How Petratherm’s Drilling Unveiled New High-Grade Titanium Zones at Muckanippie

Expanding the Boundaries at Rosewood

Petratherm Limited has announced compelling results from its recently completed Phase 3 drilling program at the Muckanippie Project in South Australia. The company successfully extended the continuous high-grade heavy mineral sands (HMS) mineralisation at the Rosewood Prospect by an additional 2.6 kilometres to the north. This extension brings the high-grade zone to a substantial 22 square kilometres, nested within a broader mineralised footprint exceeding 40 square kilometres.

The drilling results confirm not only the scale but also the quality of the mineralisation, with assays revealing thick intervals of titanium-rich heavy minerals. Notably, some intercepts include grades as high as 27% to 38% HMS, starting from shallow depths, which bodes well for potential mining operations. The mineral assemblage is dominated by titanium minerals with TiO2 content exceeding 70%, underscoring the project's economic promise.

Discovery of the Echo Prospect

Beyond Rosewood, exploration drilling northeast of the project area has identified a new sediment-hosted HMS zone named Echo. This newly discovered prospect extends 4.5 kilometres in length and spans approximately 2 kilometres in width, remaining open along a 10-kilometre prospective trend. Echo’s mineralisation is characterized by slightly finer-grained and more rounded heavy minerals, suggesting deposition in a higher energy, more distal environment compared to Rosewood.

The Echo Prospect’s orientation and elevation are similar to Rosewood, indicating they may have formed contemporaneously, which could imply a broader, camp-style titanium province within the Muckanippie Suite. This discovery adds a significant new dimension to Petratherm’s exploration portfolio and highlights the potential for multiple large-scale HMS systems in the region.

Saprolitic Targets and Next Steps

In addition to sediment-hosted targets, Petratherm has been investigating saprolitic HMS mineralisation at the Duke, Nardoo, and Claypan prospects. These targets represent a different style of high-grade titanium mineralisation hosted within deeply weathered clay-rich zones. Previous drilling has returned impressive intercepts, including intervals exceeding 40 metres with HMS grades above 20%. Assay results from recent drilling at these saprolitic targets are pending, with expectations high given the mineralogical characteristics observed.

Looking ahead, Petratherm plans to commence its Phase 4 drilling program in late October. This next phase aims to upgrade the Rosewood mineralisation to a maiden JORC Inferred and Indicated Resource, while also expanding exploration at Echo and the saprolitic prospects. Concurrently, bulk sample testing and mineral processing studies are underway to refine recovery methods and product groupings, with results anticipated in the December quarter.

Collectively, these developments position Petratherm’s Muckanippie Project as a promising source of critical titanium minerals, with potential implications for supply chains focused on titanium and associated critical metals.