issue 148 4th december, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
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ISSUE 148 4th December, 2013
Are we back to the days of geologists and internet start-ups?
There’s an interesting comparison at present between the malaise within the resource sector and high-
flying components within the industrial sector. This is particularly noticeable in the IPO space. There are just
three resources IPOs amongst the list of 27 upcoming floats currently on the ASX website.
The ‘tech’ sector has seemingly attracted a lot of the speculative money that would naturally find a home in
the resource sector - and the stag profits that these opportunities have generated for speculators means
things aren’t likely to change any time soon (until the fad runs out of steam).
Of course, anyone who’s been around the resource sector a while has seen this all before. I clearly recall
the ‘dot-com boom’ during the period from 1995 – 2000, where seemingly every second junior exploration
company elected to reinvent itself as an IT play as a crude, short-term means of survival.
One of the most dismal pictures I’ve ever had to witness was that of life-long mining and exploration
industry veterans with decades’ worth of experience, walking into my broking office to try and explain their
dot-com start-up business, with no concept of how they were ever going to be successful, attract sales or
generate earnings. To make matters worse, they couldn’t even get their laptops to work!
All that happened was that a bunch of brokers and pimply-faced vendor computer geeks got rich (mostly on
paper) for a while, until the whole house of cards (inevitably) collapsed. And given the situation we’re
seeing now in the tech space, it’s almost a certainty that we’re witnessing the beginnings of the next tech
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debacle. Investors (or more accurately ‘punters’) are happy to back the latest high-priced offerings, without
any real clarity around how earnings will be generated. Just like the 1990s all over again.
The upside out of all this however is that it demonstrates clearly that there is speculative and risk
capital returning to the market - and over time it should start to find its way into the resources
sector once more.
One of the biggest problems facing the resources sector is the massive oversupply of listed entities. We
certainly don’t need +900 listed resource companies on the ASX, as the quality of project and management
simply isn’t there. All that’s happening is that the better quality companies are trying very hard to
differentiate themselves from the hundreds of penny dreadful that have no real projects and are most likely
saddled with management and boards that are more interested in a ‘lifestyle’ than anything else.
To be brutally honest, there are probably 400 to 500 too-many listed resource companies at the present
time – and these companies should either merge or disappear – for the sake of investors and the sector.
The average cost of maintaining an average exploration company is probably around $1 million annually, so
there is a vast swathe of shareholder funds that are simply being wasted just keeping the lights on.
What’s frustrating from my perspective is the lack of corporate (merger) activity amongst the hundreds of
penny dreadful, including a lack of introduction of new project opportunities. In many instances these
resource ‘shells’ believe they are worth a hell of a lot more than they actually are.
Many of these junior companies have cut back on virtually all exploration activity as a strategy of
‘conserving shareholder funds,’ which really isn’t a strategy at all. A company that’s maintaining an
office but no tangible exploration activity is giving its shareholders no rational reason to hold their
stock.
What the junior sector needs is a wholesale cleanout, by way of mergers, de-listings, insolvencies and
backdoor listings. Whilst things aren’t necessarily going to get better any time soon, those of us that have
been around the sector for a while (and have a bit of grey hair) know that this is a process that the resource
sector regularly goes through and will ultimately lead to a better performing industry.
As we’ve said previously, the one certainty about the resource cycle is that it repeats itself. Production falls,
new projects are delayed, and the exploration pipeline of potential new projects is cut to a minimum. Global
growth then starts to recover (which is what we’re witnessing now), with better indications out of China, the
US and Europe.
The net result will inevitably be that shortages of some metals and minerals will start to occur, prices will be
driven upwards once again, and funds will start to become available for new mine development. The
downsized miners will be leaner and more efficient exploration will start to pick up again – all preparing the
way for another cyclical peak some years ahead.
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Emmerson Resources (ERM) – Maintain Spec Buy around $0.045
Advanced explorer with an excellent technical pedigree that’s pursuing aggressive exploration work on its
Tennant Creek acreage package within the NT. It recently regained 100% control of all its project acreage.
