Marimaca Copper has intersected 216 metres grading 0.96% copper and 7.2 g/t silver from 466 metres in hole SPRD-15 at Pampa Medina in Chile’s Antofagasta Region, including 62 metres at 2.2% copper and 21.5 g/t silver from 602 metres, extending the copper-silver system 300 metres. Step-out holes such as SPD-13 (222 metres at 0.5% copper from 194 metres) and SPRD-12 (56 metres at 0.95% copper from 748 metres) support continuity of oxide and sulphide mineralisation across a 3 km by 1.5 km footprint. With 30,000 metres of drilling planned in 2026 and Pampa Medina only 28 km from the fully permitted Marimaca oxide project (179 Mt at 0.42% copper, 50,000 t/y cathode over 13 years), the results point to a potentially large sulphide growth option adjacent to near-term heap-leach development.

Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire the Aurukun Bauxite Project in Queensland from Glencore and Mitsubishi Development, adding to its regional bauxite portfolio anchored by the Weipa operations about 200 km north, which produce over 30 million tonnes of bauxite per year. Aurukun remains at Mineral Development Licence stage with no Mining Lease granted, and the Wik Waya Traditional Owners say they were not consulted on the sale. Financial terms were undisclosed and completion depends on Queensland government and other Australian regulatory approvals.

Zambia’s Lobito Corridor rail scheme, designed to move high-value copper and cobalt from Solwezi, Kansanshi and Ndola to Angola’s Port of Lobito, is bypassing major manganese districts in Luapula and Central Provinces, where ore economics are dominated by bulk haulage costs. Nicholas Vafeas, founder of BluMelt Mineral Consulting, argues that manganese’s low value-to-weight ratio and highly concentrated global refining market mean Zambia’s strategic play lies in upstream production, not processing. He calls for “extraction corridors” via upgraded freight capacity at Kapiri Mposhi and new rail links into manganese belts, rather than a copper-only transit spine.