
October 30, 2024
Copper production and Metallurgical Test Results
Tartana Minerals Limited (ASX: TAT) (the Company), is pleased to announce it had achieved a strong quarter with higher production levels providing revenue in excess of A$1 million for the quarter. Production has continued during October with the production of more than 135 tonnes and we are targeting at least two shipments by month end.
Highlights:
- Sales revenue increasing: cash receipts of US$725K (A$1,039k) on sales of 295 tonnes of copper sulphate pentahydrate during the quarter.
- Tartana D15 assays confirm board zones of copper mineralisation including 76 m @ 0.60% Cu, 178 m @ 0.40% Cu or 221 m @ 0.35% Cu, - all from 31 m depth downhole.
- Excellent flotation copper recoveries (89%) from whole ore to saleable copper concentrate grading 21 % w/w Cu when testing a sample that was below the resource grade average.
- Bulk sample ore sorting results indicate that using this process will result in a 72% grade increase and recover 71% of the contained copper.
- New EPM 29119 application (Caldera Rim) east of Tartana mine site and complementing the recent Bottle Bird application (EPM 29067) near the Company’s Nightflower Silver project.
- Potential merger with Queensland Strategic Metals Pty Ltd to provide exploration tenure with exposure to critical and strategic metals (tin, tungsten, antimony) including two new copper projects.
Metallurgical drillhole D15 assays and metallurgical testwork results provide a positive outlook for development of the Tartana open pit. The broad zones of copper mineralisation provides an opportunity for mine planning to incorporate a low strip ratio with the mineralisation also exhibiting high recoveries to a concentrate. Portions of the resource (e.g. lower grade portions) or the total resource can be upgraded through Tomra ore sorting.
With the positive results the Company is completing a Scoping Study incorporating options to potentially use nearby plants and/or develop a large scale plant at the Tartana mine site and which is separate from the existing copper sulphate pentahydrate production facility.
Our exploration activities are progressing as we establish a significant presence in Far North Queensland. We have recently lodged two new EPM applications (Bottle Bird and Caldera) in areas east of Tartana and which are The Company has proposed a merger with Queensland Strategic Metals Pty Ltd which requires shareholder approval. This entity has portfolio of exploration tenements covering tin, tungsten, antimony and copper prospects which will complement Tartana Mineral’s existing exploration portfolio. In particular, it holds a group of tenements on the southern part of this caldera chain which covers the tin fields including areas which have been held tightly for decades. These tenements abut Tartana Mineral’s own Emuford application, and which provides the Company with a dominant position in this prospective region.
A key prospect is Daisy Bell which rises above the surrounding plain and hosts tin, tungsten and copper mineralisation which appears continuous along strike for more than one kilometre. Elsewhere, the Ortona project south of Georgetown has high grade copper at surface in a series of parallel veins with nickel and cobalt mineralisation present in some of the more easterly veins (see ASX release dated 18 October 2024).
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.
TAT:AU
Sign up to get your FREE
Tartana Minerals Investor Kit
and hear about exciting investment opportunities.
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects
GET YOUR FREE INVESTOR KIT
The Conversation (0)
20 February
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.
Keep reading...Show less
Copper, gold, silver and zinc, producer, explorer and developer in Far North Queensland, Australia
13 May
Director led financing and change of Chairman
30 April
Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow Report
24 April
Beefwood Project Clarification and Drilling Update
15 April
Retraction re Mungana Processing Plant Capacity
15 April
Tartana receives $275k Beefwood Copper Gold CEI Grant
24 July
Aurum hits 1.43m at 234.35 g/t gold from 107m at BMT3
24 July
Newmont Uses Drones, Remote Equipment to Reach Trapped Miners in Red Chris Mine
Newmont (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM) has deployed drones and a remote-controlled scoop to help rescue three workers trapped underground since Tuesday (July 22) at its Red Chris gold mine in BC.
The incident occurred during work on a non-producing section of the mine’s underground development project.
According to the company, the three contract employees were initially located more than 500 meters beyond the site of the first collapse. They were directed to relocate to a designated refuge chamber before a second fall of ground sealed off the access way and disrupted communication.
