has an updated mineral resource estimate, consisting of an indicated 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.
Grande Portage is led by an experienced management team with a strong background in exploration and project development. The team’s focus is on creating shareholder value through the advancement of the Herbert Gold Project while maintaining a commitment to environmental and community responsibilities.
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.
Key Project
Herbert Gold Project
The Herbert Gold project is an exploration stage, high-grade, mesothermal quartz vein system in the historic Juneau Gold Belt of southeast Alaska. The project 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.
Grande Portage has conducted extensive drilling campaigns over the years, significantly increasing its resource base. Future drilling is expected to target deeper extensions of the known veins to further expand the resource. The mineral deposit model is characterized as mesothermal. These deposits are known to extend beyond 3,500 ft. The current model has only been demonstrated to depths of 900 ft. Grande Portage is also looking at various strategic partnerships in which to advance its Herbert project, which includes partnering with miners in the area such as Kensington and Greens Creek. The project has garnered interest from private equity groups. To further derisk project development, Grande Portage is committed to responsible mining practices. The company is focused on minimizing its environmental impact by avoiding the use of chemicals on-site, and instead shipping ore to off-site processing facilities. This approach also aligns with community concerns about environmental preservation in the Juneau area.
Management Team
Ian Klassen – President and Director
Ian Klassen brings almost 20 years experience in business management, public relations, government affairs and entrepreneurship to the company. He has extensive experience in the administration of public companies, government policy, media relations strategies, business/government project management, and legislative decision-making. Klassen is an (Honours) B.A. graduate from Western University and is a recipient of the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, in recognition of his significant contribution to his community and country.
Alistair MacLennan – Director
Alistair MacLennan has been working in the junior resources sector (oil/gas/minerals), in various capacities, for over 30 years. He has gained industry knowledge through founding, investment in and serving on the boards of a number of public and private exploration companies. MacLennan is also the chairman and director of Helijet International, a helicopter airline operating a fleet of Sikorsky S76 helicopters throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1986. MacLennan is actively involved in a number of private companies which are involved in leasing, manufacturing and natural gas production.
Michele Pillon – Chief Financial Officer
Michele Pillon has 25 years of experience in the junior mining exploration sector, providing accounting and regulatory assistance to public companies. Since May 1988, she has worked as an accountant to public companies in the resource sector.
Carl Hale – Director of Exploration
Carl Hale received his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Washington in 1972. He has worked the majority of his career on mineral exploration projects in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest for various mining companies and consulting groups. He supervised massive sulfide exploration projects in the Brooks Range, Alaska, mineral reconnaissance programs in the Alaska Range and Southeast Alaska, and is presently the project manager on a gold exploration venture in the United States. Mr. Hale spent several years as a mine geologist at the Cannon Mine, a large gold mine in Wenatchee, Washington, as a geologist at the Sunshine silver mine in Idaho, managed a copper exploration project at Bornite, Alaska for three years for Kennecott and served as a geologist on a gold exploration project in Myanmar.
Ronald Handford – Director
Ronald Handford is a professional engineer (non-practicing) and is president of Handford Management, a private management services company. He has been a senior executive of Sixty North Gold Mining since September 2016. He was formerly the executive vice-president, corporate development for Yellowhead Mining. Handford holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Western University (1979) and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia (1974). He has over 20 years of international experience as a mining and technology entrepreneur, executive and advisor, plus 15 years as an international mining project finance and corporate banker, including Barclays Bank and the International Finance Corporation; and six years as an engineer/project manager related to mining and resource projects.
Douglas A. Perkins – Director
Douglas Perkins is a geology graduate from the University of British Columbia. Perkins has served on public company boards for over 25 years involving the promotion and representation of their geological properties. He has been involved in several start-ups of both public and private companies not only geological but including manufacturing, wholesale and developmental industries. From an exploration standpoint, Perkins has worked on the Gataga Trend for Cyprus Anvil, where several multi-million-ton deposits were discovered. He also worked for UTAH, UMEX, Cominco and oversaw Freeport/ Stryker's exploration project in northern BC near the Windy Craggy deposit. Perkins has tropical experience in 1988 - 89 in the jungle of the Darien Gap in Panama. For the last two years he has been senior vice-president and director of GMV Minerals in Guyana South America.
