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MiningLithium

Tennis god Andre Agassi celebrates with the trophy after the final match at the ATP Masters on November 1, 1990 in Frankfurt, Germany. (Photo by Bongarts/Getty Images)

Who Made the Gains? Here are January’s top 50 miners and explorers

Mining

6 hours ago|Reuben Adams

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Lithium stood tall in a choppy, volatile month for ASX stocks.

It felt a bit like 2017, when more than 100 ASX exploration stocks were chasing a lithium payday.

When prices plummeted stocks moved on, and by late 2020 the number of stocks with active lithium projects in their portfolios had dwindled to the low double digits.

But guess who’s back now prices are soaring?

We count +80 lithium explorers/miners on the ASX right now.

Are they all great stocks, with great projects? Lol, no. But once again punters and sophs can’t get enough of that white gold and, unlike the ‘false start’ in 2017-2018, most experts reckon this nascent boom is the real deal.

There are 19 stocks with lithium exposure in January’s Top 50 alone.

Overall, there is an incredibly strong showing from the battery metals/critical minerals suite — nickel, copper, rare earths, cobalt, graphite, and vanadium — as the ‘green metal’ thematic gathers pace.

What were the top 50 resources winners for January searching for?

Here are the top 50 ASX resources stocks for the month of January >>>

Scroll or swipe to reveal table. Click headings to sort. Best viewed on a laptop

1MC	Morella Corporation	172.7%	0.03	$155,286,420	Lithium
ARR	American Rare Earths	130.3%	0.38	$157,033,553	Rare Earths
AS2	Askari Metals	79.5%	0.35	$10,899,016	Lithium, Gold, Copper
ASO	Aston Minerals	73.5%	0.17	$171,755,537	Nickel, Cobalt, Gold
AUQ	Alara Resources	80.0%	0.045	$33,155,174	Copper, Gold
AVL	Australian Vanadium	39.3%	0.039	$118,588,677	Vanadium, Nickel, PGEs
AZL	Arizona Lithium	61.1%	0.145	$269,381,481	Lithium
BNR	Bulletin Resources	52.2%	0.105	$27,755,758	Gold, Lithium
CAE	Cannindah Resources	41.2%	0.24	$123,237,560	Copper, Gold
CAV	Carnavale Resources	71.4%	0.012	$34,023,224	Gold
CDT	Castle Minerals	76.0%	0.044	$38,974,441	Graphite, Lithium, Zinc, Lead
CHR	Charger Metals	94.7%	0.74	$24,824,052	Lithium, Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, PGEs
CLA	Celsius Resources	63.2%	0.031	$31,619,342	Copper, Gold, Cobalt
CMD	Cassius Mining	76.9%	0.023	$7,428,833	Limestone, Gold
CNB	Carnaby Resources	87.1%	1.375	$178,339,658	Copper, Gold, Lithium
COB	Cobalt Blue	38.60%	0.575	$148,168,767	Cobalt
CPM	Cooper Metals	88.6%	0.33	$8,916,600	Copper, Gold
CRR	Critical Resources	191.7%	0.105	$139,308,675	Lithium,Copper, Zinc, Silver
CXO	Core Lithium	38.9%	0.75	$1,244,278,008	Lithium
DCX	Discovex Resources	66.7%	0.01	$25,686,641	Gold, Copper
DM1	Desert Metals	113.7%	0.545	$21,895,500	Nickel, Copper, PGEs
ESR	Estrella Resources	63.6%	0.036	$38,842,443	Nickel, Copper
ESS	Essential Metals	177.8%	0.5	$120,330,673	Lithium
GL1	Global Lithium	96.3%	1.57	$210,986,890	Lithium
GT1	Green Technology	98.9%	0.875	$89,570,000	Lithium
GWR	GWR Group	44.0%	0.18	$53,124,679	Iron Ore
HIO	Hawsons Iron	51.9%	0.205	$153,736,384	Iron Ore
IEC	Intra Energy Corp	84.6%	0.024	$10,029,418	Nickel, Copper, PGEs
ITM	Itech Minerals	41.0%	0.275	$25,222,499	Kaolin, Rare Earths, Graphite
KFM	Kingfisher Mining	55.3%	0.295	$9,074,925	Copper, Gold, Rare Earths
LM8	Lunnon Metals	107.7%	0.81	$61,663,126	Nickel
LPI	Lithium Power International	61.4%	0.67	$219,725,004	Lithium
LRV	Larvotto Resources	62.5%	0.195	$6,147,750	Copper, Gold, Cobalt, Lithium
M3M	M3 Mining	44.4%	0.39	$12,408,186	Copper, Gold, Silver
MRC	Mineral Commodities	46.5%	0.145	$77,573,642	Graphite, Mineral Sands
MRR	Minrex Resources	69.4%	0.061	$39,444,046	Lithium, Gold, Tin, Tantalum, Rare Earths
NIM	Nimy Resources	62.8%	0.35	$16,878,004	Nickel
NIS	Nickelsearch	38.7%	0.215	$13,475,961	Nickel
PGO	Pacgold	111.0%	0.96	$34,479,300	Gold
PVW	PVW Resources	44.6%	0.535	$36,021,375	Rare Earths, Gold
QGL	Quantum Graphite	57.1%	0.22	$70,320,000	Graphite
QXR	Qx Resources	90.5%	0.04	$26,456,131	Lithium, Rare Earths, Gold, Silver, Molybdenum
RNU	Renascor Resources	79.2%	0.215	$397,712,907	Graphite
SFM	Santa Fe Minerals	42.3%	0.185	$13,471,476	Nickel, Copper, PGEs, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold, Vanadium
SPQ	Superior Resources	109.1%	0.046	$71,217,034	Copper, Gold, Nickel, PGEs
TNR	Torian Resources	54.5%	0.034	$35,493,620	Rare Earths, Gold
WCN	White Cliff Minerals	53.1%	0.0245	$13,050,321	Lithium, Rare Earths, Gold
XTC	Xantippe Resources	90.0%	0.0095	$47,133,799	Lithium, Gold
ZAG	Zuleika Gold	117.6%	0.037	$14,871,361	Gold
ZNC	Zenith Minerals	48.9%	0.335	$123,769,496	Lithium, Gold, Copper, Zinc, Lead

