Venus locks in $52,500 grant for Murchison copper drilling program
Venus Metals subsidiary Redscope Enterprises has locked in a $52,500 WA Government Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) co-funded grant towards drilling costs to test its Pincher copper-zinc project, which is part of the company's Youanmi base metals project in Western Australia's Murchison region.
The grant for the maximum amount applied for of $52,500 will cover 50 per cent of the co-funded diamond drilling costs and up to $5000 in drill rig mobilisation costs.
Venus plans to plunge the drill bit into a previous reverse circulation hole drilled to a depth of 150 metres as a pre-collar. A follow-up diamond tail will test a conductor of 5000 siemens at 400m depth. Drilling costs are reduced because the pre-collar hole tested the first 150m of a much deeper hole.
The company's diamond drilling program is expected to begin in June.
Venus will take the opportunity to obtain core samples for metallurgical testwork planned on its zinc mineralisation identified within two holes and will complete downhole electromagnetic surveying.
The EIS initiative was launched in 2009 to encourage exploration in WA and to trigger private sector resource exploration for new mineral and energy discoveries.
Venus conducted ground gravity surveys on its ground across the prospective northern extension of its Pincher North Dome base metal find, which is considered to be a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) system. The company encountered several gravity anomalies in the system, which contains copper, zinc and lead mineralisation.
Subsequent moving loop electromagnetic survey lines were flown across the gravity anomalies using a Jessy Deeps SQUID sensor at low base frequency to achieve a maximum investigative depth.
The SQUID sensor is an ultra-sensitive receiver for ground transient electromagnetic measurements with supposed unrivalled sensitivity. It can record data up to 10 times longer or three times deeper than conventional coil receivers.
Management says a broad late-time response was evident on one line and modelled at 400m depth as a flat-lying, high-conductance plate at 5000 siemens, a unit of conductive measurement to determine how well a material allows electricity to flow through it.
It believes the modelled plate is significant and is champing at the bit to test it in the upcoming co-funded drill program.
Previous solid results at Pincher include gold hits at the Linda Gossan prospect, where the company has a 50 per cent interest through a joint venture in the regional gold rights, intersecting 9m at 15.6 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from surface, including a 3m hit of 35.2g/t from 1m.
Venus is in the enviable position of holding 55 million shares in gold explorer Rox Resources. Those shares are currently valued at near $17M.
Venus last week revealed a high-tech collaboration with leading science research organisation CSIRO to ramp up the hunt for more gold in WA's richly endowed Sandstone region.
The company has inked a deal through the CSIRO's Kick-Start program, securing a $47,426 voucher to fund a six-month research project to home in on gold and copper alteration zones at the Bellchambers deposit, within its Sandstone gold deposit.
Venus plans to use a combination of hyperspectral satellite imagery, downhole scanning and handheld spectrometers to rigorously map the deposit's mineral system with highly detailed 3D accuracy.
Sitting 23 kilometres southwest of the historic Sandstone gold-rush township and 70km from Rox Resources' Youanmi gold mine, Bellchambers has a modest but promising gold resource of 722,000 tonnes grading 1.31g/t gold for 30,500 ounces.
The company is conducting a 2000m reverse circulation drilling campaign that will plunge 26 holes into the prospective ground to test for gold outside the known resource and around the Bellchambers deposit.
All the reverse circulation chips and core samples will feed directly into the CSIRO's project to refine its advanced minerals mapping.
The CSIRO collaboration comprises next-generation hyperspectral satellite sensors that can scan the Earth's surface in unprecedented detail, creating mineral maps that dovetail with subsurface data from Venus' drilling program.
By integrating HyLogger-3TM downhole imagery and surface spectrometry, the project aims to generate a holistic view of the mineralising system, potentially kicking-up new gold-copper zones across the 125 square kilometre tenement.
