McLaren Minerals (ASX:MML) has completed an initial data review for its recently acquired tenements at the Barossa Project in South Australia, materially expanding the company’s Eucla Basin opportunity, Managing Director Simon Finnis says.
“As a very large titanium system, the McLaren deposit provides the foundation of our company building efforts, and our early data review is now highlighting the potential for a significant zircon-rich mineral sands opportunity at Barossa,” Finnis says.
The review indicated Barossa’s mineral assemblage to include 16% zircon, 60% ilmenite, and 2% rutile within the valuable heavy minerals.
Historical exploration provided average heavy minerals (HM) grades of 4.6% from a total of 583 holes drilled.
Intersections include 13.5m @ 4.39% HM from 9m, including 1.5m @ 17.05% HM; 13.5m @ 4.53% HM from 12m, including 1.5m @ 17.81% HM; 7.5m @ 8.67% HM from 4.5m, including 1.5m @ 26.86% HM; and 10.5m @ 6.02% HM from 16.5m, including 1.5m @ 26.88% HM.
McLaren intends to conduct a follow up exploration program at the asset this year, stating that the data review indicates “clear opportunities” for extensional and follow up drilling.
“We were attracted to this asset initially by the strategic rationale of increasing our project pathway in good mining jurisdictions and proven geological settings,” Finnis says.
“An additional benefit was that Barossa offered a zircon rich setting that adds real value to the mineral suite; these high grades point to further opportunities.”
As reported by Mining.com.au, the company acquired the Barossa Project, comprising the Kalahari, Mojave, and Gobi prospects, from Iluka Resources (ASX:ILU) in December 2025.
Tenements are currently undergoing the transfer process, with documents lodged with the South Australian Department of Energy and Mining.
McLaren Minerals is a mineral explorer focused on developing its namesake titanium project in the Eucla Basin of Western Australia.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: McLaren Minerals