“Following the first event, contact was established with the individuals and confirmation was received that they had safely relocated to one of multiple self-contained refuge bays,” Newmont said in a Wednesday (July 23) statement. “The refuge stations are equipped with adequate food, water and ventilation to support an extended stay.”
The company is using aerial drones to assess underground conditions, while a remote-controlled scoop has been deployed from Newmont’s Brucejack mine, also in BC.
It will begin clearing the estimated 20 to 30 meters of debris obstructing the tunnel.
Communication with the trapped miners remains severed after the second collapse, but the company said the men are believed to be sheltering in a chamber designed to support up to 16 people.
Operations at Red Chris have been suspended to focus entirely on rescue efforts. The company said that it has activated emergency protocols and assembled specialized rescue teams from nearby mine sites.
While the full extent of the damage underground is still being assessed, the use of unmanned equipment is intended to reduce risk to emergency personnel while the area remains geotechnically unstable.
Newmont has not provided an estimated timeline for reestablishing contact or extracting the workers, but emphasized that all available technology and expertise are being brought to bear.
The Red Chris mine, located roughly 80 kilometers south of Dease Lake and more than 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver, is operated by Newmont under a 70/30 joint venture with Imperial Metals (TSX:III,OTC:IPMLF).
The operation has been producing since 2015, though the incident occurred in a non-producing development zone.
Last year, Red Chris produced approximately 40,000 ounces of gold, making it one of the smaller contributors in Newmont’s global portfolio. The company acquired its majority stake in the mine through its 2023 purchase of Newcrest Mining, which previously managed the asset.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
23 July
Joe Cavatoni: Gold's Key Driver Now, Catalyst for Next Leg Higher
Joe Cavatoni, senior market strategist, Americas, at the World Gold Council, explains that market risk and uncertainty are driving gold, with H1 2025 seeing multiple record highs.
"Think strategically when you think about gold, and keep that allocation in mind," he said.
He also shares thoughts on the importance of central bank allocations and the potential impact of tariffs and US economic conditions on gold during the second half of 2025.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
23 July
Falco Resources Eyes Governmental Decree for Horne 5 Gold Project Before Year End
Falco Resources (TSXV:FPC) has entered the final stages of the environmental authorization process for its flagship Horne 5 gold project in Quebec, with a government decision expected by late 2025.
“(An environmental analysis) report should be submitted to the minister in the next few months, and the final decision has to be done by decree,” said Luc Lessard, president and CEO of Falco Resources, in an interview with Investingnews.com. The company is hoping the decision will come sometime late in 2025, Lessard added.
Located in the prolific Abitibi region, the Horne 5 project is central to Falco’s strategy to support Quebec’s ambition to lead the energy and technological transition. Lessard emphasized that the project’s mineral profile, particularly its zinc and copper content, makes it well-positioned to align with Quebec’s broader critical and strategic minerals development plan.
The chief executive also noted the Horne 5 project leverages several environmental innovations, including a set of measures to protect waterways and drinking water intake, the Implementation of a dust collection system to reduce metal emissions from mine ventilation by 98.64 percent, and the use of already disturbed sites unlikely to be rehabilitated without the mining project.
Falco is also looking to the future with significant exploration potential for the Horne 5 project, beyond its current deposit.
Falco owns about 67,000 hectares of land package in the Abitibi, Lessard noted. “That gives us the possibility to increase additional resources closer to the surface, add some feed to the central mill of the Horne 5 project, and that will increase the life of mine.”
Watch the full interview with Falco Resources President and CEO Luc Lessard above.
Keep reading...Show less
22 July
Quarterly Activities/Appendix 5B Cash Flow Report
Latest News
Sign up to get your FREE
Tartana Minerals Investor Kit
and hear about exciting investment opportunities.
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects
GET YOUR FREE INVESTOR KIT
Latest Press Releases
Related News
TOP STOCKS
American Battery4.030.24
Aion Therapeutic0.10-0.01
Cybin Corp2.140.00