Matt Birney

Anglo Australian Resources has tabled an impressive 33 per cent increase in the mineral resource estimate for its flagship Mandilla gold project in WA. Mandilla now boasts a JORC resource of 19.8 million tonnes at 1.0 gram per tonne gold for 664,600 ounces of contained gold. The company already has the rods turning again as it embarks on the next massive 55,000m drilling blitz.

Perth-based gold miner and explorer Wiluna Mining can add nickel explorer to its growing resume as it embarks on an extensive review of historical exploration over its 1,600 square kilometre landholding in WA’s Northern Goldfields. Wiluna’s tenure stretches across 40km of strike in the Wiluna Greenstone Belt where the company is reviewing a plethora of high-grade nickel intercepts which look to be begging for renewed attention.

ASX-listed Okapi Resources has uncovered a 2-kilometre-long lithium target from a recently completed soil program at its newly acquired Lake Johnston project 450km east of Perth in Western Australia. Lithium in soil results have graded up to 86 parts per million and bear strong similarities with nearby results recently announced by joint venture partner Charger Metals at the adjoining Mount Day project.

Australian Bauxite is building on the intriguing recent discovery of rare earth element accumulations within its Tasmanian bauxite project. New assay results have significantly increased the extent and thickness of rare earths enrichment with new mineralised zones trending to the north and south. The drill rig is rapidly being upgraded in readiness for drilling the possible source rock that lies to the northeast of the high-grade zone.

Things just got interesting in 88 Energy’s oil hunt at its Project Peregrine in the revered North Slope of Alaska with post-well evaluation of the Merlin-1 well demonstrating the presence of oil in three reservoirs. Results from the well have led to a targeted mean total prospective resource at the project of a whopping 1.6 billion barrels of oil. An appraisal well is now on the cards.

Perth-based miner Calidus Resources is on track to become Australia’s next gold producer. Construction at the company’s Warrawoona gold operation in the Pilbara region is now more than 50 per cent complete and Calidus is on target to deliver its first gold pour in the first half of next year, defying the challenges of labour shortages and supply disruptions.

ASX-listed central African lithium developer AVZ Minerals has completed four diamond drill holes on the Carriere de l’Este prospect at its flagship Manono hard-rock lithium and tin project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Intercepts grading up to 2.49 per cent lithium oxide have extended the known lithium and tin mineralisation over an impressive strike length of 1.2km.

Lithium Australia is looking to patent the proprietary lithium battery recycling technology developed by its subsidiary, Envirostream. One of the two Australian patent applications relates to its process for recovering battery electrode material from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The second application encompasses the process for the selective recovery of mixed metal sulphates from a metal sulphate process liquor following leaching of mixed metal material recovered from lithium-ion batteries.

Venus Metals and joint venture partner Rox Resources have continued to rack up high-grade gold hits with infill reverse circulation drilling at their Youanmi gold project in the Murchison district of Western Australia. A cracking 17 metre interval grading 5.14 grams per tonne gold was encountered from 151 metres downhole. Management believes there is strong potential for further increases in the Resource.