Artemis Resources Ltd (ASX:ARV, AIM:ARV, OTCQB:ARTTF) has tapped gold, copper and nickel industry executive and highly experienced geologist Julian Hanna as technical director elect for the company, subject to LSE AIM market procedures.
Hanna led Western Areas from a start-up to become a high-margin, underground nickel miner and concentrate producer for 12 years until 2012 – the company was acquired by IGO for about $1 billion in 2022.
In 2013 Hanna joined junior explorer MOD Resources as managing director and went on to oversee the consolidation of a 300-kilometre-long holding in the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana and the discovery of two substantial open pit copper deposits. Sandfire Resources acquired MOD in late 2019 for $167 million.
To add value
“We look forward to welcoming Julian to the board and expect he will add significant value to the company through his experience in discovering and developing tier-one mineral deposits,” Artemis Resources chair Guy Robertson said.
“Julian will join the board at an exciting time as we focus on discovering new gold deposits, located near Artemis’ existing 374,000-ounce gold resource at the Karratha Gold Project.
“Artemis is fortunate in having a person of Julian’s experience to assist the exploration team in identifying exploration targets and progressing them towards possible mine development.”
Rapidly emerging gold province
Hanna has already been involved in ARV’s activities in a technical consulting role to assist with the company’s gold exploration strategy, which will involve drill testing several priority targets in early 2025.
“Artemis has potential for further gold discoveries on its extensive holdings in what is shaping up to be a rapidly emerging gold province in the north Pilbara region,” incoming technical director Julian Hanna said.
“Having reviewed the project, I consider the Artemis tenements are highly prospective for future gold discoveries, notably along a wide structural corridor which has had minimal previous drilling.
“The Karratha Gold Project also holds a number of advantages including proximity to first-class infrastructure in Karratha and a very experienced exploration team in Perth and on-site.”
Drilling next year will target the Marillion EM anomaly, which is interpreted to be a large, strongly conductive body offset by a fault from the eastern end of the Carlow gold resource and the Titan prospect where rock chip samples from outcropping veins peaking above 10,000 g/t gold have been reported previously.
ARV says the Carlow deposit is also high on the list of priorities for drilling to test the potential for significant high-grade gold and copper extensions at depth, as well as at the Thorpe, Chapman, Europa and Carlow North prospects.