Public Company News

MetalsGrove Mining has launched surface mapping, rock chip sampling and high-resolution LiDAR ground imaging to home in on drill targets at its Zuénoula gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. The company expects the work to wrap up by the end of March, producing high-resolution digital terrain models and imagery to define historic prospects, refine structural interpretation, understand gold dispersion and prioritise future drilling targets across the project.

Estrella Resources has received the final assays from its 2025 drilling at the Werumata limestone project in Timor-Leste. The Baucau limestone averaged 83 per cent calcium carbonate and Batu Putih chalk averaged 77.5 per cent carbonate, values which would support a range of industrial acid-neutralisation uses. Bulk density work is underway ahead of a maiden mineral resource estimate targeted for mid-April.

The Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is… 88 Energy, after the company's shares stormed higher on its Alaskan North Slope oil ground, more than doubling as oil went parabolic. Aguia Resources locked in a key mining permit for its Três Estradas phosphate play in fertiliser-starved southern Brazil, Chariot Resources surged after Nigerian government approvals cleared the transfer of six lithium licences into its JV, unlocking a large undrilled land package. The punters also piled into Torque after the gold explorer poached the ex-Spartan dream team behind the $2.4 billion Never Never take-out.

Horizon has wrapped up its latest mining phase at Boorara, retaining a hefty 460,000 tonnes of stockpiled ore containing 14,200 ounces of gold that will serve as the initial feed for the commissioning of its planned Black Swan processing hub in mid-2027. The move is designed to de-risk the mill start-up, while pre-production planning is also underway for an early-2027 Boorara mining restart.

Quantum Graphite says partner Sunlands Pure Group has signed an MOU with Oman's Al Buraimi Governorate for a planned, large-scale graphite refinery on a 240-hectare site in Buraimi, 60km from the nation's Sohar Port. The agreement recognises Quantum as the exclusive flake graphite supplier and flags a further update on funding and downstream arrangements within two weeks.

Terrain Minerals has kicked off 1500 metres of aircore drilling at its Lort River project near Esperance, targeting clay-hosted rare earths. The program was prompted by a standout 8m intercept 12 months ago, which assayed 4037 ppm total rare earth oxides, with peak one-metre results of almost one per cent TREO, including highly anomalous grades of magnet rare-earth elements.

Triangle Energy has signed a joint study agreement with an Indonesian institution for an offshore exploration area in Indonesia, overseen by the nation's Directorate General of Oil and Gas. The six- to eight-month study is expected to cost about US$300,000 and, once completed, will give Triangle priority rights to negotiate a production-sharing contract. The company says the area is unexplored and prospective for gas and oil.

St George Mining has inked a Memorandum of Understanding with a Brazilian fine chemicals specialist to assess processes for separating cerium and lanthanum from its Brazilian Araxá rare earths concentrates. With cerium and lanthanum making up the bulk of Araxá's rare earths mix, the company says removing them could boost its more valuable neodymium-praseodymium and other heavy rare earths concentration to boost its product value.

Ora Banda Mining has expanded its Little Gem prospect in WA, with new drilling uncovering a parallel trend, dubbed Sapphire, that extends the system south to its Sunraysia prospect. The fresh results highlight broader mineralisation potential, hot on the heels of yesterday's tenfold resource boost at the company's Round Dam trend to 1.33 million ounces. A maiden resource eyed for Little Gem later this year.

MetalsGrove Mining has added another promising piece to the exploration puzzle at its Zuénoula permit in Côte d'Ivoire, identifying a second gold target from early-stage soil sampling. The new anomaly stretches for kilometres along a favourable structural trend and sits just north of the company's previously defined Central Area. Samples have been consigned to Bureau Veritas' laboratory in Abidjan for fire assay, with results due mid to late March.

Ora Banda Mining has delivered a tenfold resource boost at its Round Dam deposit, catapulting the project's inventory to 1.33 million ounces of gold. The massive uplift supercharges the company's global resource to 3.3 million ounces, with the new deposit considered entirely suitable for low-cost open-cut mining. Management says the mineralised trend remains largely underexplored, with more drilling planned.

Corazon Mining has inked a diamond drilling contract with K-Drill for its wholly owned Two Pools gold project in Western Australia. The maiden program covers four holes for 1,000 metres, including a 400-metre test of a 300-metre north-west extension. Heritage and Program of Work approvals are complete, with drilling due to start once the final heritage report is received.