Corporate Details
Status: Advanced Explorer
Size: Small Cap
Commodity Exposure: Gold
Share Price: $0.045
12-month Range: $0.032 - $0.12
Shares: 262m, Options: 3.6m
Top 20: 61%
Net Cash: $1.9m
Market Value: $12m
Key Parameters Rating (out of 5)Quarterly Statistics
Management Quality Q3 2013 Exploration Spend: $0.451m
Financial Security Q3 2013 Admin Spend: $0.231m
Project Quality Exploration Spend 66%, Admin Spend 34%
Exploration / Resource Potential Q4 2013 Forecast Exploration Spend: $0.4m
Project Risk Q4 2013 Forecast Admin. Spend: $0.25m
We introduced Emmerson Resources to our Portfolio during December 2010 with a Speculative Buy
recommendation around $0.13, based on our long-standing belief in the company’s high-grade gold-
copper Tennant Creek acreage within the Northern Territory. We locked in some profit with a Sell Half
recommendation around $0.245 during December 2011, but we retain confidence in the company’s
ability to ‘crack the code’ with respect to Tennant Creek and move towards commercial production.
One of the company’s biggest attractions has been technological. Emmerson utilises a technique that is
able to clearly identify fresh gold-copper targets that have a strong chance of being mineralised. Within the
Tennant Creek context this means the identification of mineralisation-bearing host ironstones. The
company’s HeliTEM surveys have also highlighted extensions to prospective mine corridors, extending
mineralized trends well outside the areas defined by magnetic surveying alone, providing enormous upside.
We retain strong confidence in the gold-copper potential within Tennant Creek, particularly in terms of
the company’s production ambitions. Given Emmerson’s ownership of the old Warrego treatment
plant, it should comfortably transition to production status at a reasonably modest cost at some stage
over the next couple of years, as the resource base grows. Meanwhile, solid exploration results are
being generated from ongoing field-work that is further enhancing the broader geological understanding.
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Recent Activity
Emmerson has announced outstanding results from the recently completed Mineral Resource Estimation at
its Tennant Creek project. A total of 99,000 ounces of high-grade JORC gold resources have been added
since the last substantial upgrade announced during October 2013. This takes the global mineral resources
to 6.79 Mt at 3.6g/t gold-equivalent for 900,000 gold-equivalent ounces and provides an early source of
high-grade ore to the company’s Warrego CIP mill. JORC-compliant Gold Resources have increased by
70% to 246,000 ounces of gold.
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Technical Significance
The new Chariot mine plan consists of an enlarged open-pit that extracts more than 40,000 ounces of gold
at a grade of 17.7g/t, and then contemplates reconnecting to the existing underground development to
extract a further 58,000 ounces at a grade of 17.2g/t gold. There remains excellent potential to greatly
expand both the open pit and underground resources, as both remain open in most directions.
The company’s next drilling program, planned for early 2014 (immediately following the wet season) will
focus on the Chariot East and West Targets, where approximately 1,200 metres of RC drilling is planned to
test for shallow, high-grade supergene gold. This program has the potential to further rapidly expand the
resource base and add to the high-grade ounces within an even larger open-pit.
Furthermore, given the company’s recent HeliTEM survey over the entire “wine line” structure, there is also
excitement surrounding the ‘brownfields’ potential, particularly at areas such as Mondeuse - where historic
drilling intersected 7 metres at 2.55% copper, Analytic – 3 metres at 40.7g/t gold and West Gibbet – 13
metres at 66.9g/t gold and 4 metres at 50.3g/t gold).
This area hosts excellent infrastructure, with an existing haul road connecting to the Warrego Mill, is within
granted Mining Leases and cleared for drilling by the Traditional Owners/CLC. Furthermore, there is
excellent potential to rapidly grow the copper-gold resource at the new Goanna discovery, as the
mineralization remains open both along-strike and down-plunge.
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Project Background
The Chariot deposit was discovered by Normandy Mining in 1998 and lies 10km west of the Tennant Creek
town site and 36km southeast of the Warrego mill. The Chariot Mine operated from 2003 – 2005 and
produced 271,597t @ 10.83g/t gold for 94,600 ounces of contained gold from both open-cut and
underground mining. The mine was closed during 2005 due to Giants Reef Mining (the then mine owner)
entering administration.
