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Formerly known as R3D Resources, Tartana Minerals (ASX:TAT) is a copper, gold, silver and zinc, producer, explorer and developer in Far North Queensland. The company's flagship Tartana copper and zinc project comprises four mining leases located north of Chillagoe.
Tartana Minerals' business model includes refurbishing an existing heap leach - solvent extraction – crystallisation plant which is located on the Tartana mining leases. The refurbishment and commissioning of this plant are 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.
Sprinklers operating on the lower heap. Note the presence of copper (blue).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.
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.
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Tartana Minerals
Investor Insight
Tartana Minerals is a new copper producer with strong cash flow and 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 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 tonnes of 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
- 415,000 oz 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.
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.
Sprinklers operating on the lower heap. Note the presence of copper (blue).
Tartana Minerals completed the acquisition of Queensland Strategic Metals with drilling planned to commence in 2025 that includes the Daisy Bell tin-tungsten project where historical drilling and our mapping have identified a potentially tin-rich zone.
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 a 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 targeted 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.
Exploration
The 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 gold 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.
At the Nightflower project, Tartana has upgraded its exploration target after reviewing its earlier estimation, in light of the recent increases in the antimony price. Nightflower is a high-grade silver-lead deposit with previously overlooked significant antimony credits. Nightflower exploration target includes 2.75 Mt @ 364 g/t silver equivalent for 32 Moz silver equivalent to 5.36 Mt @ 270 g/t silver equivalent for 47 Moz silver equivalent (the exploration target is conceptual in nature only and there is no guarantee that further exploration will define a resource). Drilling is now being planned to test the target and upgrade previously identified mineralisation to JORC 2012 reporting standards.
Tartana’s exploration team comprises experienced exploration geologists with supporting cash flow from their copper production, they expect to be able to 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 to maintain significant leverage to increase prices.
Management Team
Jihad Malaeb – 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 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.
Bruce Hills – Non-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 the University of Queensland.
Shuyi (Kiara) Wang – Non-executive Director
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.
Copper, gold, silver and zinc, producer, explorer and developer in Far North Queensland, Australia
NevGold: Portfolio of Gold, Antimony and Copper Projects in Tier 1 jurisdictions in the US
NevGold (TSXV:NAU,OTCQX:NAUFF,FSE:5E50) is advancing a portfolio of high-quality oxide and porphyry gold projects in Nevada and Idaho, targeting the discovery and growth of a multi-million-ounce gold-equivalent resource. With a market capitalization of under C$50 million, the company offers substantial upside potential. As NevGold continues to expand resources and de-risk its assets, it is well-positioned for a meaningful valuation re-rating over the next 12 to 18 months.
NevGold is actively advancing three projects with fully funded drill programs, metallurgical studies, and resource updates following its recent capital raise. The company is well-positioned to capitalize on rising gold and copper prices, surging strategic demand for antimony, and heightened interest from major mining companies seeking high-quality, undervalued juniors. Backed by a proven team with deep expertise in mine development and M&A, NevGold offers a compelling growth opportunity in the current commodity cycle.
The Limo Butte Project is NevGold’s cornerstone development asset, located in eastern Nevada within a highly prospective Carlin-style gold district.
Company Highlights
- Multi-million-ounce Target: NevGold is on track to define 5+ Moz gold equivalent in combined resources at Limo Butte and Nutmeg Mountain by Q4 2025.
- Gold+Antimony Critical Metals Advantage: Limo Butte is emerging as a significant near-surface oxide gold-antimony system – one of only two of its kind in the United States.
- Substantial Resource Base: Nutmeg Mountain contains a 2023 NI 43-101 compliant oxide gold resource of 1.28 Moz (indicated + inferred), with strong exploration upside and favorable heap-leach characteristics.
- District-scale Copper Exposure: Zeus offers early-stage copper-gold-molybdenum potential in a highly active porphyry belt, adjacent to a Barrick-backed discovery.
- Strategic Location, Strategic Commodities: All projects are located in mining-friendly jurisdictions with excellent infrastructure, low geopolitical risk, and growing US demand for domestic gold and critical mineral supply.
- Fully Funded Growth: Recent C$6 million financing supports 2025 drill campaigns, metallurgical testwork, and updated NI 43-101 estimates across the portfolio.
- Tight Capital Structure & Strong Support: Backed by strategic shareholders including GoldMining and McEwen Mining.