Update to Entitlement Offer Timetable
Labyrinth Resources Limited (‘the Company’ or ‘Labyrinth’) provides an update to the entitlement offer timetable which was initially announced on 17 July 2024.
Amendments to the timetable have been made given the initial estimated date of the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (‘EGM’) for the transaction has been moved to Friday, 13 September 2024.
The updated timetable for the entitlement offer is as follows:
The above dates are indicative only and subject to change.
For further details, refer to the Company’s Notice of EGM lodged with the Company’s ASX platform on 14 August 2024.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Labyrinth 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.
New Government, Economic Reforms Spark Renewed Interest in Argentina’s Resource Sector
Amid Argentina’s high inflation and poverty rates — brought on by a century of political instability and economic uncertainty — its new Libertarian president, chainsaw-wielding Javier Milei, has vowed to implement improvements, much to the delight of mining and resource industry observers who view him positively.
As Argentina’s new economic policies resolve under the country'snew administration, investors may find some new opportunities in the nation's minerals sector.
Historical and current political and economic landscapes
During the 1920s, Argentinians had higher incomes than the French, Italians and Spanish. Millions of immigrants from across Europe and South Africa arrived in Buenos Aires. The Jewish population in Buenos Aires was larger than everywhere, except New York.
Without taxing or registering immigrants, Argentina was truly a “free” country. Immigration influx, natural wealth, small government, rule of law and respect for property rights propelled it to the sixth richest country, with incomes similar to those in England.
In 1941, Argentina was wealthy, with most of that wealth produced by landowners who exported beef and grains. Today it’s positioned 38th in median income, below Belarus.
As any political pundit will acknowledge, more votes are in cities. Urban voters fell for “Peronism” — steal from the rich, give to the poor and get elected. Juan Perón, minister of labour, settled strikes by increasing wages, and when elected president in 1946, he continued. Government-run pensions and restrictive labour laws kept the votes coming. The government grabbed farm exports and key industries. Price controls kept urban voters happy.
That’s been the pattern for 100 years — make promises, print money, run deficits, borrow and repeat. When bills come due, print more money while blaming the rich and going broke every decade or so.
The military has taken over twice. The government has defaulted on its debt 12 times. Inflation has reached 249 percent. Unfortunately, a healthy economy can neither be built with nor fixed with debt.
Argentina’s economic distress and chronic inflation come from creating money and overspending. When Milei became president he promised to end inflation and spur economic growth.
Argentina’s mineral resources and mining sector
Covering an area of 2.8 million square kilometres and spanning almost 4,000 kilometres long, Argentina’s climate incorporates rainforest-covered tropics and sub-Antarctic conditions.
Rich in metals, its mineral resources include gold, silver, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium and lithium.
In Argentina, foreign individuals and entities can acquire and hold mineral rights, although federal or provincial governments own the mineral resources in their jurisdictions. Local authorities grant individuals and legal entities exploration and development concessions, keeping with the Argentina Mining Code.
New economic agenda
Milei has already begun lifting economic restrictions and controlling the fiscal deficit.
Without reserves to repay creditors, he asked the International Monetary Fund to resume the existing program, which had been on hold, thanks to unrealistic election promises from the opposition.
In his first six months, Milei slashed spending, halted public works projects and cut revenue payments to provinces to achieve a fiscal surplus. He also chopped the number of ministries in half and eliminated 70,000 public sector jobs. He suspended new public works contracts and removed numerous subsidies.
Under Milei, the Argentine monthly inflation rate fell from 25 percent in December 2023 to 11 percent in March 2024. Those results have boosted citizen and investor confidence while showing the effectiveness of strict economic policies.
Passed with another law bringing in tax reforms, the Ley de Bases permits some government-owned entities to be privatised and promotes the development of large projects.
The Ley de Bases shields investors from the risks of the Argentine economy while it outlines tax, foreign exchange and regulatory incentives, including a 30 year stability guarantee.
It’s also intended to bring more adaptability to the labour market, authorise renegotiations of several public infrastructure contracts and modernise energy regulations.
