McLaren Minerals has reported multiple high-grade heavy mineral intersections east of its large McLaren deposit in Western Australia, with peak one-metre assays of 13.26% HM and strong multi-metre hits in holes spaced about 6 kilometres apart.
The results come from a 20-hole air-core program that produced 156 one-metre samples assayed across the campaign. The company described the hits on the program’s flanks as evidence of a separate, previously unrecognised heavy mineral-bearing shoreline system adjacent to its main resource.
One hole returned an 18-metre intersection averaging 5.05% HM, which contained a 5-metre core that graded 8.98% HM from 10m downhole and a one-metre high of 13.14% HM between 13m and 14m.
About 6km to the south-west, another hole delivered a 21-metre intersection from surface averaging 3.38% HM, including a 5-metre interval at 7.07% HM from 16m and a one-metre peak of 13.26% HM from 19m.
Other noteworthy results included an 11-metre run averaging 3.2% HM and a 7-metre intersection at 4.39% HM. Across all 156 one-metre samples the program returned a length-weighted mean of 2.68% HM, calculated with no grade cut-off.
McLaren says the wide spacing of the stronger intersections suggests a large mineralised system is present and that future drilling will focus on linking the distant high-grade points with additional collars between them. The company also interprets the new drill data as supporting a palaeo-shoreline model, where ancient coastal processes concentrated heavy minerals.
“Given this is an exploration program, this is a good outcome. We intersected several nice intersections, and the two best holes are 6km apart, and the fence of holes in the middle also has good mineralisation, so there is plenty of scope to explore further,” McLaren Minerals managing director Simon Finnis said.
The new discoveries sit next to McLaren’s flagship resource, which stands at 529 million tonnes grading 4.5% HM. The company is already running a much larger campaign at the main deposit: an 11,568-metre program comprising 663 holes in 2026 aimed at expanding and upgrading the resource.
Assay results from that larger program will be incorporated into an updated geological model and a revised mineral resource estimate as McLaren progresses toward a bankable feasibility study. The company has also expanded its footprint with the recent acquisition of the zircon-rich Barossa project in South Australia, adding another asset in the Eucla basin.
The results arrive amid stronger mineral sands prices and renewed corporate activity in the sector, with producers citing constrained supply and several transactions highlighting the strategic value of WA mineral sands holdings. McLaren says the new eastern shoreline results add exploration upside to what is already one of the country’s largest undeveloped mineral sands projects.
