RED 5 managing director Mark Williams has a point: the consolidation of gold mining in the Leonora region of Western Australia stretches back further than this year’s burst of activity (writes Barry FitzGerald on MiningNews).

Lacaze’s bullish take is good news for the growing band of ASX ionic clay rare earths explorers, including newcomer Equinox, which has just pegged a big position in Brazil.

By Barry FitzGerald.

The economic recovery, which is laying the foundations for 2024 to be a bumper year for investors, became a little clearer this week as U.S. growth accelerated, inflation fell in Australia and the OECD said Australian interest rates have peaked.

By Tim Treadgold.

Geopacific Resources is emerging with renewed vigour under the leadership of its new CEO, James Fox, and a revamped Board boasting extensive project development and corporate experience.

Reports Stockhead.

RareX has secured land at Wyndham Port for product storage and transfer, solidifying the supply chain from its flagship Cummins Range rare earths and phosphate project in the Kimberly region of WA (reports Stockhead).

Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) has confirmed it will look at incorporating waste ore and direct spodumene sorting technologies into the development configuration for the Mavis Lake lithium project in Canada (reports Small Caps).

A Perth-based explorer has fortuitously staked its claim to a vast tract of rare earths-rich ground in Brazil, amid a rush for the elements in the South American country involving West Australian mining big wigs Gina Rinehart and Tolga Kumova (reports The West Australian).

New World Resources has expanded its Javelin volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) project in Arizona, USA, staking new claims covering 350 acres including the very high-grade Red Cloud VMS deposit and the nearby Rudkins prospect (reports Stockhead).

Chalice Mining believes it is “enhancing” the underground potential of its Gonneville nickel-copper-PGE project near Perth in Western Australia after step-out drilling recorded hits such as 8m grading 5.83 grams per tonne 3E (palladium-platinum-gold) and 1.12% copper from 543m, and 16m at 6.17gpt 3E from 478m (reports MiningNews).

Boss Energy (ASX: BOE) has reached another milestone in its re-development of the historic Honeymoon mine in South Australia with the generation of production-grade uranium during pre-flushing of the start-up wells (reports Small Caps).

Plus, EQ emerging as a national champion in the critical tungsten game

Uranium set the pace in a strong week for commodities, hitting a 15-year high of US$80.25 a pound, with gold and iron ore not far behind, as reminders of last week’s suggestion in this column that financial markets have reached an inflection point ahead of a strong New Year.

Reverse circulation (RC) and air core (AC) drilling at the Eos deposit within Astral Resources’ (ASX: AAR) Mandilla gold project in Western Australia has returned some of the best bedrock gold intercepts to date (reports Small Caps).

Pioneer Lithium (ASX: PLN) has identified nine new pegmatites during inaugural prospecting and scouting activities at its wholly-owned LaGrande project in Canada’s James Bay region (reports Small Caps).

New World Resources has been granted a permit to undertake a maiden drilling program at one of the company’s highest priority exploration targets, 75km from its 11.4Mt Antler copper project (reports Stockhead).

High-grade gold and silver surface sampling has helped Sunstone Metals (ASX: STM) identify a large target to follow-up at its El Palmar project in northern Ecuador (reports Small Caps).

Centaurus Metals (ASX: CTM) has intersected high-grade nickel 300 metres below the current mineral resource estimate (MRE) limits in a new program to test the deeper upside at its 100%-owned Jaguar project in Brazil (reports Small Caps).

It has been a horror year for Chalice Mining. Its market cap has been smashed from its April high of A$3 billion to $620 million (reports Barry FitzGerald on MiningNews).

James Bay Minerals: Ticking boxes just eight weeks after listing

As one of the ASX’s newest explorers, James Bay Minerals (ASX: JBY) is wasting no time in its aim to create a multi-asset Canadian lithium business.

By Kristie Batten, Mining Commentator