Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) unearths standout manganese grades at Wandanya

Australian manganese developer Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) has reported its strongest assay results yet from the Wandanya project in the Oakover Basin.

The latest drilling confirms broad zones of high-grade manganese across several kilometres, supported by shallow iron intersections along the western ridge.

Highlights

• Phase 3 RC drilling returned multiple high-grade intervals exceeding 35% manganese.

• Peak intersections included 8m at 35.5% Mn from surface, with a sub-interval of 3m at 48.3% Mn.

• Iron assays also confirmed shallow zones grading above 60% Fe across a one-kilometre ridge.

• Mineralisation remains open along strike to the north and south and down dip to the east.

• Metallurgical work has previously demonstrated beneficiated manganese concentrates exceeding the benchmark 44% grade.

• Remaining 92 holes from the 148-hole program are due for assay in October and November.

The company has drilled 148 holes for 3,838 metres in its Phase 3 campaign, lifting the total Wandanya program to 6,777 metres since the first holes were sunk in September 2024.

Of the 56 holes now reported, 55 intersected either manganese or iron mineralisation, an unusually high strike rate in early-stage exploration.

Intervals from the northern sections produced some of the thickest and richest manganese yet encountered, with cross-strike widths logged at up to 500 metres.

Examples include 7m at 37.7% Mn from surface in hole WDRC164 and 6m at 39.3% Mn from 6m depth in WDRC188, with several intersections also containing footwall grades above 45% Mn.

The drilling extended the known manganese mineralisation by another kilometre to the north, taking the total strike length to three kilometres from the southern boundary.

Importantly, the mineralisation remains open to the east where the stratabound system transitions from oxide into carbonate facies, providing scope for further resource growth.

Black Canyon has also confirmed shallow iron mineralisation along a kilometre of strike on the project’s western ridge.

Results included 10m at 61.3% Fe from surface and 8m at 59.6% Fe from 2m, indicating potential for a complementary iron resource.

Managing director Brendan Cummins said the Phase 3 program had built on the consistency evident from earlier campaigns.

“The intervals reported from the northern sections represent some of the highest grades and thickest intervals encountered with multiple holes averaging above 35% manganese and several footwall intervals above 45% manganese,” he said.

Alongside the drilling program, metallurgical testwork on composite samples from the W2 prospect has demonstrated that a head grade of 30% manganese can be upgraded via density separation into a 45% concentrate, exceeding the premium 44% benchmark product.

These results provide confidence in the potential to produce saleable product from relatively shallow ore.

With assays from 92 holes still pending, attention now turns to the completion of a PQ3 diamond program to collect material for further metallurgical testing.

Heritage surveys are also underway to facilitate infill and extension drilling once the wet season passes in 2026.

The Wandanya discovery is shaping as a new model of stratabound, hydrothermal manganese mineralisation within the Oakover Basin, distinguished by its shallow geometry, consistent thickness and high grades that set it apart from more traditional ore types.

With manganese retaining its status as both a steel alloying agent and a critical mineral for battery cathodes, investors will be watching closely as Black Canyon works to define a resource footprint across its consolidated 2,000 square kilometre landholding.

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