The mineralisation at Chariot is gold dominant, with minor to subordinate copper and bismuth hosted by
magnetite-hematite-chlorite rock. The mineralisation is interpreted to be structurally controlled and occurs in
numerous lenses or shoots. The Mineral Resource Estimation includes the remnant resources located
immediately below the existing open-pit, accessible through a cutback.
Given the rapidly expanding resource inventory, Emmerson have engaged Optiro to commence a
conceptual financial model ahead of a detailed scoping study. The model will take into account the costs of
refurbishing the company’s 100%-owned CIP mill, the established underground and open-pit infrastructure
at Goanna, Gecko, Orlando and Chariot, plus the proximity to power, rail, water and amenities at the
township of Tennant Creek.
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Tennant Creek Background
The Tennant Creek Mineral Field (TCMF) is one of Australia’s most prolific gold-copper districts, having
produced more than 5.5M oz of gold and 470,000 tonnes of copper from a variety of deposits - including
Gecko, Orlando, Warrego, White Devil, Chariot and Golden Forty - all of which are situated within
Emmerson’s project portfolio.
Emmerson maintains 2,800 sq
km of project area within the
TCMF, owns the only gold mill
within the region, and also
maintains an extensive
geological database. The
company has managed to
consolidate 95% of the highly
prospective TCMF, where
incidentally just 8% of the
historical drilling has penetrated
below 150 metres depth.
Emmerson is utilising new, high-
technology search techniques to
explore the TCMF and during late 2011 identified two high-grade discoveries - Goanna and Monitor - which
are particularly interesting as they represent a new style of mineralisation undetected by previous explorers.
The discoveries lie close to the underground mine development at the historic Gecko deposit.
Emmerson has firstly established and subsequently enhanced its resource inventory ahead of an eventual
transition to mining and commercial gold production. So far, detailed analysis and additional drilling has
been completed on the Gecko and Orlando discoveries, with substantial resources outlined. Further
brownfields exploration will continue throughout the remainder of 2013 and into 2014.
The company has recently regained a 100% stake in all its Tennant Creek acreage following the withdrawal
of Inova Resources (formerly Ivanhoe Australia) from the prior joint venture within Emmerson. Inova had
ongoing issues regarding its ownership and its withdrawal provides a much clearer pathway for Emmerson.
Summary
Emmerson remains a modestly-valued, hugely prospective exploration play that will continue to
generate strong news flow on both the project exploration and appraisal fronts. The recently
announced resource increase is enormously encouraging and positions the company well for an
eventual transition to production status over the coming years. Now is therefore the right time to
enhance our position, particularly given current low share price levels – so we maintain our
Speculative Buy recommendation on Emmerson Resources around $0.045.
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Gold Road Resources (GOR) – Maintain Spec Buy around $0.09
Advanced gold explorer that’s aggressively evaluating the gold potential of its large-scale Yamarna regional
project in Western Australia. The company is enjoying particular success with its regional program.
Corporate Details
Status: Emerging Producer
Size: Small Cap
Commodity Exposure: Gold
Share Price: $0.09
12-month Range: $0.034 - $0.15
Shares: 456m, Options: 12m
Top 20: 33%
Net Cash: $7m
Market Value: $41m
Key Parameters Rating (out of 5)Quarterly Statistics
Management Quality Q3 2013 Exploration Spend: $2.005m
Financial Security Q3 2013 Admin Spend: $0.675m
Project Quality Exploration Spend 75%, Admin Spend 25%
Exploration / Resource Potential Q4 2013 Forecast Exploration Spend: $2.0m
Project Risk Q4 2013 Forecast Admin. Spend: $0.55m
We introduced Gold Road Resources to our Portfolio back in December 2010 with a Speculative Buy
recommendation around $0.38 and we recommended that shareholders take up their SPP entitlement
at $0.11 during January 2013, whilst also recommending the stock to new investors as a Speculative
Buy around similar price levels. We’ve also taken advantage of recent market weakness to purchase
additional stock between $0.064 and $0.087.
