Latest Drilling Programs News

Zinc of Ireland has transformed from a small Irish zinc explorer into a metals technology developer, acquiring Meclex, raising A$5.5 million and advancing ARGO and VOLTA. The opportunity is substantial, but both technologies remain uncommercialised and the VOLTA partnership requires formal renewal.

Estrella Resources has expanded its Timor-Leste exploration footprint by 100km2 while securing conditional approval to export a 100-tonne manganese sample to an Indonesian customer. The company is also preparing 3,000 metres of drilling and a possible upgrade to part of its 621Mt Werumata limestone resource.

Barton Gold has reported broad, shallow high-grade gold intersections from its 39,000-metre Phase 2 drilling program at Tunkillia, including 11 metres at 8.73g/t gold. Final assays are still pending before updated gold and silver resources, with the pre-feasibility study targeted for Q1 CY27.

Dart Mining has confirmed high-grade tin in four selective rock-chip samples from its Walwa project in Northeast Victoria, including 3.96% tin with elevated tantalum and niobium. The results strengthen the case for maiden diamond drilling planned for October, but do not establish representative grades or a mineral resource.

Basin Energy has secured a three-year research collaboration with James Cook University to investigate improved extraction and recovery of heavy rare earths at its Sybella-Barkly project. The deal carries no cash payment, but JCU will own the resulting project intellectual property and data.

BPM Minerals has entered its most consequential exploration phase after expanding Beachcomber into a multi-lode gold system and securing A$6.6 million in cash. The company is now drilling toward a maiden JORC resource, although its option to acquire the Forelands project remains unexercised and no resource has yet been estimated.

Argent Minerals has intersected visible gold in two apparently unmined quartz veins beneath historic workings during the second hole of its maiden Trunkey Creek drilling program. The encouraging visual result remains unquantified until photon assay results establish the grades and true widths.

Hancock Prospecting has agreed to invest A$8.77 million in White Cliff Minerals for a proposed 13.5% stake, giving the junior explorer fresh capital to accelerate drilling at its Rae Copper Project in Nunavut. The placement still requires shareholder approval.

McLaren Minerals has reported broad, near-surface heavy mineralisation from 61 holes at its Western Australian titanium project, led by 24 metres at 7.54% HM. The results strengthen the dataset for a resource update, but do not yet establish an Ore Reserve or project economics.

NewPeak Metals will begin a minimum 1,000-metre Phase 2 diamond drilling program at Las Opeñas in Argentina in mid-October, targeting a potentially gold-richer zone west of its recent long intercepts. The campaign is funded from the company’s completed placement, but the higher-grade western extension remains untested.

Benz Mining’s quarterly loss widened sharply as exploration spending surged at its Western Australian projects, but a subsequent C$148.02 million placement has given the company substantial funding to accelerate Glenburgh drilling. The project’s 10.1-12.0 million ounce Exploration Target remains conceptual rather than a Mineral Resource.

Western Gold Resources is pursuing multiple processing alternatives for Gold Duke after Wiluna Mining deferred third-party tolling, while revising the project’s study around a larger resource. The company is also considering corporate opportunities, but no processing agreement, transaction or expanded mine plan has been secured.