McLaren Minerals (ASX:MML) is poised for significant resource expansion at its McLaren Titanium Project following a recent drilling program. The explorer, with a market capitalization of $4.8 million, completed 4,067 meters of drilling across 192 holes. Managing Director Simon Finnis highlighted that the phase-one drilling not only validates the company’s geological model but also underscores the substantial scale of the opportunity. Initial findings suggest potential mineralization extends beyond the current resource boundaries, paving the way for future resource growth.
The drilling has identified prospective sediments in the North, Central, and Southern Zones, indicating multiple avenues for resource expansion. The North extension spans approximately 2.2km in width with an average thickness of 14m, while the Central Zone eastern extension is 800m wide and up to 20m thick. The Southern Zone covers a width of 2.6km and averages 10m in thickness. McLaren plans to incorporate these findings into the Prefeasibility Study resource update to evaluate the potential impact on the mineral resource estimate.
The McLaren Project currently hosts a combined inferred and indicated resource of 280 million tonnes at 4.8% heavy minerals, containing ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, and zircon. The company aims to increase the higher confidence indicated resource from 79 million tonnes to 200 million tonnes. Geological work has improved confidence in the deposit morphology, which is expected to reduce future drilling costs. Metallurgical and geological samples have been submitted to IHC and Diamantina Laboratories for analysis.
