Pure Resources has completed a pivotal sampling program at Garnet Hill, securing over 100 kg of material to underpin its multi-stream US defence materials platform, targeting abrasive garnet, jumbo flake graphite, and rare earth recovery.
- 100+ kg bulk sample collected at Garnet Hill
- Three US-aligned downstream pathways enabled
- Partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Rice University
- Sampling program de-risks next phase qualification
- Located on granted mining lease in Western Australia
Sampling Program Sets Stage for Multi-Stream Defence Supply Chain
Pure Resources Limited (ASX:PR1) has completed a systematic, geologically controlled sampling program at its 100% owned Garnet Hill Project in East Kimberley, Western Australia, collecting over 100 kilograms of representative material from a continuous 5 km strike of outcrop. This bulk sample is the physical foundation for the company’s Defence Materials Platform Strategy, which targets three parallel downstream pathways aligned with United States and AUKUS defence supply chains.
The collected material covers premium andradite garnet for abrasive qualification with the US Navy’s NAVSEA specifications, large to jumbo flake graphite for advanced thermal management applications in collaboration with Rice University, and industrial garnet destined for heavy rare earth element plus yttrium (HREE+Y) recovery at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under a US Department of Energy partnership. This integrated approach leverages a single mining lease and orebody to unlock multiple revenue streams from one hard rock source.
Geological and Strategic Validation of Garnet Hill
The Garnet Hill deposit is a skarn-hosted andradite garnet system with an adjacent graphitic gneiss unit containing large to jumbo flake graphite (200 to 300 µm), a size range commanding premium pricing and sought after for battery anodes and advanced carbon materials. Petrographic and SEM analysis confirms the garnet’s angular, microfracture-free grains meet the hardness and morphology requirements for precision abrasive and jet cutting markets, reinforcing the project’s premium positioning.
Strategically, Garnet Hill sits on strike from Green Critical Minerals’ McIntosh Graphite Project (ASX:GCM), providing regional validation of the flake size and purity that underpins Pure Resources’ thermal management thesis. The granted mining lease ML80/416 further de-risks development by providing established tenure in a supportive jurisdiction.
Mobilising Partnerships and Qualification Workstreams
Sub-samples from the bulk collection will be dispatched to ORNL to commence Task 1 (REE+Y characterisation) and Task 2 (digestion experiments) under the Strategic Partnership Projects Agreement, while graphite samples advance the company’s funded Carbon Nanotube Fibre (CNTF) thermal management collaboration with Rice University. Concurrently, garnet samples will undergo qualification testing against NAVSEA abrasive specifications, engaging defence shipbuilding contractors including Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat.
This multi-faceted program is designed to progress all three pathways in parallel from a single field mobilisation, minimising costs and accelerating timelines. The approach builds on Pure Resources’ broader strategy to become a sovereign-aligned multi-material supplier for US and AUKUS defence markets, integrating upstream mining with downstream advanced materials development and rare earth recovery.
The company’s interim CEO, Rocco Tassone, emphasised the strategic logic: "One mining lease, one orebody, three United States facing revenue pathways." Tassone highlighted the importance of Garnet Hill as a rare Australian hard rock source feeding jet cutting and naval maintenance programs, AI hardware thermal management, and critical rare earth supply chains.
Next Steps in Qualification and Development
Pure Resources plans systematic sorting of the bulk sample into garnet-rich and graphite-rich domains to ensure representative testwork. The company will progress qualification efforts with NAVSEA and continue engagement with US Department of Defense programs leveraging the ORNL partnership as a technical anchor. This includes potential pathways through the Defense Production Act Title III, the Office of Strategic Capital, and the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program.
The Garnet Hill sampling program complements the company’s recent launch of its integrated Defence Materials Platform Strategy, which was detailed just days earlier. It also aligns with Pure Resources’ ongoing funding and research collaborations, including with Rice University’s CNTF thermal technology, which has demonstrated thermal conductivity exceeding copper and aluminium benchmarks.
With the bulk sample now secured, the company is positioned to advance qualification and commercialisation efforts across multiple high-value materials critical to modern defence and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Pure Resources is advancing a rare combination of upstream resource ownership, strategic US partnerships, and cutting-edge materials science, all anchored by a granted mining lease in a pro-development Australian jurisdiction. The success of these next qualification phases will be crucial to translating Garnet Hill’s potential into tangible supply chain contributions.
Defence Materials Platform Strategy and Carbon Nanotube Fibre thermal technology represent the twin pillars of Pure Resources’ downstream ambitions, supported by the heavy rare earth recovery partnership at ORNL recently covered in depth.
Bottom Line?
Pure Resources’ completion of Garnet Hill sampling clears a key hurdle for its multi-material US defence strategy, but the path to qualification and commercial supply remains to be proven.
Questions in the middle?
- How will qualification testing against NAVSEA specifications progress and what timelines apply?
- What early results will emerge from ORNL’s heavy rare earth and yttrium recovery program?
- Can Pure Resources scale CNTF thermal management technology to meet defence and AI infrastructure demands?