Income tax has been reduced to a fixed 25 percent rate. It has changed amortising assets and value-added tax payments, with the option of carrying losses forward, while taxes on dividends are reduced to 7 percent and, after seven years, reduced to 3.5 percent.
Re-energised mining sector
When protests caused the Panamanian government to force First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) to close its mine, it removed 1 percent of the global copper supply. Not so in Argentina, where new incentives are attracting major players.
Among those is Piche Resources (ASX:PR2), which owns two highly prospective exploration properties in Argentina — the 1,300 square kilometre Sierra Cuadrada uranium project, and Cerro Chacon, a 365 square kilometre land package with gold and silver occurrences. These two properties strategically position Piche to leverage two minerals — uranium and gold — that are currently experiencing tremendous growth.
Sierra Cuadrada, located in the San Jorge Basin, has a significant history of high-grade, near-surface uranium-mining operations, and provides Piche significant exploration upside amid a rapidly expanding uranium market.
The Cerro Chacon gold project is located 10 kilometres south of Paso de Indios in the Chubut Province of Argentina. Structural mapping and geochemical sampling at the Chacon Grid have identified mineralised systems consistent with surface signatures at the Cerro Negro mine, which boasts a contained metal inventory of 5.8 million ounces of gold and 50 million ounces of silver.
Golden Arrow Resources (TSXV:GRG,OTCQB:GARWF) is also actively exploring its Yanso project in the Eastern San Juan province, where its team has detected several gold targets.
Argentina Lithium & Energy's (TSXV:LIT,OTCQX:LILIF) Rincon West project comprises 5,000 hectares of claims at the Rincon salar in Salta Province, Argentina. Australian junior Argosy Minerals (ASX:AGY,OTC Pink:ARYMF) controls concessions in the southeast area of the salar, from which it has generated 20 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) purchased a large chunk of the Rincon salar in 2021, and has been actively exploring lithium projects in Argentina since.
Eyeing Argentina as a source of copper, BHP (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) has invested there for the first time in 20 years. It has partnered with Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN,OTC Pink:LUNMF) to buy out Filo (TSX:FIL,OTCQX:FLMMF) and develop two copper mines bordering Chile.
Investor takeaway
The historically volatile Argentinian economy has stymied its mining industry for decades. Now, with a new government promising sweeping economic changes, mining companies are re-entering the region, sparking market optimism for Argentina to emerge as a stable, secure source of high-demand metals of the future.
This INNSpired article is sponsored by Piche Resources (ASX:PR2). This INNSpired article provides information which was sourced by the Investing News Network (INN) and approved by Piche Resourcesin order to help investors learn more about the company. Piche Resourcesis a client of INN. The company’s campaign fees pay for INN to create and update this INNSpired article.
This INNSpired article was written according to INN editorial standards to educate investors.
INN does not provide investment advice and the information on this profile should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. INN does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company profiled.
The information contained here is for information purposes only and is not to be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Readers should conduct their own research for all information publicly available concerning the company. Prior to making any investment decision, it is recommended that readers consult directly with Piche Resources and seek advice from a qualified investment advisor.
Breaking the Cycle: Can Gold Outshine Historical Trends in September?
As September begins, gold is facing a familiar challenge — the month is historically marked by price declines.
Despite its strong performance so far this year, which has seen the yellow metal reach an all-time high of US$2,531.70 per ounce, market participants are now closely watching whether these gains will persist.
According to Bloomberg, since 2017 the precious metal has consistently suffered a "September curse," averaging a 3.2 percent decline during the period — the steepest drop of any month in the year.
September is also typically the worst month for US stocks, but a strong month for the American dollar.
This pattern has raised concerns among investors and analysts alike, who are debating whether the factors that have bolstered gold throughout 2024 will be able to counteract its typical seasonal weakness.
A key driver behind gold's price surge has been geopolitical uncertainty, particularly Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East. These factors have heightened demand for gold as a safe-haven asset.
Expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates have also boosted gold. Anticipation of these cuts has bolstered its price by reducing the appeal of the US dollar, which traditionally has an inverse relationship with gold.
"We still see very significant value in long gold positions, and maintain our bullish $2,700 forecast for 2025. Fed rate cuts are poised to bring Western capital back into the gold market," Lina Thomas, commodities strategist at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), told Reuters last month. The Fed's next meeting will run from September 17 to 18.
