Dreadnought Resources (ASX:DRE) drills into rare earth surprise at Mangaroon

Dreadnought Resources (ASX:DRE) has delivered an unexpected breakthrough at its Mangaroon project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region, with drilling at the Stinger niobium deposit revealing a new zone of rare earth mineralisation.

What began as a program to obtain oxide samples for metallurgical testing has instead uncovered a style of mineralisation not previously recognised at Gifford Creek, underscoring the capacity of the carbonatite complex to continue producing surprises after several years of systematic exploration.

Highlights

• Diamond drilling at Stinger intersected 140 metres at 0.9% total rare earth oxides (TREO) from 307 metres in hole CBDD011, with a NdPr:TREO ratio of 24 percent.

• The mineralisation occurs in a previously unseen barium and strontium enriched calcite carbonatite, showing similarities to the Mountain Pass rare earth deposit in the US.

• Weathering of carbonatites at Stinger has already upgraded niobium grades by a factor of three to six, suggesting the rare earth oxide material up-dip of CBDD011 represents a high-grade target.

• Mineralogical studies are underway at the Australian National University to characterise both oxide and fresh carbonatite material.

• The program, supported by Geological Survey of WA co-funding, was designed for metallurgical sampling rather than assaying, with the rare earth intercept representing an unexpected outcome.

The Stinger program was initiated to provide oxide samples for metallurgical testing as part of commercial discussions, with two holes extended under the state government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme, a move that proved fortuitous when deeper drilling intersected 140 metres at 0.9 per cent TREO from 307 metres, including a 24 per cent neodymium-praseodymium ratio.

These results elevate Stinger beyond its initial profile as a niobium-focused prospect and position it within the ranks of globally relevant rare earth systems that carry broader strategic implications.

Carbonatite-hosted deposits are unusual geological settings capable of hosting a wide array of commodities, and at Gifford Creek Dreadnought has already demonstrated mineralisation in niobium, titanium, scandium and phosphate alongside rare earths.

The latest drilling has revealed a fractionated zone enriched in barium and strontium, bearing similarities to Mountain Pass in California, one of the world’s most important rare earth producers.

Mineralogical studies in progress are expected to confirm the mineral assemblage, with early indications pointing to bastnaesite, monazite and apatite, while the role of weathering in upgrading grades is also being closely examined given its demonstrated effect on niobium enrichment across the deposit.

Previous drilling at Stinger has shown that oxide zones can increase niobium grades several-fold compared with fresh rock, and applying the same principle to the rare earth discovery suggests the potential for enriched material nearer surface directly above CBDD011, a possibility that has already been identified as a priority target for future drilling given its potential to materially enhance grade profiles and expand the rare earth footprint within the project.

Although Dreadnought Resources continues to progress its gold assets to secure nearer-term cash flow, the scale and diversity of mineralisation at Gifford Creek ensures that critical minerals will remain a central focus.

“Gifford Creek is one of the largest carbonatite complexes globally and already contains multiple critical minerals including niobium, rare earths, titanium, scandium and phosphorus. The discovery of thick mineralised rare earths underneath Stringer is yet another example of the shallow, high-grade at Gifford Creek,”

Managing director Dean Tuck said, emphasising the growing strategic interest in projects that combine multiple critical minerals at scale in a market increasingly defined by supply chain security concerns.

Assay results from the twinned holes confirmed broad mineralisation near surface, including 130 metres at 0.7 per cent niobium pentoxide from 71 metres in CBRC195 and 90 metres at 1.1 per cent TREO from 48 metres in CBRC200.

Phosphate and titanium intervals reinforced the multi-commodity potential of the deposit, with the consistency of mineralisation across the weathered profile complemented by the deep rare earth intercept that has opened new horizons for exploration.

The discovery of a thick fresh rare earth zone beneath Stinger extends the potential of Mangaroon far beyond its original objectives, and with only a quarter of the carbonatite complex tested by first-pass drilling, the likelihood of further discoveries remains high.

Mineralogical analysis now underway will provide insight into processing pathways and the economic implications of this new style of mineralisation, while exploration in the near term is expected to target the up-dip extension of CBDD011 where weathering could deliver substantially higher grades than those encountered at depth.

For investors following the critical minerals sector, the results demonstrate how frontier exploration can deliver outcomes that are both unpredictable and transformative.

A program designed to collect metallurgical samples has instead revealed a deposit type with global analogues, firmly placing Dreadnought’s Gifford Creek complex among the most prospective carbonatite systems under active exploration.

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