Story summary
McLaren Minerals has been consistently extracting high-grade titanium minerals from its namesake project in the western Eucla basin of Western Australia. The company's latest drilling campaign includes an impressive 663-hole program, totaling 11,568 meters, aimed at expanding and increasing confidence in its existing mineral resource. This extensive effort builds upon an already substantial indicated and inferred mineral resource of 529 million tonnes with an average grade of 4.5% heavy minerals (HM).
Recent drilling results show high-grade HM intercepts averaging four percent over sampled thicknesses ranging from 13 to 27 meters, starting from surface level. Notable hits include a 15-meter section grading at 6.88%, another with 18m at 5.87%, and a third delivering 20m at 5.69% HM.
According to Simon Finnis, managing director of McLaren Minerals, these results demonstrate that the company can mine and process McLaren economically, suggesting potential for modest operating costs in future operations.
Written for “McLaren Drilling Discovery” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
McLaren Minerals has continued to deliver broad, consistent and high-grade heavy mineral (HM) intercepts from surface at its namesake McLaren titanium project in the western Eucla basin of Western Australia, as the company works towards upgrading its massive resource.
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company → continue → resource
The 2026 drilling program - a monster 663-hole campaign for 11,568m - is designed to expand and increase confidence in the company’s existing 529-million-tonne indicated and inferred mineral resource, which already showcases an average grade of 4.5 per cent HM.
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which → design → HM
The latest batch of 57 assayed holes returned a length-weighted average of four per cent HM over an impressive average sampled thickness of 20.1m, with every reported interval starting from surface.
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interval → assay → surface
Standout results include a 15-metre hit from surface grading 6.88 per cent HM, with a second hole of 18m assaying 5.87 per cent HM and a third delivering 20m grading 5.69 per cent HM.
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results → include → HM
‘These attributes give us great confidence that we can mine and process McLaren with modest operating cost inputs.
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we → give → inputs
Other strong intercepts from surface featured 21m running 5.53 per cent HM, with two further holes returning 20m at 5.47 per cent HM and 18m going 5.38 per cent HM.
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holes → feature → HM
Within the broader zones of mineralisation, McLaren also picked up pockets of higher-grade material, with 10 holes pulling one-metre assays of at least 10 per cent HM.
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holes → pick → HM
Of those, the best clocked in with 1m at a hefty 17.99 per cent HM and 1m grading 15.60 per cent HM.
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best → clock → HM
The latest drilling has added plenty of weight to McLaren’s working theory that it’s dealing with a remarkably consistent near-surface deposit.
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it → add → deposit
Of the 57 holes, a thumping 53 – or 93 per cent – delivered at least 15m of mineralisation from surface, 46 ran for 18m or more and 26 punched through at least 21m.
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For a potential bulk mining operation, that sort of geological predictability is potentially geological gold, particularly when it comes to shaping a mine plan and keeping the processing plant fed.
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it → come → plant
The fresh numbers will now be folded into an updated geological model and mineral resource estimate as McLaren builds towards its bankable feasibility study.
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McLaren Minerals managing director Simon Finnis said: “More of what we’ve come to expect from McLaren.
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What really sets McLaren apart, and what we’ve said all along, is that it is a very consistent deposit, and a very straightforward deposit, which will lead to ease of mining at scale, and a traditional processing flowsheet.
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which → set → scale
The results land at a time of strengthening mineral sands prices and renewed corporate interest in the sector, with some major Australian producers flagging constrained supply and higher contracted zircon prices.
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producers → land → supply
Add a recent wave of M&A activity underscoring strategic interest in WA mineral sands assets and solid drilling results are likely to be well received.
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results → add → assets
With no cut-off grade applied, the average results from each hole offer a direct view of the grade and thickness profile available for a mine planner.
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results → cut → planner
McLaren says the continuation of high-grade intersections gives it flexibility in the mine plan to ensure the project gets the best possible start.
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project → say → start
While the McLaren project is its main game, it has also moved to establish a second front in its mineral sands growth strategy.
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it → move → strategy
The company recently completed the acquisition of the zircon-rich Barossa project in South Australia, giving it another platform for growth in the prospective Eucla basin.
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company → complete → basin
The McLaren project sits in the western Eucla Basin of WA, a province known to host economic mineral sand deposits.
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project → sit → deposits
With an enormous resource already on the books and a market that is showing renewed signs of life, McLaren looks to be ticking all the right boxes on the path to development.
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McLaren → show → development
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting?
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company → list → something
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