JANUARY TOP FIVE

CRITICAL RESOURCES (ASX:CRR)+197%

Market Cap: $139m

In 2018 CRR – then called Force Commodities — was hunting for lithium next toAVZ Minerals’ (ASX:AVZ)mammoth ‘Manono’ project.

As the heat came out of battery metals it moved onto other things like silver, lead, and copper, but has now come full circle with the recent acquisition of a lithium project in Canada called ‘Mavis Lake’.

It then doubled down, picking up another lithium project down the road called Graphic Lake.

PuntersloveThe Lakes. Just look at this chart:

BOOM.

At Mavis, historical hits include 55.25m at 1.04% lithium from 80.75m – presenting what the company has described as “excellent potential”.

“Our strategy in 2022 is to begin exploration drilling as soon as possible once permitting is completed,” managing director Alex Biggs says.

“We have multiple targets to explore with a view to achieving, over time, the milestones set out by the vendors of 5 million and 10 million tonnes [at Mavis Lake].”

ESSENTIAL METALS (ASX:ESS)+177%

Market Cap: $120m

Fun fact: lithium explorer ESS sold Mavis Lakes to CRR.

ESS has the hands full with the ‘Pioneer Dome’ lithium project in WA which contains an actual resource (more than most explorers can boast) of 11.2Mt at 1.21% lithium.

As well as growing the resource with more drilling ESS are prepping for development.

A scoping study on the project – the first proper look at the economics of building a mine — is set to start mid-year.

MORELLA CORP (ASX:1MC)+172%

Market Cap: $155m

Besides the big miners, 1MC probs has the most battle-hardened lithium team in the business.

The lithium stock formerly known as Altura Mining continues to edge higher after relisting on the ASX in December.

1MC’s current management is a slimmed down version of the Altura team which built and operated its namesake lithium project, now owned by neighbour Pilbara Minerals (ASXLS).

Coming out of 16 months in suspension, 1MC now has a couple of new lithium exploration projects on the go, including ‘Mallina’ in WA’s Pilbara and the ‘Fish Lake Valley’ brines project in Nevada, USA.

The company raised about ~$8.5m prior to its relisting at 0.5c per share.

Those investors that got in at 0.5c would be happy, with the current share price up 500% on those levels. It goes without saying that longstanding investors remain deep in the red.

AMERICAN RARE EARTHS (ASX:ARR)+130%

Market Cap: $157m

Before it pivoted to rare earths in 2020, ARR was inan unhappy JVwith fellow top 50 stockCobalt Blue (ASX:COB).

Both stocks have done very well post-separation.

ARR is now benefitting from theUnited States’ distaste for all things China, a dominant producer and exporter of rare earths.

Its main game is the ‘La Paz’ rare earths project in Arizona, where drilling is about to kick off to “significantly increase” the 170 million tonne JORC Resource.

Then there’s the ‘Halleck Creek’ project, which ARR says could contain more resources than La Paz.

~ 308 to 385 million tonnes of rare earths mineralised rocks were identified as an exploration target at Halleck with an average TREO Grade of 2330 ppm to 2912 ppm, it said January 21.

Drilling is also scheduled to begin in the current quarter.