My overall confidence in the Gold Road story is based upon the ‘big picture’ potential for its Yamarna
project to host a multi-million ounce gold belt. Importantly too, the grades and widths being generated
are amongst the best seen in an Australian gold project for several decades. What makes Gold Road’s
exploration achievements even more notable is that they have taken place against a background of
relative mediocrity in terms of grassroots exploration discoveries within the Australian gold sector.
Given the vast sums of exploration dollars that have been raised and pumped into the ground by gold
exploration companies over the past decade, there isn’t a huge lot to show for it in terms of
‘greenfields’ gold discoveries – with Gold Road’s Yamarna project and Independence/Anglogold’s
Tropicana project providing the notable exceptions. The company is beginning to generate strong
market recognition on the back of its recent regional exploration success.
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Recent Activity
The company has announced that assay results from the first hole of ongoing extensional RC drilling
at its new Gruyere prospect within the Dorothy Hills Trend, has confirmed that gold mineralisation
extends to the north for an additional 200 metres beyond previous drilling.
During November, the
company commenced a
program of step-out RC
drilling aiming at
delineating potential strike
extensions to the Gruyere
prospect, focusing on the
northern extension of
previously announced
wide mineralization (refer
to our prior coverage of
Gold Road).
Drilling of two step-out
sections 200 metres north
(Section H) and 300
metres north (Section I) of
previous RC drilling was
completed, comprising 11
RC holes for a total of
1,328 metres. The host
Gruyere Intrusive was
intersected at
approximately 120 metres
horizontal width on both
sections.
Additional RC drilling is in
progress and will step-out
a further 300 metres to the
north and then infill the
original discovery area to
consistent 100-metre spaced sections. Additional air-core drilling has also commenced scoping the
extent of the Gruyere Intrusive along a 2km trend to the north of planned RC drilling.
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Technical Significance
Previous RC drilling at Gruyere had defined a mineralised trend of 800 metres strike length and up to
180 metres horizontal width within the Gruyere Intrusive body. This mineralization remained open
along strike to both the north and south, and at depth.
Drilling on step-out Section H (200 metres to the north of previous drilling) was completed, with seven
holes for 764 metres identifying an additional 200-metre extension to the Gruyere Intrusive at a
horizontal width of between 120 to 150 metres. Step-out Section I (100 metres north of H) has also
been completed, with four holes (564 metres) also successfully intersecting the Intrusive and defining
a horizontal width of between 110 to 120 metres.
Drilling on both sections intersected pervasive silica-albite-pyrite alteration as logged in RC drilling
chips, similar to previously intersected to the south in the Gruyere discovery area. An intermediate
volcanic sequence has been intersected to the west of the Intrusive body and mafic volcanics (basalt)
to the east, consistent with the existing Gruyere interpretation.
The Gruyere discovery has grown rapidly in size to 1.1km in strike length with in a very short
timeframe and is still growing. It has real potential to develop into a bulk-mining opportunity,
given its horizontal width, consistent mineralisation and shallow depth. The mineralisation at
Gruyere is a style that’s completely new to the Yamarna Belt and unusual even in the Yilgarn
context in Western Australia.
Drilling has now moved back to the main Gruyere discovery area for a short period to extend
previously drilled sections to the east and west. A new step-out line (Section L) approximately 300
metres north of Section I is being prepared for drilling, which is expected to start during the first week
of December. If successful, it will define a 1,400-metre strike on the Gruyere prospect.
A 3,500-metre air-core drilling program has also commenced with the aim of defining further
extensions of the Intrusive to the north and north-east of the current Gruyere footprint. Positive
indications of the host intrusive will be immediately followed up with RC drilling, which will test the
strike extent of the Gruyere trend for an additional 2,000 to 2,500 metres north of the current limits of
RC drilling.
Yamarna Project Background
The company’s acreage position encompasses more than 5,000 sq km of the Yamarna greenstone
belt, situated 150km east of Laverton on the eastern edge of the Yilgarn Craton. The Yamarna belt lies
adjacent to the 500km-long Yamarna shear zone and north of the developing +5-million ounce
Tropicana deposit, jointly-owned by AngloGold-Ashanti/Independence Group. Although it was
discovered during the 1990s, Yamarna’s relative remoteness 870km from Perth and its abundant
surface cover means it is one of the most underexplored greenstone belts within Western Australia.
