Black Canyon has established a maiden 23.6Mt manganese resource at Wandanya in Western Australia, alongside 12.5Mt of iron mineralisation. The high-confidence estimate includes potential direct-shipping material, while a scoping study is targeted for completion in December.
- 23.6Mt at 25.8% manganese using a 12% cut-off
- 12.5Mt at 54.9% iron, entirely Measured at the global resource level
- 3.7Mt of potential manganese DSO grading 38.9% Mn
- More than 90% of the manganese resource is Measured or Indicated
- Scoping study targeted for December 2026
Wandanya clears the exploration milestone
Black Canyon Limited (ASX:BCA) has put a sizeable number around its Wandanya discovery, reporting a maiden global manganese Mineral Resource of 23.6 million tonnes at 25.8% manganese. The 100%-owned Western Australian project also contains 12.5Mt at 54.9% iron, giving the company a defined dual-commodity asset rather than a manganese story alone.
The manganese estimate is notable for its confidence profile: 15.5Mt is classified as Measured and 6.3Mt as Indicated, leaving just 1.8Mt Inferred. That means more than 90% of the reported manganese resource sits in the two higher-confidence categories. The estimate covers a mineralised horizon extending about 3.4km along strike, with most of the material at surface or less than 20 metres deep.
High-grade zones create product options
At a 20% manganese cut-off, the resource narrows to 16.8Mt at 30% Mn. A higher-grade subset of 3.7Mt at 38.9% Mn, reported at a 35% cut-off, has been identified as potential direct-shipping ore. The company says this material could be selectively mined, crushed and screened, or blended with beneficiated feed.
The iron resource is smaller but carries its own development angle. It includes 5.5Mt at 57.9% Fe at a 55% cut-off, all classified as Measured. Drop-tower testing produced a reported 74% lump product grading 59.7% Fe, supporting the potential for a direct-shipping iron stream, although no recovery factors, mine design or economic outcomes have yet been applied to the resource.
Metallurgy supports the next study
Metallurgical work has provided an early processing case for the manganese. Pilot-scale dense media separation on blended feeds around 30% Mn produced products grading between 38.5% and 41% Mn, with recoveries close to or above 80% in the reported testwork. The company says further variability and larger-scale testing is planned, so these results remain testwork outcomes rather than demonstrated commercial performance.
A scoping study is now under way on the 3.4km base-case resource and is targeted for completion in December 2026. That study will need to turn geological scale and laboratory results into the metrics the market cannot yet see: mining inventory, production rates, capital and operating costs, mine life, infrastructure, water supply, permitting and funding requirements. The resource is not an Ore Reserve, and the estimate excludes mining dilution and ore loss. Further environmental, heritage, hydrological and tenure work is also required before development can be assessed with greater confidence.
Bottom Line?
Wandanya has moved from discovery to a substantial, high-confidence dual-commodity resource. The December scoping study is the next test of whether shallow ore and encouraging metallurgy can translate into an investable mine plan.
Questions in the middle?
- What production rates, recoveries and cost assumptions will the December scoping study support?
- How much of the potential DSO material survives mine design, dilution and product-quality testing?
- Can Black Canyon fund the next phase of metallurgy, approvals and development without materially changing its capital structure?