Battery metals have proved to be an enduring investment theme for a forward-looking, diversified portfolio by offering exposure to exciting new EV and renewable energy stocks.
As 2021 draws to a close, smart investors are looking to the new year and to those stocks ready to hit the ground running with well-defined exploration plans.
And with the First Ashes Test already done and dusted, it is time to move onto the next wicket and take a closer look at some excellent prospects.
This week, St George Mining identified its second high-priority nickel-copper target in as many weeks at the Mt Alexander project in WA’s Goldfields, Artemis Resources reported thick, shallow high-grade copper-gold-silver target mineralisation in a ‘wildcat’ hole at the Carlow Castle project in WA’s Pilbara and Lykos Metals took stock of the strong potential for nickel-cobalt mineralisation at its Sockovac project in Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of a maiden drill campaign early next year.
In other news:
- Torrens Mining reports thickest-yet copper hits at Emmie Bluff Deeps
- FBR’s Hadrian X robot starts construction of largest-ever bricklaying project
- Core Lithium buys six highly prospective mining leases adjacent to its in-development Finniss project
- Gold stock Focus Minerals attracts a surprise takeover offer
- Mineral Resources adds world-first automated road train to iron ore push
- Following Rafael exploration success, Buru moves drill rig to Ungani oilfield
The second high-priority target identified from St George’s (ASX: SGQ) maiden seismic survey at Mt Alexander, S2, has given investors a lot to look forward to when drilling resumes late next month.
Executive chairman John Prineas has already described the survey as delivering a breakthrough in the understanding of the complex intrusive system at Mt Alexander and added that the newly named S1 target offered an outstanding potential for the discovery of a massive sulphide deposit.
This week came news about S2, a large, new target in an underexplored intrusive structure located to the north of, and parallel to, the Cathedrals Belt, with seismic properties consistent with S1. St George said S2 had a dip extent of more than 400m, starting from about 350m below surface.
Mr Prineas said S2 offered a potential discovery of a “large-scale nickel-copper-platinum group elements deposit” and would be tested in the next diamond drilling program, scheduled to kick off late next month.
“We are very excited to have two robust targets lined up for immediate drilling in our 2022 diamond drill program,” Mr Prineas said.
Further north in WA’s West Pilbara, Artemis Resources (ASX: ARV) returned more promising assays from its RC drilling program at the Chapman prospect, part of the Carlow Castle gold and copper project.
Artemis thinks it may have found a structural repeat of the Carlow host sequence in one of two ‘wildcat’ holes drilled at the Chapman prospect and plans to follow up with more drilling in the new year, pending results from a downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey.
Chapman is about 250m from the historic Good Luck workings. The drilling was part of Artemis’ broader 14,000m RC program around Carlow Castle completed in September.
Artemis has since released a plethora of results from the RC program, including the Chapman hits which executive director Alistair Clayton said may “dramatically alter the economics of the entire western portion of Carlow Castle”.
Mr Clayton said it was highly encouraging to hit thick, shallow high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralisation.
“We have long suspected that structural repeats of the Carlow host sequence were possible and even likely,” Mr Clayton said.
“Whilst still early days, these drill results combined with ultra-fine geochemistry and geophysics add significant weight to our team’s belief in just that.”
Lykos Metals (ASX: LYK) has delivered on its promise to investors in its IPO in October with a busy period of newsflow including this week’s update on highly successful soil sampling campaigns at its 100%-owned Sockovac nickel-cobalt and Sinjakovo copper-gold projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
At Sockovac, Lykos has substantially advanced a first-pass 200x200m soil sampling program across its extended licence area while a maiden soil sampling campaign at Sinjakovo has identified two new exploration targets.
Initial results from the 789-sample program at Sockovac delivered highly encouraging signs of nickel and cobalt mineralisation in areas adjacent to the original soil sampling area. The data collected will allow Lykos to develop a much deeper understanding of the potential nickel and cobalt mineralisation in the area and assist with the planning of drilling programs.
At Sinjakovo, the first-ever soil sampling campaign identified two new targets (aside from the historic copper mine Sinjakovo) – an elongated, 1.8km-long copper anomaly in the central part of the tenement and 2x1km gold anomaly in the south-eastern part of the tenement. These two areas have been in-filled from 200x200m to a 100x100m sampling grid.
“Results from the soil sampling program at the newly acquired licence at Sockovac show significant potential for nickel and cobalt mineralisation and, as such, have given cause for Lykos to reassess drilling priorities in the project area as a whole in order to maximise the value of the drilling expenditure to the overall geological program,” managing director Mladen Stevanovic said.
“At Sinjakovo, the primary exploration target remains the historic copper mine and the strike-extent of lithology hosting copper mineralisation. However, the first-ever soil sampling results have revealed previously unidentified sizeable copper and gold anomalies that warrant further investigation.
“Lykos’ 2021 geochemical survey program has been a tremendous success. It has identified previously unknown significant-size gold, copper, nickel and cobalt anomalies in terrains that have never been tested using modern exploration techniques.
“We are busy preparing for our airborne geophysical program in 2022, which will provide direction for our exploration activities across all three projects and ensure we enter the New Year with some positive momentum.”