Latest Scoping Studies News

Lefroy Exploration is considering folding the high-grade portion of its Burns deposit into the Mt Martin Scoping Study, broadening the development case while pushing delivery into the December quarter. At Lucky Strike, a newly granted licence removes one hurdle but several approvals still stand between the mine and a targeted early 2027 restart.

Magnum Mining has completed more than 10,000 metres of drilling at its Piracanjuba North rare earths project in Brazil and is shifting its main effort to the 32.5km² Plateau Zone. A further 2,000-metre diamond drilling phase will run alongside independent resource, radiological and metallurgical studies, although delayed assay turnaround creates a risk to the company’s November timetable.

Carnavale Resources is approaching the final stretch of its bankable feasibility study for the 80%-owned Kookynie Gold Project, backed by a 120,000-ounce resource and strong metallurgical recoveries. The project still requires financing, a toll-treatment agreement and final economic modelling before it can move from promising study to mine development.

Dreadnought Resources has sharply reduced its FY2026 loss while building a larger exploration portfolio and advancing two high-grade gold deposits toward potential production. The ASX-listed explorer ended the year with $15.7 million in cash, but remains dependent on funding until operating income arrives.

Western Gold Resources has sharply expanded the proposed Gold Duke mine, lifting its production target by 62% and forecasting A$72.9 million in operating surplus. The preliminary study is stronger on paper, but still depends on funding and the restart of toll treatment at Wiluna.

Prospect Resources has expanded drilling at Nyungu Central after returning a 27-metre copper intercept outside the existing resource, while maiden drilling at Sharamba confirms a new copper discovery. The results add momentum to Mumbezhi’s growth story, but most Phase 3 assays remain outstanding and no resource update has yet been made.

Critica has produced a second high-grade mixed rare earth carbonate from its Jupiter project, closely matching the first product at 57.9% TREO. The latest laboratory result also carried higher magnet and heavy rare earth content, strengthening the case for further flowsheet development ahead of a scoping study.

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.

Minrex Resources has completed its 33-hole Barje infill program and begun a 6,604-metre greenfield campaign at Tlamino in Serbia. The drilling will test whether Barje and Liska form part of a single mineralised system extending more than 1.5 kilometres.

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.

Auric Mining has acquired second-hand crushing and processing infrastructure for $1.2 million, securing key equipment for its planned Burbanks restart at a substantial discount to estimated replacement cost. The package is scheduled to move from New South Wales in late 2026, with installation preparation targeted for early 2027.

American Tungsten & Antimony has started an ahead-of-schedule campaign to produce antimony flake at its Del Sol refinery in Nevada, using material from Arizona. The first physical demonstration of its proposed US mine-to-metal chain could generate samples for customer qualification and government discussions, although the underlying asset acquisition remains incomplete.