Black Canyon Advances Wandanya with New Diamond Drilling Program
Black Canyon Limited has launched a diamond core drilling program at its Wandanya Project to deepen metallurgical understanding of its manganese and iron deposits, aiming to refine processing and product quality ahead of development.
- Diamond drilling underway to twin existing RC holes across 3km manganese and 1km iron mineralisation
- Metallurgical testwork to assess beneficiation, product specs, and direct shipping ore potential
- Initial tests yielded premium manganese concentrate exceeding 44% Mn with 80% recovery
- Heritage survey and further infill drilling planned post-2026 wet season
- Black Canyon holds significant manganese resources in Western Australia’s Balfour Manganese Field
Diamond Drilling Program Initiated
Black Canyon Limited (ASX, BCA) has commenced a diamond core drilling campaign at its Wandanya Project in Western Australia, targeting both manganese and iron mineralisation. The program involves drilling up to 500 metres of large diameter core to twin previously completed reverse circulation (RC) holes, spanning a 3-kilometre strike of manganese and a 1-kilometre strike of iron mineralisation. This approach aims to collect high-quality samples for detailed metallurgical testwork.
Building on Promising Metallurgical Results
Earlier beneficiation testwork using heavy liquid separation demonstrated the potential to produce a premium manganese concentrate exceeding 44% manganese content with an 80% recovery rate through simple, low-cost density-based separation methods. The current diamond core samples will undergo comprehensive testing, including crushing, screening, assay of size fractions, and both bench-scale and larger-scale dense media separation. Parallel tests on iron composites will evaluate physical and chemical properties and lump and fine characteristics.
Strategic Importance of Metallurgical Insights
These metallurgical studies are critical to refining processing flowsheets and product specifications, as well as assessing the feasibility of producing direct shipping ore (DSO) from higher-grade zones. The data generated will inform the design of processing plants and support project pre-development activities. Managing Director Brendan Cummins highlighted the drilling program as a key milestone that complements ongoing exploration and advances the project towards development.
Next Steps and Broader Project Context
Following the drilling, a seven-day heritage survey is scheduled for late November to enable further infill and extension RC drilling after the 2026 wet season. Additionally, Black Canyon is preparing to integrate data from the recently acquired Ndalamo tenements to explore southern extensions of the mineral system. The company’s substantial landholding in the Balfour Manganese Field underpins a measured and indicated resource of 315 million tonnes at 10.5% manganese, positioning Wandanya as a significant emerging manganese and iron project.
Market and Industry Implications
Manganese remains a critical mineral for steel alloy production and lithium-ion battery cathodes, with robust long-term demand fundamentals. Black Canyon’s progress in characterising and advancing the Wandanya mineralisation through rigorous metallurgical evaluation and drilling underscores its commitment to unlocking value in this strategically important resource.
Bottom Line?
As Black Canyon deepens its understanding of Wandanya’s mineralisation, the next metallurgical results will be pivotal in shaping its development trajectory.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the upcoming metallurgical test results influence the final processing flowsheet and product quality?
- What impact will core loss during drilling have on grade estimation and resource confidence?
- How might heritage survey outcomes affect the timing and scope of subsequent drilling campaigns?