The reason for gold's recent September dips may be related to a "sell in May and go away" philosophy from traders. Bloomberg notes that some choose to buy gold to hedge against volatility while they are on vacation, only to offload their positions when they return in the fall and can participate the market more actively once again.
With that said, gold isn't guaranteed to go down — the news outlet states that using a timeframe of three decades gold has actually risen in September. And there are a number of other factors that could help it sustain high levels.
Central banks, particularly China's central bank, have been significant buyers of gold, a trend that has provided strong support for the metal. China's gold-buying spree lasted 18 consecutive months until April of this year, and although it's now taken a pause, the potential for renewed purchasing remains from the Asian nation and others remains.
As September continues, the question remains whether this and other supportive factors will be enough to offset the historical trend of declines. The outcome of the Fed's meeting later this month, alongside geopolitical developments, will likely play a crucial role in determining whether gold can break the "September curse" this year.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Aurum Secures Licence Renewal for Advanced High-Grade Nyangboue Gold Deposit
Aurum Resources Limited (ASX:AUE) (Aurum or the Company) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Boundiali South (BST) exploration licence1 (earning 100% interest), which hosts the advanced high-grade Nyangboue gold deposit. The BST tenement is one of four tenements making up Aurum's Boundiali Gold Project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa.
Highlights
- Boundiali South (BST) exploration licence renewed; Ministerial approval for exploration drilling at the high-grade Nyangboue deposit (partially located in a classified forest area) expected in coming weeks
- Boundiali South has returned previous impressive exploration results2 including:
- 20m @ 10.45g/t gold from 38m (BRC0004S BIS)
- 30m @ 8.30g/t gold from 39m (NDC007)
- 28m @ 4.04g/t gold from 3m and 6m @ 3.29g/t gold from 47m (BRC003)
- 9m @ 7.90g/t gold from 99m (BRC006)
- Two new diamond drill rigs arriving on site this week, increasing Aurum’s fleet to six; drilling rate to reach ~10,000m per month with assays pending (targeting 45,000m for CY2024)
- New centralised exploration camp progressing on schedule, expected to be operational by end-October 2024, improving efficiency and reducing costs
- Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for Boundiali on track for late CY2024
- Aurum is well-funded (~$20M) for continued aggressive exploration.
Aurum’s Managing Director Dr. Caigen Wang said: “We are pleased to announce that the renewal of the advanced BST exploration licence has been approved by Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministre des Mines, Petrole et Energie.
This advanced tenement hosts the high-grade Nyangboue deposit (20m @ 10.45g/t Au from 38m: BRC0004S BIS) and we are just waiting on sign-off from the Minister for Forest and Water to begin step back diamond drilling to test for depth extensions of these high-grade shoots.
We extend our great thanks to Côte d’Ivoire government’s support in exploring and developing gold resources in this highly promising gold tenement.
With six rigs on site, we'll be drilling ~10,000m per month. We're well-funded to continue our aggressive exploration program, with ~$20 million cash at bank, to accelerate drilling and build on the encouraging results to date and targeting inaugural JORC resources by late 2024.”
Boundiali South (BST) renewal
The BST exploration licence hosts Nyangboue, the most advanced exploration gold play within the broader Boundiali gold project. The exploration licence for BST was renewed by Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministre des Mines, Petrole et Energie on 19 August 2024, covering a substantial area of 167.36km2.
Approvals Progressing for Nyangboue Drilling
Following the permit renewal, approvals for exploration drilling at the high-grade Nyangboue prospect are advancing. Final Ministerial sign-off is anticipated within weeks. Drilling is expected to commence shortly after receiving the necessary approvals for operations within a classified forest, which covers less than half of the exploration licence.
Figure 1 Nyangboue exploration drilling - plan view (BST tenement)
Multiple Gold Targets Defined3 within BST
Extensive surface geochemical sampling (more than 5,700 soil samples) returned high-grade gold-in- soil values up to 9,964 Au ppb, and delineated three compelling gold anomalies:
- Nyangboue: +6km strike
- Nyangboue South: +2km strike
- Gbemou: +1.5km strike.
