Trek Metals (ASX:TKM) is pursuing a dual-pronged approach evaluating its outcropping manganese discovery within the Christmas Creek Project in Western Australia.
In November 2025, Trek discovered ‘high-grade’ manganese within Christmas Creek, which comprises a largely concealed district-scale gold, copper-gold, and rare earths exploration opportunity in the Kimberley region. Laboratory assays from outcropping rock chips returned grades up to 58% manganese.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, CEO Derek Marshall says a “dual-pronged attack” will be pursued with the manganese “because it in no way shape or form diminishes the gold”.
“We’re really still excited about that. We’ve got some structural study about to commence on some diamond core that we did with some great grades up to four grams per tonne,” Marshall tells this news service.
“But the manganese, something of this quality, we had a number of rock chips that we took here and returned between 47% to a peak 58% manganese, which is approaching the theoretical maximum of content of manganese you can have in manganese oxide.
“So from an economic perspective it’s essentially a potentially direct shift material which could be extremely valuable and in the near term mining operation hopefully if there’s enough of it here and we’re going to find out.”
A follow-up exploration program is already underway to further evaluate the outcropping manganese discovery. Two geophysical surveys and additional boots-on-the-ground exploration is imminent. Channel sampling, mapping, and rock chip sampling will be undertaken across the discovery outcrop area and beyond.
As Marshall explains to this news service, Trek Metals is excited about the polymetallic nature of the Christmas Creek Project, adding “the phone hasn’t stopped ringing” since it announced the manganese discovery.
“We’ve got to work out how much of it there is. So we’re up there doing a drone survey, more off-shifting, incremental sampling, ahead of a ground gravity survey,” he continues.
In other words – no rest to the end of Christmas – at Christmas Creek.
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Trek Metals
