
November 07, 2023
White Cliff Minerals Limited (White Cliff or the Company) is pleased to announce it has secured 61 highly prospective mineral claims covering an area of ±80,500ha (>805km2) within the province of Nunavut, Canada.
- The license area includes multiple historic high grade copper projects in the Coppermine River area (“Coppermine”), in Nunavut, Canada.
- The Coppermine licence area totals 805km2 and is host to numerous extraordinarily high-grade copper lodes located along the same structural trend, primarily consisting of chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite and native copper.
- Utilising modern high-resolution magnetics, extensive rock chip results, trench and drill results the outcropping structure of mineralisation can be traced over 100km+ in total strike length.
- Exploration has validated dozens of highly prospective occurrences of copper and silver mineralisation; some high-grade copper rock chip results (See Table 2) include:
- 30.24% Cu, 34g/t Ag at Halo Prospect
- 30.25% Cu, 43g/t Ag at Halo Prospect
- 35.54% Cu, 17g/t Ag at Cu-Tar Prospect
- 21.18% Cu, 9g/t Ag at Cu-Tar Prospect
- 30.7% Cu, >200g/t Ag at Don Prospect
- >40% Cu, 115g/t Ag at Don Prospect (above Cu detection range)
- >40% Cu, 107g/t Ag at Don Prospect (above Cu detection range)
- 12.1% Cu, 3g/t Ag at Moose Lake Prospect
- 12.1% Cu, 17g/t Ag at Far Prospect
- Coppermine contains numerous historical non JORC or NI 43-101 and ‘blue sky’ mineral estimates that will be a priority for the Company.
- Licences cover many deep seated structures associated with the fluids responsible for enrichment of the “red bed” mineralisation seen throughout Nunavut as well as the fracture fill and structurally controlled high-grade copper occurrences in the local area.
- The Company will engage with the local Kugluktuk Community as well as other regional and national regulatory stakeholders to raise awareness regarding the significance of these projects.
- Move to secure Canadian based technical manager advancing.
- Company maintains current cash and liquid securities balance of ±AU$3.8m
Commenting on the transaction, White Cliff Chairman, Roderick McIllree (FAusIMM) said:
“This project is exceptional, just like all great discoveries it has a deep history that in this case can be traced back to the early 1700’s. Managing to secure, at very little cost, 100% tenure with no royalty over a such a massive, mineralised trend analogous in scale, geology and evolution to the entire Mt Isa & Keweenaw Peninsula copper provinces is a remarkable result for shareholders.
Importantly for short term value creation the high-grade structurally controlled copper mineralisation within the Coppermine Formation appears to have significant lateral extent and we will be analysing a significant database of historical results with regular news likely to follow.
Numerous and repeatable, high-grade results can be traced along local and regional shear zones that extend in total along more than 100km’s along our ground. Identifying the detailed dimensions of these high-grade mineralised occurrences will be the short-term focus. I believe the scale of these mineralised trends will be proven to be significant over time. Utilising existing recent high-resolution magnetics and extensive rock chip, trench, and drill results, in several instances the strike of outcropping high grade mineralised material can be traced at surface for very long distances.
Added to this structurally controlled potential, a second geological model for the emplacement of very large-scale large tonnage sedimentary hosted “red bed” copper mineralisation exists that is related to rifting / vulcanism and subsequent metal emplacement.
With the recently announced planned closure of Mt Isa the timing could not be better for the identification and development of similar sized, high grade, copper province.
This is a remarkable opportunity for White Cliff, the potential to create significant shareholder value is obvious. Planning for site-based activities is underway as well as interrogation, verification and publication of a historical datasets means we will be updating shareholders on this project regularly.
We also hope to update shareholders on several additional complimentary projects we have also secured at very low cost within the coming weeks.”
About The Project
The Coppermine River Project covers 805km2 of flood basalts, including multiple, highly prospective mineral showings/outcrops (Figure 1 & Table 2). Most of these copper occurrences are structurally controlled along steeply dipping fault fissures and fault-breccia zones in the basalts. Mineralisation occurs mainly as massive bornite-chalcocite occurrences with lesser chalcopyrite and associated calcite, hematite, native copper and chlorite.
The geology of the Coppermine District is characterised by an easterly-trending copper- bearing belt of Meso-Proterozoic continental flood basalts and associated marine sedimentary rocks of Neo-Proterozoic age. This belt extends 80 kilometres south from Kugluktuk, on the Coronation Gulf, and 174 kilometres west to 64 kilometres east of Coppermine River. The district is best known for the 'Coppermine River Group' basalts which feature extremely high- grade copper showings of >45% Cu within the volcanic pile. The Company will initially base its logistical hub in Kugluktuk, a town of approximately 1,500 people, around 30km to the north of the project area. Kugluktuk is accessible by both plane and ship.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from White Cliff 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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In a Monday (August 25) release, Global Lithium said that the mining lease covers a term of 21 years pursuant to the Mining Act 1978.