- Significant Valuation Gap: Trading at a fraction of peers such as Perpetua Resources (~C$1.7 billion), despite similar resource and jurisdictional advantages.
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NevGold
Investor Insight
With a sharp focus on discovery and resource growth, NevGold presents a compelling investment opportunity as an undervalued gold and critical metals explorer with projects in Nevada and Idaho—two of the world’s top mining jurisdictions.
Overview
NevGold (TSXV:NAU,OTCQX:NAUFF,FSE:5E50) is focused on discovering and growing a multi-million-ounce gold-equivalent resource base across Nevada and Idaho in the US. With a lean market capitalization of under C$50 million and a pipeline of highly prospective oxide and porphyry assets, the company is positioned for a significant valuation re-rate over the next 12 to 18 months as it executes on its resource growth and de-risking strategy.
The company is rapidly advancing toward its goal of defining a 5 Moz+ gold-equivalent resource base by Q4 2025, anchored by its flagship Limo Butte project – one of North America’s rare oxide gold-antimony systems – and its gold resource at Nutmeg Mountain, along with early-stage copper potential at Zeus.
The Limo Butte project is a high-grade oxide gold-antimony system in Nevada with strong analogues to Carlin-style mineralization and excellent near-surface drill results. Nutmeg Mountain in Idaho is an advanced-stage, heap-leach gold project with 1.3 Moz in defined resources and favorable metallurgy. Zeus, an early-stage copper project staked in 2023, provides blue-sky porphyry exploration potential in a district that has already attracted major interest, including a C$30 million investment by Barrick Gold in a neighboring property.
NevGold is actively executing on drill programs, metallurgical studies, and resource updates across all three projects, fully funded through its recent capital raise. The company is well positioned to benefit from rising gold and copper prices, increasing strategic demand for antimony, and a growing appetite among major mining companies for high-quality, undervalued juniors – all under the leadership of a proven team with deep expertise in mine development and M&A.
Company Highlights
- Multi-million-ounce Target: NevGold is on track to define 5+ Moz gold equivalent in combined resources at Limo Butte and Nutmeg Mountain by Q4 2025.
- Gold+Antimony Critical Metals Advantage: Limo Butte is emerging as a significant near-surface oxide gold-antimony system – one of only two of its kind in the United States.
- Substantial Resource Base: Nutmeg Mountain contains a 2023 NI 43-101 compliant oxide gold resource of 1.28 Moz (indicated + inferred), with strong exploration upside and favorable heap-leach characteristics.
- District-scale Copper Exposure: Zeus offers early-stage copper-gold-molybdenum potential in a highly active porphyry belt, adjacent to a Barrick-backed discovery.
- Strategic Location, Strategic Commodities: All projects are located in mining-friendly jurisdictions with excellent infrastructure, low geopolitical risk, and growing US demand for domestic gold and critical mineral supply.
- Fully Funded Growth: Recent C$6 million financing supports 2025 drill campaigns, metallurgical testwork, and updated NI 43-101 estimates across the portfolio.
- Tight Capital Structure & Strong Support: Backed by strategic shareholders including GoldMining and McEwen Mining.
- Significant Valuation Gap: Trading at a fraction of peers such as Perpetua Resources (~C$1.7 billion), despite similar resource and jurisdictional advantages.
Key Projects
Limo Butte Project
The Limo Butte Project is NevGold’s cornerstone development asset, located in eastern Nevada within a prolific Carlin-style geological setting. The project encompasses 1,724 hectares consisting of 210 unpatented claims, 12 patented claims and private land leases. Historically explored in the 2000s, a 2009 non-43-101-compliant resource estimate outlined 241 koz of gold in the measured and indicated category (0.78 g/t gold) and 51 koz in the inferred category (0.70 g/t gold).
In 2025, NevGold re-assayed approximately 50 legacy drillholes and completed more than 5,000 meters of new RC drilling across the Resurrection Ridge and Cadillac Valley zones, revealing a substantial near-surface gold-antimony mineralized footprint.