Gold mineralisation is observed to be associated with quartz veins, often containing visible gold. The Nyangboue gold deposit sits at the interface of two distinct lithologies.
Extensive Drilling Database
The project boasts a comprehensive historical drilling database, encompassing:
- Aircore: 545 holes, 21,056.00m
- RC diamond tail: 10 holes, 1,658.12m
- Diamond drill: 8 holes, 1,771.33m
- RC drilling: 247 holes, 17,975.00m.
High-Grade Potential Confirmed
Screen fire assay re-assay of high-grade samples by previous explorers yielded a Boundiali Gold Project sample high of 192.5 g/t Au from hole BRC004BIS, underscoring the project's significant potential.
Historic Drill Results at Nyangboue4
Previous drilling at Nyangboue delivered encouraging results, including:
- 20m @ 10.45g/t Au from 38m (BRC0004S BIS)
- 30m @ 8.30g/t Au from 39m (NDC007)
- 28m @ 4.04g/t Au from 3m and 6m @ 3.29g/t Au from 47m (BRC003)
- 9m @ 7.90g/t Au from 99m (BRC006)
- 27m @ 2.42g/t Au from 27m (BRC175)
- 20m @ 1.29g/t Au from 211m (NDC016)
- 2m @ 13.57g/t Au from 130m (NDC017)
- 17m @ 1.09g/t Au from 189m; 20m @ 1.29g/t Au from 211m and 12m @ 2.14g/t Au from 244m EOH (NDC016).
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Horizon Minerals
Investor Insight
Horizon Minerals’ near-term cash-flow potential and its significant land package in the prolific Western Australian goldfields with considerable exploration upside position the company to positively leverage the current bull gold market opportunity.
Overview
Horizon Minerals (ASX:HRZ) is an ASX-listed emerging mid-tier gold mining company focusing on a portfolio of highly promising gold projects located in the world-class Western Australian goldfields. The recent merger with Greenstone has added nearly 0.5 million ounces (Moz) of high-grade resource to Horizon, taking its total tally to 1.8 Moz, and resulted in Horizon Minerals total land package of 939 sq km in the Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie district.
The merger brings near-term cash-generating opportunities and adds greater scale to its baseload assets (Boorara) with the high-grade Burbanks deposit. Horizon’s dual-track strategy involves generating immediate cash flows by leveraging a pipeline of development-ready production assets and concurrently advancing the cornerstone assets, Boorara and Burbanks, which have a combined resource inventory of 914 koz at 1.7 grams per ton (g/t) gold with potential to support a profitable, long-life operation.
The recent ore sale agreement with Paddington Gold is encouraging and increases confidence in the management’s ability to generate near-term cash flows. Under the agreement, 1.4 million (Mt) will be processed over a period of 22 months, commencing in September 2024 quarter. The agreement allows Horizon to capitalize on high gold prices to generate significant cash flows.
Horizon is also progressing with other projects, including the Cannon gold project and Penny’s Find underground mine, and actively exploring for new discoveries in the Western Australian Goldfields, targeting gold and other commodities such as nickel-cobalt, silver-zinc, PGEs and lithium across its extensive land holdings. Additionally, Horizon holds a significant stake in one of the world’s largest vanadium projects via its investment in Richmond Vanadium Technology, which is listed on the ASX.
Company Highlights
- Horizon Minerals is an emerging mid-tier gold producer with an extensive portfolio of highly promising gold projects located in the world-class Western Australian goldfields.
- The recently announced merger with Greenstone Resources positions Horizon as a mid-tier gold producer in the Western Australian Goldfields. The combined entity enhanced Horizon’s portfolio with two complementary cornerstone gold assets — Burbanks and Boorara (combined resource of 914,000 oz).
- Mineral resource updates after the merger include 1.8Moz gold, 20.2Moz silver, 104kt zinc, 283kt nickel, 40.5kt cobalt and 296.2kt manganese.
- Changes to the gold MREs include:
- Addition of 297,650oz from Burbanks open pit
- Addition of 167,920oz from Burbanks underground
- Addition of 13,000oz from Pinner
- Addition of 3,000oz from Monument
- Reduction of 20,240oz from Boorara
- Horizon is also progressing with other projects, including the Cannon and Penny’s Find underground mines, and bringing the Boorara open pit into production.
