Titanium steals iPhone 15 limelight: Australasian Metals (ASX: A8G) tapping opportunity with May Queen South - Kalkine Media

Highlights

• The newly launched iPhone 15 Pro features a Grade 5 titanium body.
• ASX-listed mineral explorers such as Australasian Metals are eyeing to tap opportunities amid the booming titanium economy, with highly prospective projects across Australia.
• Australasian Metals operates the May Queen South Bauxite Project in central Queensland.
• The project has a JORC 2012 Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 54.9Mt at 37.5% total Al₂O₃ and 5.2% TiO₂ and 7.9% Rx SiO₂.
• Recent exploration work has delivered high grades of up to 17.55% TiO₂.

Every year, Apple delights its customers with a new series of iPhone that dons a dynamic look and top-end features. This year, Apple has added iPhone 15 series to the list of pro models of the new generation smartphones.

The newly introduced iPhone 15 is the talk of the town. However, what Apple emphasised the most while launching iPhone 15, is its titanium construction. Its Grade 5 titanium frame makes the phone light weight as well as gives more durability.

Apple chose to use titanium for its new series, over stainless steel this time as titanium is much lighter than steel. Also, titanium is stronger than aluminium, has high resistance to extreme temperatures as well as corrosion. Such traits of the hard metal have elevated the use of this hard metal in varied sectors. It has found application in diverse sectors, including aerospace and defence.

The growing demand for the metal has led to an upthrust in the performance of companies involved in titanium exploration and development. ASX-listed companies such as Australasian Metals Limited (ASX: A8G) are eyeing to tap the opportunities amid the booming titanium economy, with their portfolio of highly prospective projects.

Australasian Metals marks entry into global titanium market with new acquisition

The company operates May Queen South Bauxite Project in central Queensland. An agreement was signed between A8G and Atlantic Lithium Limited in May 2023 for the project.

Data source: company updates

Within the resource drilling, there are high-grade titanium outcomes with grades of 3.8-5.0% TiO₂, as per a historical study.

Furthermore, mineralogical work completed previously detected ilmenite and rutile as the main titanium bearing phases occurring within the bauxite profile. The downhole grade profile from resource drilling indicates a surface enriched titanium zone that progressively reduces in grade down the bauxite profile. Additional resource potential exists for a high-grade pre-strip titanium concentrate.

The initial field program conducted by the company at the project covered mapping and surface rock chip sampling. The campaign led to the identification of several high-grade surface samples of between 6% to 17.55% TiO₂, validating the geological fertility of the project.

A8G shares traded at AU$0.195 apiece on 19 October 2023.