Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) has begun a third phase drilling program at the group’s Wandanya Project in Western Australia, as part of the company’s strategy to extend drill coverage to the north as well as testing 3km of mapped manganese and iron mineralisation.
The program will take three weeks to complete, with results expected during October 2025.
Black Canyon, which has a market capitalisation of $48.6 million, says once results are received, a diamond core drilling program will be carried out to obtain core samples for further metallurgical testwork to progress beneficiation.
Managing Director Brendan Cummins says the company continues building on the results from initial programs which confirmed shallow, high-grade manganese and iron intervals.
“The remarkable geological continuity observed to date combined with the scale of outcropping and shallow mineralisation with proximity to existing infrastructure, reinforces our belief that Wandanya represents a significant manganese discovery in a highly underexplored part of the Oakover Basin,” Cummins says.
“We look forward to maintaining strong momentum through the remainder of 2025 as we strive to unlock the full potential of the Wandanya manganese and iron discovery.”
As part of the phase two program, 47 drillholes targeting iron and manganese are expected to be finalised by the end of August 2025.
Black Canyon has consolidated a landholding covering 2,300km2 in the underexplored Balfour Manganese field and across the Oakover Basin in Western Australia.
The Wandanya discovery represents a new exploration model of the Oakover Basin comprising hydrothermal, stratabound manganese and iron with scale and grade potential.
Manganese continues to have attractive long-term fundamentals where it is essential and non-substitutable in the manufacturing of alloys for the steel industry and a critical mineral in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Black Canyon