- Amidst the current record gold prices, Horizon seeks to capitalize on this opportunity by advancing its substantial resource endowment towards development, thereby generating cash flow.
Key Projects
Boorara Gold Project
The Boorara gold project is located 15 km east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the Western Australian goldfields. Over the past decade, a substantial amount of reverse circulation and diamond drilling has been carried out at Boorara. The project includes a JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate (MRE) by Optiro (now Snowden Optiro), which reported a total of 11.03 Mt grading at 1.26 g/t gold, amounting to 448,000 ounces.
The company views Boorara as a substantial baseload feed source that could be enhanced by lower tonnage, higher-grade feed to sustain a standalone milling facility. This is where the recent acquisition of Greenstone becomes important. Boorara can be supplemented by higher-grade feed from Greenstone’s Burbanks deposit to support an integrated operation.
Boorara is fully environmentally permitted and ready for development, which is expected to commence within 2024. The results of the Boorara Ore Reserve Study (ORS). Independent JORC (2012) Ore Reserve for Boorara completed by AMC Consultants shows a financially viable project highlighted by the following:
- Open pit mine design producing 1.24Mt at a fully diluted grade of 1.24g/t Au for 49.5koz over an approximate 14 month mine life
- Ore Sale Agreement (OSA) at 92.5% metallurgical recovery produces 45.8koz recovered
- Project generates $19.9M in free cash flow (after capital) at a gold price of A$3,300/oz
Nimbus Silver-Zinc Project
The 100 percent owned Nimbus silver-zinc-lead-gold deposit is located 15 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia within the Kalgoorlie Terrane. The project's current mineral resource estimate (JORC 2012) includes 12.1 million tons at 52 g/t silver, 0.2 g/t gold and 0.9 percent zinc containing 20.2 million oz of silver, 78,000 oz of gold and 104,000 tons of zinc using lower cut-off grades of 12 ppm for silver, 0.5 percent for zinc and 0.3 g/t for gold over a 2 metre down hole composite. Within this global resource, the Nimbus project has a high-grade silver and zinc resource of 255,898 tons at 773 g/t silver and 13 percent zinc.
A concept study has confirmed the optimal economic development pathway by mining the higher-grade lodes and generation of a silver/zinc concentrate. A programme of work (POW) has been approved and drilling to test the exploration target is expected to be undertaken in the first half of 2025. The Nimbus project is 2 km east of Horizon's cornerstone Boorara project and 6.5 km north-northwest of Golden Ridge, both historic gold mining centres.
Burbanks Gold Project
The Burbanks gold project is situated 9 km southeast of Coolgardie, Western Australia. The project encompasses the Burbanks Mining Centre and more than 5 kilometers of the highly promising Burbanks Shear Zone, historically the most significant gold-producing structure within the Coolgardie Goldfield. Previous underground production at Burbanks has surpassed 420,000 oz to date.
Burbanks currently hosts a total resource of 6.1 Mt @ 2.4 g/t gold for 466 koz, including underground of 1.2 Mt @ 4.4 g/t gold for 168 koz. Burbanks is underexplored and remains open in all directions for future growth.
Cannon Underground Project
The Cannon gold project is located 30 km east-southeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. It is a fully permitted project with a pre-feasibility study completed in 2022, which shows strong project economics with a free cash flow of AU$10.1 million over the mine's life. The company has finished commissioning a dewatering pipeline and a pumping system, representing a major milestone in the advancement of its Cannon Underground project. Discussions with mining contractors and potential JV mining partners are underway. First ore production from the Cannon Project is expected to commence in Q4 2024.
Penny’s Find
Penny’s Find is about 50 km northeast of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, near the company’s wholly-owned Kalpini gold project. It comprises a granted mining lease and other associated leases covering 91 hectares. The mineral resource estimate updated in December 2023 boasts 63,000 ounces of gold in the indicated and inferred category. A pre-feasibility study for exploitation using underground mining methods is currently underway. This study will include mine design and financial analysis.
