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Posts (833)

Aug 16, 2026 ∙ 13 min

From villain to dividend — the fluorite hiding in tungsten skarns

In Part 2, fluorite was the villain — the calcium look-alike that makes a tungsten concentrate so hard to clean. But fluorite (fluorspar) is itself a critical mineral. So the question writes itself: if you can separate it, is the troublemaker actually a second product? The literature says yes — with conditions. Here is the evidence, sourced.

Aug 13, 2026 ∙ 8 min

Aureka Limited (ASX: AKA) Intersects Shallow Visible Gold in Comstock’s Walkers Zone

Aureka Limited (ASX: AKA) has reported two occurrences of visible gold in diamond hole NED035 at the St Arnaud-Comstock Gold Project in Victoria.

Aug 13, 2026 ∙ 8 min

Kaiser Reef (ASX: KAU) Breaks New Ground at Union Hill as Maldon Moves Back Underground

The first new underground development at Maldon in almost eight years moves Kaiser Reef beyond refurbishment and gives the company a platform to test several of the historic goldfield’s largely untested reef positions.

Aug 12, 2026 ∙ 20 min

The Copper Question - Discussion On Copper's Two Headwinds

A newspaper column raised two risks to the copper story: communities resisting data centres, and carmakers rewiring in aluminium. This Insight follows both threads to their sources, sets them against a century of substitution history, and then turns to the Australian ground: who produces, who holds a resource, and how to weigh the explorers still looking for one.

Aug 10, 2026 ∙ 7 min

Rimfire Pacific Mining (ASX:RIM) Strengthens Leadership as Scandium Strategy Advances

Bronwyn Barnes steps into the Executive Chair role as Rimfire raises $2.3 million and separates its corporate and technical leadership functions.

Aug 9, 2026 ∙ 12 min

Five ASX Small Caps With AI Data Centre Optionality

Five ASX-listed resources and energy companies with Australian project land are being screened as AI data centre infrastructure plays under tighter new federal rules.

Aug 9, 2026 ∙ 18 min

The Calcium Curse — why a tungsten skarn fights back at the mill

Before the challenge of processing, comes the reward. Tungsten stands out in metallurgy due to its exceptional properties: it has the highest melting point of any metal and a density close to that of gold. This makes it a preferred choice for cutting tools, armor, and aerospace applications. Additionally, tungsten is rare, difficult to recycle, hard to replace, and approximately 80% of it is sourced from China. This is why the EU considers it a critical raw material.

Aug 7, 2026 ∙ 17 min

What Is a Token in AI? The Jargon of AI Explained for Investors

A token is a small piece of a word, and AI bills everything in tokens. Part 1 of The Language of AI decodes the industry’s jargon for investors in plain English.

Aug 6, 2026 ∙ 18 min

Reading the Skarn — where tungsten hides in the contact

Roughly half the world's tungsten lives in skarn: a hard, ugly, calc-silicate rock that forms where a hot granite leans against limestone. Strip away the market noise and this is a story about chemistry at a contact. Here is how it works — in pictures.

Aug 6, 2026 ∙ 11 min

Tusker Minerals Sharpens Focus on Rutile and Heavy Mineral Sands as it Divests Machinga Rare Earth Project

Discover how Tusker Minerals is shifting focus to rutile and heavy mineral sands while divesting the Machinga Rare Earth Project. Explore Tusker Minerals' strategic moves now!

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About Noel Ong, CEO, Samso.

Industry veteran Noel Ong is a geologist with over 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector.

Based in Perth, Western Australia, he was the founder and managing director of ASX publicly-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and Taiton Resources Limited from 2022-2026. Noel has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital.

Noel is also the founder of Taiton Resources Limited (ASX: T88). He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews such as Coffee with Samso and Samso Insights, where his engaging conversation style with business figures gives revealing insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends that can pique investor interest.

Noel brings to the table his expert commentary across Samso News, Samso Insights and the Coffee with Samso series.

Noel Ong

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