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Murray Ward
McLaren Minerals has hit a thick, high-grade zone of titanium-bearing sands right from the surface, with a standout drill intercept of 24 metres grading 7.54 per cent heavy minerals (HM) at its namesake project in the Eucla basin, Western Australia.
The impressive hit headlined the latest 61-hole batch of assays from the companyโs 2026 resource upgrade and expansion drilling program. Notably, across all 61 holes, the length-weighted average came in at a hefty 4.57 per cent HM over a remarkable average thickness of 21.2m, with every single interval starting from surface.
Results from 1293m of drilling showed impressive consistency, with 70 per cent of the holes returning an average grade of at least four per cent HM. A solid one-third of the holes averaged 5 per cent HM or better.
The fact that mineralisation begins at surface and shows considerable thickness is significant, pointing to potentially low-cost, free-dig mining with a minimal strip ratio.
โAll of these results exceed the grade of the 2025 mineral resource of 529Mt at 4.5 per cent heavy minerals.โ
McLaren Minerals managing director Simon Finnis
Other notable results from the program include a 13-metre hit at 7.25 per cent HM from surface and a 27-metre strike grading 5.83 per cent HM, also from surface. Within the broader zones, pockets of even higher-grade material were found, with nine holes returning one-metre assays of at least a hefty 10 per cent HM, peaking at a stellar 20.10 per cent.
The latest results continue a trend of solid drilling outcomes for McLaren, with the grades consistently coming in above the projectโs existing mineral resource estimate. That inventory already tips the scales at a whopping 529 million tonnes grading 4.5 per cent HM, containing 23.7Mt of in-situ heavy minerals, split between 249Mt in the indicated category and 280Mt in the inferred class.
McLaren Minerals managing director Simon Finnis said: โIt is very pleasing to see more excellent results from McLaren, including some very high-grade results, and some great intercepts, with two averaging more than 7% HM – again, all from surface. Noting that all of these results exceed the grade of the 2025 Mineral Resource of 529Mt @ 4.5% HM gives confidence for the next Mineral Resource Update due later this year.โ
The 2026 drilling program, comprising a hefty 663 holes for 11,568 metres, is designed to increase confidence in the existing resource and provide crucial data for future technical studies as the company pushes towards a bankable feasibility study. Adding weight to the project, metal prices appear to have come to the party, with recent US Geological Survey data showing rutile holding firm at around US$1450 (A$2033) per tonne and ilmenite at US$350 (A$491) per tonne, providing a solid commercial backdrop for McLarenโs development plans.
Governments now recognise titanium as a critical mineral essential for aerospace, defence and new energy technologies, making the development of large-scale domestic projects such as McLaren increasingly strategically important.
While the McLaren project is the companyโs main game, it has also moved to establish a second front in its mineral sands growth strategy. The company recently completed the acquisition of the zircon-rich Barossa project in South Australia, giving it another platform for growth in the Eucla Basin.
With drilling at McLaren continuing to deliver the goods and each batch of assays seemingly outdoing the last, all eyes will now turn to the upcoming mineral resource update scheduled for later this year. If McLaren can replicate these shallow, high-grade results across a meaningful portion of the deposit, it could significantly boost the projectโs economics as it marches down the well-trodden path towards feasibility studies and development.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
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