McLaren Minerals (ASX:MML) has achieved ‘bonanza’ grades from an ongoing resource upgrade and expansion drilling campaign at its namesake titanium project in Western Australia.
The company has returned grades of up to 34.6% heavy minerals from drilling at the McLaren Project, with 27% of the latest results grading greater than 4% heavy minerals and averaging 10.3% heavy minerals. Of the results received, 43% of assays returned grades greater than 2% heavy minerals.
Mineralisation intersected in the south-eastern extension area outside the existing indicated resource footprint includes 22m @ 7.62% heavy minerals, with a maximum grade of 30.65% heavy minerals from 19–20m, as well as 24m @ 4.75% heavy minerals, with a maximum grade of 6.73% heavy minerals from 17–18m.
McLaren has also undertaken follow-up drilling within this extension area, with assay results currently pending.
McLaren also reported ‘broad’ zones of heavy mineral mineralisation within the resource area.
‘High-grade’ intersections include 24m @ 8.01% heavy minerals, with a maximum grade of 29.68% heavy minerals from 23–24m; 18m @ 6.16% heavy minerals, with a maximum grade of 23.07% heavy minerals from 14–15m; and 18m @ 7.68% heavy minerals, with a maximum grade of 20.8% heavy minerals from 12–13m.
To date, McLaren has completed 9,768m of drilling across 551 holes, placing the company around 75% of the way through its planned 13,000m campaign.
Drilling is intended to increase resource confidence, while also providing data for future reserve and Bankable Feasibility Studies (BFS). Results will be included in an updated resource estimate following completion of drilling.
Managing Director Simon Finnis says the consistency of mineralisation found across the McLaren Project gives the company confidence in the asset, along with its ‘high grades’.
“The drilling is doing exactly what it was designed to do by increasing confidence in the existing resource and improving our understanding of the continuity of mineralisation across the deposit,” Finnis says.
“We are also starting to define a broader area of higher-grade mineralised sands in the northwest of the deposit, with many assays still to come. While there is still more work to do, that is encouraging and could bode well for the first few years of mining.
“I am particularly encouraged by the initial results from the south-eastern extension area. The first holes have intersected strong mineralisation and, importantly, we have already completed follow-up drilling in that area.
“One thing that should not be overlooked is that all of the intersections reported today commence from the surface. That is one of the reasons we like McLaren so much and why we continue to be encouraged by its development potential.”
McLaren Minerals is a junior explorer focused on developing projects considered prospective for critical minerals.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: McLaren Minerals