“The granting of this mining lease is a transformative moment for (us) and (our) shareholders,” commented Managing Director Dr. Dianmin Chen. “This achievement, coming so soon after the successful native title mining agreement, validates our focused strategy and the diligent work of our team and partners.”
Global Lithium announced its signing of a native title agreement with the Kakarra Part B Native Title Group on August 13, underscoring its dedication to responsible mining and its commitment to ensuring and delivering benefits to the community concerning Manna.
Located in Eastern Goldfields and just 100 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie, Manna currently contains a mineral resource of 51.6 million tonnes at 1.0 percent lithium oxide.
The company said that it remains the third largest lithium resource in its region and holds potential to become a significant spodumene concentrate producer.
In its Diggers and Dealers presentation published August 1, it was specified that Manna is currently focusing on minimising production and operational costs by refining the processing flowsheet, optimizing capital expenditure through strategic design and procurement and enhancing mine design and scheduling.
Global Lithium also highlighted that it is leveraging advanced technologies and detailed process analysis.
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Following the agreement signing and the mining lease grant, the company said that it is now fully focused on finalising an optimised definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Manna.
“The DFS remains on track for the end of the 2025 calendar year … We are also pursuing discussions with potential development partners.”
Should the company follow its projected schedule and secure pending approvals, Manna is expected to be shovel-ready between 2026 to 2027.
Shares of Global Lithium went up 10 percent on the day of the mining lease announcement compared to its previous close of AU$0.20 on Friday (August 22), closing at AU$0.22 on Monday.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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LieNA, the joint venture entity, was formerly a subsidiary of Livium, the owner of the intellectual property for the LieNA technology — an innovative process designed to recover lithium from spodumene.
The joint venture's formation comes after the completion of Stage 1A activities under a joint development deal. The companies first began working together in August 2023, and agreed to additional Stage 1A work in January.
At the time, Livium and Mineral Resources said the work would include the assessment of alternate commercialisation pathways for the technology, and the selection of the preferred lithium product for LieNA's development.
The aim of the joint venture will be to commercialise the LieNA lithium-processing technology by issuing licences to third parties, with the next step on that path being to set up a demonstration plant. However, the companies note that current lithium market dynamics "do not support the economic construction and funding of the plant."
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Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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The halt at the Jianxiawo lepidolite mine in Jiangxi province’s Yichun city, a hub for China’s lithium production, came after the mine’s permit expired on August 9.
CATL confirmed the closure on Monday (August 11), saying it is seeking a permit extension but offering no timeline for resuming output. The shutdown will last at least three months, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
The mine produces around 65,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) annually, equivalent to roughly 6 percent of global output, according to estimates.
That makes the stoppage one of the most significant supply interruptions in recent years for a metal central to electric vehicle (EV) batteries, grid storage, and consumer electronics.
The most-active lithium carbonate futures contract on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) jumped the daily limit of 8 percent on Monday (August 11), closing at 81,000 yuan (US$11,280) per ton for November delivery.
Meanwhile, spot prices in China also climbed, with Asian Metal reporting a 3 percent increase to 75,500 yuan per ton, the highest margin since February.
On the Liyang Zhonglianjin E-Commerce platform, November delivery prices surged over 10,000 yuan to around 85,500 yuan per ton.
Chandler Wu, senior analyst for battery raw materials at Fastmarkets, estimated that the shutdown would cut about 5,000 tons of LCE from China’s monthly output.
Market sentiment had been building for weeks amid speculation the mine’s license might not be renewed. By Wednesday, contracts on the GFEX were already posting sharp gains, with sellers in the spot market pushing up offers in line with futures prices.
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In the US, Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) jumped more than 15 percent, Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) by 13 percent, and Chile’s SQM (NYSE:SQM) by 12 percent.
Australian producers saw similar gains: Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS,OTC Pink:PILBF) climbed up to 20 percent, Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR,OTC Pink:LINRF), surged 25 percent, and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN,OTC Pink:MALRF) advanced 14 percent.
Analysts say the suspension may be linked to Beijing’s “anti-involution” campaign — an initiative aimed at curbing overcapacity and promoting more sustainable production across industries.
The policy theme has recently swept China’s financial markets and affected sectors from steelmaking to e-commerce and EVs.
China has been the world’s top processor of lithium for years. CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, has also aggressively invested in raw material supply chains to secure long-term access to critical minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
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CATL emphasized that the Jianxiawo shutdown would have “little impact” on its overall operations.
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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.
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