Notably, recent drill intercepts returned thick oxide intervals, including:
- 1.11 g/t gold and 0.30 percent antimony (2.46 g/t gold equivalent) over 86.9 m, including 1.83 g/t gold and 0.87 percent antimony (5.75 g/t gold equivalent) over 12.8 m
- 2.26 g/t gold and 0.32 percent antimony (3.69 g/t gold equivalent) over 22.3 m
- 1.20 g/t gold and 0.64 percent antimony (4.07 g/t gold equivalent) over 54.9 m
These results confirm strong grade continuity and a positive spatial correlation between gold and antimony mineralization. Importantly, historical assays had a detection limit of 1 percent antimony, meaning actual antimony content in several zones is likely underreported.
Mineralization begins within 20 meters of surface, supporting low-strip, open-pit mining scenarios.
Metallurgical test work is underway, evaluating flowsheet options for gold and antimony recovery. A conceptual flowsheet includes gravity concentration, flotation and leaching stages to produce marketable gold and antimony products, including potential for antimony metal recovery via roasting.
NevGold aims to complete a maiden NI 43-101 compliant gold-antimony resource estimate by Q4 2025, setting the foundation for future economic studies.
Nutmeg Mountain Project
Nutmeg Mountain is an advanced oxide gold project located 80 km northwest of Boise, Idaho. The project benefits from exceptional infrastructure, road access and proximity to water and power. NevGold’s 2023 NI 43-101-compliant mineral resource estimate defined 1.01 Moz of gold in the indicated category (51.7 Mt @ 0.61 g/t gold) and 275 koz inferred (17.9 Mt @ 0.48 g/t gold), using a 0.30 g/t cut-off.
Mineralization starts at surface and exhibits strong lateral and vertical continuity. The deposit is hosted in volcanic and sedimentary units, with mineralization controlled by both lithological and structural features. The pit-constrained resource has a strip ratio of less than 1:1, highlighting the project’s potential for low-cost, bulk tonnage heap leach development. Additional drilling has confirmed the presence of higher-grade core zones (1 to 2 g/t gold), as well as potential feeder structures below the 2023 pit shell.
Current work comprises approximately 2,500 meters of RC drilling, metallurgical test work and an updated MRE planned for late 2025. Exploration targets include untested lateral extensions and high-grade feeder structures at depth. Nutmeg Mountain compares favorably to peer heap-leach projects across the Western US in terms of grade and strip ratio. It offers near-term development optionality in a mining-friendly jurisdiction and is a key contributor to NevGold’s goal of surpassing 5 Moz in gold-equivalent resources.
Zeus Copper Project
Zeus is an early-stage copper-gold-molybdenum exploration asset located on the Hercules Copper Trend in western Idaho. The project spans 29 sq km and shares similar geologic features with Hercules Metals’ Hercules Project (TSXV:BIG), which received a C$30 million strategic investment from Barrick Gold in 2023.
Zeus sits at the structural intersection of the Olds Ferry and Izee terranes, and hosts Triassic to Jurassic intrusives associated with porphyry-style mineralization. Geological mapping and surface sampling have revealed two priority targets:
- Poseidon: 2.4+ km copper-gold-molybdenum soil anomaly with coincident structural and rock chip indicators
- Thorn Springs: 1+ km copper-gold-molybdenum soil anomaly with interpreted intrusive-hosted alteration
Soil surveys were completed in early 2025, and geophysical work is ongoing to refine drill targeting. Initial drilling is anticipated by late 2025. With no prior modern exploration, Zeus offers blue-sky potential for a significant copper discovery in a highly prospective but underexplored belt. Zeus enhances NevGold’s exposure to critical minerals and provides optionality in the copper sector – particularly relevant given tightening global copper supply and increasing US strategic interest in domestic copper sources.
Management Team
Brandon Bonifacio – President, CEO and Director
Brandon Bonifacio is a mining executive with over a decade of experience in project development and M&A. Previously served as finance director of the Norte Abierto JV (Cerro Casale/Caspiche) for Goldcorp (now Newmont), and a senior member of Goldcorp’s Corporate Development group. He holds an MASc in mining engineering and MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Greg French – VP Exploration and Director
Greg French is a professional geologist with over 35 years of exploration and development experience in the US and Canada. He has held leadership roles in Nevada Copper, Homestake and Atlas Precious Metals, and has guided multiple projects through feasibility and into production.
Bob McKnight – EVP, CFO and Corporate Development
Bob Knight is a professional engineer with an MBA and more than 40 years of mining experience. He was involved in over $1.5 billion in debt, equity and M&A deals. Knight brings strategic and financial depth to NevGold’s growth trajectory.
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