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The Yamarna Belt has been identified by the Geological Society of Western Australia as sharing
the same age and characteristics as the prolific Kalgoorlie Belt, so the same gold exploration
techniques that proved effective in Kalgoorlie may also prove effective for Yamarna. Past gold
production from the Kalgoorlie greenstone belt exceeds 120 million ounces and it continues to
deliver new discoveries 130 years later.
Importantly, Gold Road is the only company to have consolidated tenements and conducted
systematic exploration within the Yamarna Belt. With only a small proportion of the belt having so far
received detailed exploration, the company has made 13 new gold discoveries since 2009, established
a pipeline of more than 100 targets and compiled a JORC-compliant Resource comprising more than
1.2 million ounces of gold.
Exploration is focused on increasing confidence and expanding the resource of the advanced projects,
whilst also searching for more new gold discoveries. Meeting its target of 150,000 metres of drilling
during calendar 2012, around one-third of the total metres drilled (two-thirds of the budget) was
focused on further proving the company’s advanced projects, whilst two-thirds was spent on on
establishing new gold prospects. The company is prioritising projects and allocating drill rigs and
resources to the key projects, with the aim of advancing projects into the JORC Resource category.
Regional Exploration Excitement
Gold Road has undertaken extensive work since 2012 across its Yamarna tenements, resulting in a
predictive geological model that has highlighted areas within the tenements with the greatest potential
of hosting large gold deposits. This process utilized regional targeting tools using conceptual models
that interpreted various geological and geophysical data sets, including gravity, magnetic and
geological images.
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The result was the
identification of numerous
“Gold Camp Scale Targets”
across the tenements - each
target with a 15km ‐ 20km
strike length and approximately
80 – 100 sq km in area and
containing numerous gold
prospects. During June 2013
the company completed the
third regional targeting
exercise, utilising Reduction
Oxidation Analysis (Redox),
which identified 15 regional
targets, the majority of which
were associated with the Gold
Camp Scale Targets identified
during the course of 2012.
Analysis of existing geophysical
data (aeromagnetic) and sparse
geochemical data suggests
potential for a repeat unit of the
intrusive to continue to the north
and east providing a potential
parallel zone. Drilling will be
undertaken to test the extent of
the intrusive footprint to the north
and east of the Gruyere target.
A combination of gold and multi‐element assays would be utilised to identify further occurrences of the
similar intrusive now recognised as the host at Gruyere. Positive identification of further anomalously
mineralised intrusive rocks would open up considerable additional exploration potential in this new
mineralised belt.
Corporate Partnership - Sumitomo Metals
Gold Road has also secured a major exploration joint venture agreement with Sumitomo Metals
coverings 2,720 sq of its ~5,000 sq km project acreage at Yamarna. Sumitomo can earn up to a 50%
interest in Gold Road’s South Yamarna tenements by spending up to $8 million on exploration by 31
December 2016, with a minimum spend of $3.5 million prior to the end of 2014.
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Through this joint venture the company has made a conscious decision to bring forward the testing of
some of the exploration targets on the southern portion of the Yamarna Greenstone Belt by several
years in order to give them the near-term attention they deserve. Sumitomo and Gold Road have
agreed a budget of $1.75 million during 2013 for a program comprising surface geochemical sampling
and HeliSAM surveys, followed by 15,000 metres of RAB/air-core drilling
Established JORC Resource - Central Bore & Atilla Trends
Gold Road has previously progressed exploration on two key gold trends, together with two recently
discovered trends, within the Yamarna Belt. The first comprises the Attila Trend that extends for more
than 33km and hosts a significant JORC-compliant resource; whilst the second comprises the Central
Bore Trend, an area east of the southern extent of the Attila Trend which has delivered six new
discoveries in 24 months and hosts a significant JORC resource.