Rose Hill
Rose Hill is 0.5 km southeast of Coolgardie and 35 km west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, on the western edge of the Archean Norseman-Menzies Greenstone Belt. The current JORC 2012 resource at Rose Hill contains 93,300 oz , comprising an open-pit mineral resource of 0.3 Mt grading 2.0 g/t gold for 18,400 oz, and an underground mineral resource of 0.5 Mt grading 4.6 g/t gold for 74,900 oz. Nearly 70 percent of the resource is in the measured and indicated JORC categories.
Kalgoorlie Regional
Horizon owns several promising tenements within the Kalgoorlie region. These project areas include the greater Boorara-Cannon project area, Lakewood, Binduli-Teal project area, Kalpini, Balagundi-Kanowna South and Black Flag.
Coolgardie Regional
Horizon manages several promising tenements within the Coolgardie region, including Rose Hill, Brilliant North and Yarmany.
Management Team
Ashok Parekh – Non-executive Chairman
Ashok Parekh has over 33 years of experience advising mining companies and service providers in the mining industry. He has spent many years negotiating mining deals with publicly listed companies and prospectors, leading to new IPOs and the initiation of new gold mining operations. Additionally, he has been involved in managing gold mining and milling companies in the Kalgoorlie region, where he has served as managing director for some of these firms. Parekh is well-known in the West Australian mining industry and has a highly successful background in owning numerous businesses in the Goldfields. He was the executive chairman of ASX-listed A1 Consolidated Gold (ASX:AYC) from 2011 to 2014. He is a chartered accountant.
Warren Hallam - Non-executive Director
Warren Hallam is currently a non-executive director of St Barbara Limited and Poseidon Nickel Limited, and non-executive chairman of Kingfisher Mining Limited. Hallam has a built a strong track record over 35 years in operations, corporate and senior leadership roles across multiple commodities. This includes previous Managing Director roles at Metals X Limited, Millenium Metals Limited and Capricorn Metals Limited. Hallam is a metallurgist with a Master in Mineral Economics from Curtin University.
Chris Hansen – Non-executive Director
Chris Hansen is a multidisciplinary metals and mining professional, combining core technical fundamentals with a strong finance and project development mind-set. Having initially focused on building a solid technical foundation with industry majors such as Fortescue Metals Group and Barrick Gold, Hansen later joined a pre-eminent London-based mining private equity fund developing robust investment skills, project development expertise, market knowledge and strong industry relations. Since returning to Australia, Hansen has leveraged his experience in both public and private markets, most recently having led mining business development activities for one of Australia’s largest private investment groups. He holds a BSc in geology from the University of Auckland, and an MSc in Mineral Economics from Curtin University.
Grant Haywood – Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Grant Haywood brings over three decades of experience in both underground and open-cut mining operations. During his career, he has served in senior leadership capacities in various mining companies, guiding them from feasibility through to development and operations. His experience spans various roles within junior and multinational gold mining companies, predominantly in the Western Australian goldfields, including positions at Phoenix Gold, Saracen Mineral Holdings, and Gold Fields. He is a graduate of the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) and has also earned a Masters in Mineral Economics from the same institution.
Julian Tambyrajah – Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Julian Tambyrajah is an accomplished global mining finance executive with more than 25 years of industry expertise. He is a certified public accountant and chartered company secretary. He has served as CFO of several listed companies including Central Petroleum (CTP), Crescent Gold (CRE), Rusina Mining NL, DRDGold, and Dome Resources NL. He has extensive experience in capital raising, some of which includes raising US$49 million for BMC UK, AU$122 million for Crescent Gold and AU$105 million for Central Petroleum.
Glenn Poole – Chief Geologist
Glenn Poole is a geologist with 15 years’ experience in exploration and production environments, having principally worked within orogenic gold systems for several major mining companies in Western Australia. Poole brings extensive experience in structurally controlled narrow vein gold and sulphide-associated gold deposits. He has previously held senior management roles with major Australian gold producer, Northern Star, during which time, he played a pivotal role in the identification and definition of new ore resources and mining fronts at both the Paulsens and Kundana operations. Most recently, Poole was the senior geologist at Firefly Resources (ASX:FFR), principally responsible for setting exploration strategy and leading the definition of the maiden JORC 2012 resource at Yalgoo. Poole holds a Bachelor of Science Geology & Geography from The University of Otago, and a Master of Business Administration from La Trobe University.
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