Compared to Australia’s leading mineral sands projects, such as Tronox’s Cooljarloo (1.6 per cent HM), Iluka’s Jacinth Ambrosia (4.9 per cent HM) and Cataby (5.5 per cent HM), Muckanippie’s grades of up to 63 per cent HM are in a league of their own.
Preliminary metallurgical results at Muckanippie revealed an average 79 per cent valuable heavy mineral content in the company’s original four holes, reaching up to 90 per cent in some samples.
Importantly, the valuable titanium polymorph minerals, rutile, pseudorutile and anatase were dominant, while there were ultra-low levels of the radioactive nasties uranium and thorium, promising a simplified processing sheet.
Marmota’s Muckanippe project is strategically located 120km southwest of Coober Pedy and benefits from direct access to the Adelaide-Darwin and Adelaide-Perth rail lines, slashing logistics costs. The surface-level mineralisation eliminates the need for any overburden removal and offers a low-cost extraction advantage over deeper competing deposits.
The discovery’s significance is amplified by its correlation to a regional palaeochannel, which also hosts Petratherm’s adjacent Muckanippie titanium discovery. Marmota controls about 28km of this highly prospective channel, including 10km to the west and 18km to the east of Petratherm, positioning it as a dominant player in what is shaping up as Australia’s next mineral sands district.
As the newly minted ‘critical mineral’ titanium continues to experience a supply squeeze, Marmota’s high-grade low-impurity deposit looks poised to capitalise.
With the mineralised zone open in all directions and the potential for a 9km-long system, Marmota is gearing up to accelerate exploration and resource definition at Muckanippie, while directing the majority of its funds to its flagship gold developments 40km north.
As the company continues to unlock the scale and grade of this extraordinary discovery, Muckanippie and its neighbour could form the beginnings of a globally significant titanium district in the mighty Gawler Craton.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
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