Matt Birney

Gold explorer, Torian Resources has wrapped up an unusual equity swap and advisory services arrangement with blockchain outfit BullionFX that recently listed its "BULL" gold-backed token on cryptocurrency exchange Digifinex. Under the agreement, Torian acquired a 7.5 per cent stake in BullionFX and is set to receive 15 million BULL crypto tokens. Torian says each BULL recently traded up at about US$0.85, valuing its stake in BULL at more than US$12 million.

Okapi Resources has acquired additional high-grade uranium pounds adjacent to its existing tenure on a new mining lease executed with the State of Colorado. Okapi has secured a 100 per cent interest in 640 acres of prospective acreage around the High Park uranium deposit. Black Range Minerals previously established a JORC 2012 resource of 2.48 million pounds U3O8 at 570ppm U3O8 in the new project area.

Twenty Seven Co is set to kick off reverse circulation drilling at its 100 per cent owned Rover gold project near Sandstone in WA next week that will test recent stellar soil sampling results including a 1.15 gram per tonne surface gold sample. Drilling will also test some exciting intersections at the Harmonic and Creasy prospects to get a better understanding of the potential scale of the mineralised system around them.

Twenty Seven Co could be set to join the white-hot lithium market after early visual results identified the presence of pegmatites with evidence of lithium, tin and copper mineralisation at its Trident project near Broken Hill in New South Wales. The results compliment historical geochemical sampling which included a stellar 7.63 per cent lithium oxide sample. The company is now awaiting assay results from rock chips collected from those pegmatites.

Great Southern Mining is rapidly scrubbing up its Southern Star gold deposit in WA after it intersected a best yet drill hit of 68 metres going 1.9 grams per tonne gold from just 61m in amongst a wealth of other high-grade hits at its Duketon project in WA. The impressive result backs up a previous 59m hit in a different hole grading 2.1 g/t gold.

ASX-listed aspiring gold and iron ore developer, CZR Resources has cranked up a 7,800m infill reverse circulation drilling program as a key part of the definitive feasibility study underway on its 85 per cent-owned Robe Mesa iron ore project in WA’s Pilbara. The drilling is aimed at growing the indicated resource and further de-risking the project in tandem with ongoing technical and economic studies.

Kingwest Resources has signed a joint venture agreement with FMR Investments which will see the company resume underground mining at the Menzies Gold Project north of Kalgoorlie. The deposit was last mined 85 years ago and produced 526,000 tonnes at 16 grams per tonne gold for 270,000 ounces. Lake Goongarrie is also set to be extended with five new gold anomalous zones detected.

Venus Metals, along with their joint venture partner Rox Resources has had major success with its metallurgical test work recently conducted on the Youanmi Deeps Resource in WA. Test work has delivered substantial improvement in gold extraction for Youanmi Deeps with new test work improving extraction to 95.6 per cent, a substantial increase from the historical production which averaged 86.8 per cent gold recovery.

Mineral exploration company, Comet Resources has commenced reporting environmental, social and governance metrics under a universal framework developed by international non-government organisation, the World Economic Forum. A series of sustainability metrics will now be measured and then disclosed in the Perth-based company’s quarterly and annual reports, including governance, anti-corruption practices, ethical behaviour, diversity and inclusion, pay equality and carbon emissions.