Wisely, Venus has targeted the available government funding to help it pursue a coveted potential, new copper-zinc deposit in WA.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
matt.birney@wanews.com.au
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West Australian
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The Advertiser
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Our approach to products is so destructive. In many respects we're devouring the future
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Repair Cafes have taken off in Welsh communities, and the Welsh Benthyg Cymru - Library of Things - are prevalent around the country. In the same year that France introduced the index, the Australian Productivity Commission released a report on the "Right to Repair", identifying significant barriers to repair and recommending comprehensive reforms to enhance consumer choice, reduce e-waste, and promote competition in repair markets. Four years on and not one of the recommendations from the report have come to fruition. Clean Up Australia strongly advocates for the right to repair products and equipment, including access to parts, manuals, tools, software and extended warranties. It's part of living an independent and sustainable life - being able to mend, fix and extend the life of products we have. The Australian Repair Network has done a great job setting up an interactive map of community initiatives and repair cafes in Australia. But we still have a long way to go in this country. 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It's about extending the life of our products, saving money, and reducing pressure on households during a cost-of-living crunch. We need to guide, inspire and empower our communities to make more sustainable choices. Our approach to materials and products in the western world is so destructive. It's a linear approach where materials are extracted from the Earth, made into products, and eventually thrown away. In many respects we're devouring the future. In Australia, CSIRO reports that our circularity rate is sitting at 4 per cent, which is half the global average. That means that only 4 per cent of what we consume is not a virgin resource. We are also the world's biggest consumer of textiles per capita. Repairability is a key solution to reducing waste, but one that Australia continues to fall behind on. It ensures products can remain in use for as long as possible - keeping them out of landfill. Repair is an obvious "first responder" when it comes to waste prevention and having control over the products we buy and use, from computers, kettles and toasters to furniture, clothing and agricultural equipment. France is leading the way on repairability reform. In 2021, they introduced the Repairability Index to foster sustainable consumption, by making it easier for consumers to repair electronic devices rather than replace them. Products are scored from 0 to 10 based on how easy they are to repair. That's an effective way to promote and encourage repairability, as well as drive brands to redesign their products for a longer life. Wales is another superb example of a country which is excelling in circular economy achievement, thanks to simultaneous top-down and bottom-up action. Repair Cafes have taken off in Welsh communities, and the Welsh Benthyg Cymru - Library of Things - are prevalent around the country. 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If we are to successfully transition to a more circular and sustainable future, with regulated waste, moving markets for recycled materials, and a flourishing culture of repair and reuse, an entire consciousness shift is needed. I am mindful that even the terminology circular economy may still not be known to the general public. On our 35th anniversary, I'd like to see increased community awareness to reduce wasteful consumerism and reliance on single-use, enhanced product design standards for longevity and repair, and continued investment in waste management infrastructure. To achieve this, collaboration across all levels of government, industry, brands, business, and the everyday Australian is required. It is encouraging that late last year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the Albanese government's commitment to developing a general right to repair. With our Federal government sworn in and back to work, we're hoping to see that commitment enshrined in policy in the term to come. Australia can lead the way to develop new patterns of consumption that meet consumer expectations and reduce environmental impacts, while being affordable to the public and creating new business opportunities for brands and retailers. This year, more than 800,000 volunteers across the country pulled on their gloves and got to work removing litter from our precious environment. Our volunteers already put in the hard yards, but clean-ups alone cannot solve the mess we're in. It's time to begin fixing what's broken, before it becomes waste. Every Australian should feel inspired to have the cleanest country on earth. My father Ian Kiernan used to say he'd like Australia to be the cleanest country on earth. That is my aspiration, too. It's certainly possible but first we need to change our mindset to encourage more Australians to adjust their spending and shopping habits - from "take, make, waste" to re-use and repair. This isn't just about the environment - it's about fairness. It's about extending the life of our products, saving money, and reducing pressure on households during a cost-of-living crunch. We need to guide, inspire and empower our communities to make more sustainable choices. Our approach to materials and products in the western world is so destructive. It's a linear approach where materials are extracted from the Earth, made into products, and eventually thrown away. In many respects we're devouring the future. In Australia, CSIRO reports that our circularity rate is sitting at 4 per cent, which is half the global average. That means that only 4 per cent of what we consume is not a virgin resource. We are also the world's biggest consumer of textiles per capita. Repairability is a key solution to reducing waste, but one that Australia continues to fall behind on. It ensures products can remain in use for as long as possible - keeping them out of landfill. 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West Australian
4 days ago
- West Australian
CSIRO-led voyage leads to discovery of new deep-sea species, Carnarvon flapjack octopus, off Gascoyne coast
Meet the Carnarvon flapjack octopus — a new deep-sea species discovered in a canyon off the Gascoyne coast named after the location where it was found and its resemblance to a pancake. With massive eyes and blood-red tentacles, the small, gelatinous deep-sea octopus grows to about 4cm in diameter, but little is known about its ecology or lifestyle. The opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis is the 10th and latest new species to be described from specimens collected during a 2022 CSIRO-led voyage by research vessel Investigator, which surveyed relatively unexplored habitats and seabed biodiversity of the Gascoyne and Carnarvon Canyon Marine Parks for the first time. Since the survey, researchers, taxonomists and other stakeholders have been working to identify and describe some of these new species. In newly published research, Dr Tristan Verhoeff, a volunteer systematic taxonomist with the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, described the new species of flapjack octopus. It is a type of cirrate or 'dumbo' octopus of which there are 50 described species worldwide and 15 recorded from Australian waters. It is a deep-sea shape shifter able to flatten its body to resemble a pancake or to pull itself up to look like a tiny gelatinous umbrella. Unlike other octopus, they produce no ink and cannot change colour. 'The Carnarvon flapjack octopus' presence adds extra value to these recently established marine parks,' Dr Verhoeff said. 'This species discovery increases our understanding of Australia's deep-sea ecology and biodiversity. Describing new species is also essential for future work on their ecology and assessing populations for conservation.' Dr Lisa Kirkendale, head of department aquatic zoology at the WA Museum, said the Indian Ocean was 'truly a frontier for marine biodiversity research' and support was needed to 'document fabulous new species, such as the Carnarvon flapjack octopus.' CSIRO marine national facility team leader Dr Venetia Joscelyne said the 2022 voyage had been vital for increasing the understanding of the region's seafloor habitats and biodiversity. 'This was the first time the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks have been mapped in detail and explored to depths of more than 5000 metres,' she said. 'From this single research voyage alone, we are seeing many new marine species being described. Incredibly, scientists estimate that there are likely more than 1000 new species waiting to be described from specimens collected on RV Investigator voyages over the past 10 years.'
