Matt Birney

Mineral explorer Valor Resources continues to deliver the goods at its Picha copper and silver project in southern Peru. Recent channel sampling by the company at two separate areas has returned a 40.5 metre long surface channel grading 0.49 per cent copper at its Cumbre Coya prospect, with a 17.6m channel going 1.95 per cent copper also unearthed at the Maricate prospect some 500m away.

Wiluna Mining Corporation’s massive development program at its namesake WA gold operation looks set to continue bringing home the bacon with drilling over the Happy Jack and East Lode areas delivering a symphony of high-grade gold intersections. Notable results included 3.72 metres grading 5.31 grams per tonne gold at the former and 7.75m going 13.27 g/t gold at the latter.

Horizon Minerals has increased the mineral resource estimate at its recently acquired and well-advanced Cannon gold project, located a short trucking distance from the company’s flagship Boorara gold project on the south east fringes of Kalgoorlie. The mineral resource review was conducted independently and upgraded the current estimate by over 8,000 ounces gold to 32,070 ounces grading an impressive 4.29 grams per tonne gold.

Barton Gold has discovered a new 800m long gold lode at its Tunkillia gold project in South Australia. First assay results from the phase 1 drilling program have confirmed a significant shallow gold zone located approximately 500m northwest of the main 223 deposit. The new 223 North discovery extends the total mineralised strike at Tunkillia by around 30 per cent to 3.3km.

Comet Resources could be about to dust off the maracas after assays from an eight-hole, 2,250 metre drilling program completed at its Santa Teresa Gold project in Mexico delivered a suite of high-grade gold hits which included “bonanza” grades. Some of the better intersections included 1.2 metres grading 63.2 grams per tonne gold from 124.8m.

Aurum Resources is set to hit the boards at the ASX after an oversubscribed initial public offering of nickel-copper explorer Aldoro Resources’ gold assets. Aurum has raised $5 million to fast track the development of its underexplored gold projects in WA’s East Murchison region. Aurum will prioritise its Penny South gold project that already has some cracking drill results that were inexplicably never followed up.

The rods are spinning at Aruma Resources' Salmon Gums gold project in WA’s goldfields region. The Perth-based junior explorer has planned up to 5,000 meters of reverse circulation drilling in its maiden drill program that will test multiple geochemical targets over an 8.5km stratigraphic trend that is directly along strike from JV partners Pantoro-Tulla’s high-grade Scotia Gold project.

Industrial innovation specialist Aurora Labs has hit an important milestone in the development of its signature 3D metal printing technology, with an independent evaluation demonstrating its effectiveness and the company declaring the product “commercially ready”. Aurora has completed successful trial printing of stainless steel components for customers that include BAE Systems Maritime Australia for the Navy’s Hunter Class Frigate Program.

ASX-listed junior explorer, Latitude Consolidated is cranking through its reverse circulation drill program at its Turnberry South project in WA where it has hit visible gold in one hole associated with silica-chlorite-epidote altered siltstone. All holes drilled as part of the second phase have intercepted a veined and strongly altered zone at the target depth with sulphide mineralisation observed in the rock chips.