During the March 2013 quarter, the company announced an upgraded Mineral Resource Estimate for
the combined Central Bore Project comprising 813,900 tonnes at 7.7 g/t Au for a total of 201,100
ounces. This represents a 32% increase in total ounces, along with a 134% increase in ounces in the
Measured category and a 407% increase in ounces within the Inferred category.
Encouraging Scoping Study Results
The Scoping Study for Attila and Central Bore was completed during September 2012 by Optiro Pty
Limited and confirmed the economic viability of the projects. The production scenario has been further
enhanced with the announcement of results earlier this year from ore processing studies that have
confirmed the viability of an even smaller, 100,000tpa high-grade underground mining operation at
Central Bore, with total gold production of around 35,000 ounces per annum. Production could be
accelerated by ~6 months and pay-back could be achieved within 12 months.
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The original Scoping Study was based on a processing throughput of 400ktpa via a conventional CIL
plant, with blended feed material from both the high-grade Central Bore underground mining operation
and the lower-grade Attila and Alaric open-pit mining operations. A review of the outcomes however
highlighted the difference in operating costs of the underground versus open-pit mines, along with the
increased project and funding risk from including the relatively lower-grade/higher-cost open-pit ore.
The company had previously commissioned investigations into smaller-sized processing plant options
(fed only from the Central Bore underground mining operation) and a number of engineering firms
have provided detailed quotations for both the capital expenditure and operating expenditure
requirements for the smaller 100ktpa modular processing plant option. These quotes range from $18 -
$20 million for the processing plant and $80/t - $100/t in plant operating expenditure. The lower-cost
option is more attractive in the current environment.
The company had previously stated that the Pre‐feasibility Study would be completed by the end of
June 2013, however the decision has been made to defer completion of the Pre‐feasibility Study until
mining costs settle and can materially improve the economics of the Central Bore development.
Summary
The company’s regional targeting strategy, aimed at trying to discover multi-million ounce
deposits, has highlighted both the Gruyere and YAM14 targets along with around another 40
priority structural and Redox targets within its 5,000 sq km tenement holdings. Both Gruyere
and YAM14 are the first targets at the Dorothy Hills trend to be RC drill-tested. I am enormously
encouraged by the solid RC results so far achieved.
We already have a strong existing Portfolio exposure, but I am happy to reiterate our Spec Buy
recommendation around current price levels of $0.09. Managing Director Ian Murray is currently
attending Mines & Money in London, so there could be further market momentum following an
Eastern States investor road-show last week.
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Artemis Resources (ARV) – Maintain Spec Buy around $0.004
An emerging gold explorer with exposure to various interesting exploration projects in Western Australia.
Current activity is focused on the Eastern Hills antimony-lead deposit, where drilling is about to commence.
Corporate Details
Status: Grassroots Explorer
Size: Small Cap
Commodity Exposure: Gold
Share Price: $0.004
12-month Range: $0.004 – $0.024
Shares: 744m, Options: 275m
Top 20: 55%
Net Cash: $1.3m
Market Value: $3m
Key Parameters Rating (out of 5)Quarterly Statistics
Management Quality Q3 2013 Exploration Spend: $0.299m
Financial Security Q3 2013 Admin Spend: $0.342m
Project Quality Exploration Spend 47%, Admin Spend 53%
Exploration / Resource Potential Q4 2013 Forecast Exploration Spend: $0.25m
Project Risk Q4 2013 Forecast Admin. Spend: $0.18m
Artemis Resources represents a promising grassroots exploration opportunity, primarily because of its
strategically located Yandal and Mount Clement gold projects in Western Australia, combined with a
modest market value. We initially introduced Artemis Resources into our Portfolio with a Speculative Buy
recommendation around $0.068 during January 2011. Like most junior explorers the company has suffered
from ‘the flight from risk’ within the Australian sharemarket over the past couple of years.
The company’s flagship project at present is its Mt Clement Eastern Hills Antimony Project. The Eastern
Hills prospect was originally drilled by BHP during the mid 1970s with a single drill hole as part of a broader
gold exploration program at its Mt Clement gold deposit. During the mid 1990s, ASX-listed Taipan
Resources defined a zone of lead-antimony (Pb-Sb) mineralisation based on 19 RC holes. More recently,
stronger antimony prices have led to a reevaluation of the project’s resource potential.
A review of historical exploration at Eastern Hills suggests there was potential for an initial Exploration
Target in the range of 410,000 to 1,250,000 tonnes at a grade range of 1.5% - 1.9% Sb and 2.1% - 2.4%
Pb. Artemis has subsequently undertaken focused exploration activity during the course of the second half
of 2013, with the aim of confirming the Exploration Target and upgrading it to JORC-compliant resource
status. It has managed to do so successfully, as well as expand mineralisation down-dip and along strike.
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Recent Activity
Artemis has achieved a significant milestone by releasing its maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource
estimate for its Eastern Hills Antimony-Lead Project in the Ashburton region of Western Australia. The
resource is based upon results from the recently completed RC drilling program.
The combined Indicated and Inferred resource comprises 1.3 million tonnes at 1.7% Sb (antimony) and
2.5% Pb (lead). Importantly, the higher-confidence Indicated resource category has returned higher grades
than expected with respect to antimony (2.0%), lead (3.1%) and gold (0.41g/t) compared to the company’s
Exploration Target estimated earlier this year.
Technical Significance
The RC drilling program set the scene for the sizeable initial resource estimate, as the results confirmed the
validity of the antimony-lead mineralisation model at Eastern Hills, as comprising vein-hosted massive
sulphides bounded by a broader zone of disseminated sulphides. The program also confirmed the
extension of the Eastern Hills antimony-lead mineralisation along strike and down-dip.
Importantly too, the company has met its timetable with respect to announcing its initial JORC resource
estimate. The resource estimate includes mineralisation from the Taipan Zone only, with drill-testing of the
recently identified high-grade Dugite Zone (up to 35.7% Sb, 29% Pb, 1335g/t Ag and 3.36g/t Au),
scheduled for the 2014 field season.
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Encouragingly from a confidence point of view, more than 70% of the Total Mineral Resource is contained
within the Indicated category. The remaining 29% of the resource estimate is within the Inferred category,
highlighting the potential for mineralisation to continue at depth.
The exploration target has been defined over a 600-metre strike length in what is now thought to be a
mineralised system of at least 1km in strike length and which is also open at depth. The current exploration
target does not take into account new zones with a combined prospective strike length of 2.8km. Detailed
studies have yet to be completed to assess the viability of economically extracting and processing the
Eastern Hills Mineral Resource, however the Resource estimate will form the basis of a Scoping Study that
is scheduled for early 2014.
Based on current commodity prices of $7,000/t copper and $10,000/t antimony, antimony grades of
2-3% are equivalent to 3-4.5% Cu - or around 6/g/t Au in gold-equivalent terms.
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Summary
Artemis’ first drilling program at Eastern Hills has generated highly encouraging exploration results
that have provided the basis for a solid initial JORC resource estimate, as well as confirming the
company’s geological model. Artemis is now well on track to extend the Eastern Hills antimony-lead
mineralization. Recent follow-up work has been completed, including a field campaign to further
map and sample new zones identified adjacent to the Taipan Zone (including the high-grade Dugite
Zone). Results of this work will lead to drill target generation for potential resource expansion,
whilst a scoping study to assess the economic parameters around the deposit is scheduled for
early 2014. We are therefore happy maintaining our Spec Buy recommendation on Artemis
Resources around $0.004.
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Disclaimer: Gavin Wendt, who is a Financial Services Representative of Summit Equities Ltd ACN 097 771 634, and is a director of Mine Life Pty
Ltd ACN 140 028 799, compiled this document. In preparing the general advice of this report, no account was taken of the investment
objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any particular person. Before making an investment decision on the basis of the advice in
this report, investors and prospective investors need to consider, with or without the assistance of a securities adviser, whether the advice is
appropriate in light of the particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances of the investor or the prospective investor.
Although the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources considered and believed to be both reliable and
accurate, no responsibility is accepted for any opinion expressed or for any error or omission in that information.
MineLife Portfolio: Please refer to our Portfolio page for a full listing of all our stocks held, including
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