West Cobar Metals (ASX:WC1) establishes 263 Mt Gallium resource at Salazar, expanding strategic critical minerals platform

West Cobar Metals has declared an initial Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate for gallium at its 100% owned Salazar Critical Minerals Project in Western Australia, defining 263 Mt at 26 ppm Ga within the saprolitic clay hosted Newmont and O’Connor deposits and formally adding gallium to the project’s established rare earth, scandium, titanium and alumina inventory.

The estimate, completed by AMC Consultants and constrained within the ≥300 ppm TREO envelope, follows a comprehensive re evaluation of historical drilling, re assay programs and metallurgical test work, and positions Salazar as a multi commodity critical minerals system aligned with Australia’s strategic minerals priorities.

Managing Director Matt Szwedzicki outlines the geological framework, resource definition and metallurgical characteristics underpinning the inclusion of gallium as a co product within the broader Salazar development concept.

How is the 263 Mt Inferred gallium Mineral Resource at Salazar defined in terms of grade, cut off and geological setting, and how does it integrate with the existing rare earth and scandium resources?

The Salazar Inferred gallium Mineral Resource totals 263 Mt grading 26 ppm Ga, equivalent to 35 ppm Ga2O3, reported above a 20 ppm Ga cut off and constrained within the ≥300 ppm TREO domain at the Newmont and O’Connor deposits, where the presence of rare earth elements and scandium establishes a reasonable prospect of eventual economic extraction as a co product.

The gallium mineralisation is hosted within weathered saprolitic clays developed over Proterozoic basement, where chemical breakdown has produced mineral assemblages that are more amenable to leaching than unweathered rock and therefore more suitable for inclusion in a Mineral Resource intended to support future development studies.

“The gallium Mineral Resource is deliberately constrained to the same ≥300 ppm TREO envelope that underpins the rare earth and scandium resources, reflecting the technical and economic logic of developing gallium as a co product within an integrated saprolite processing circuit.”

Although underlying bedrock contains similar gallium grades, this material has been excluded from the current estimate because the focus remains on the saprolite profile, where metallurgical performance is more favourable and where mining would be expected to be free digging.

The gallium resource is integrated within a broader polymetallic system that already contains 230 Mt at 1178 ppm TREO, including 44 Mt at 1239 ppm TREO in the Indicated category, together with Inferred resources of 15 Mt at 153 ppm Sc2O3, 42 Mt at 5.2% TiO2 and 4 Mt at 29.7% Al2O3, thereby establishing Salazar as one of the most advanced clay hosted critical minerals projects in Australia with potential for integrated recovery of rare earths, scandium, gallium, titanium and alumina from a single weathered profile.

What proportion of the gallium resource is contained within the Newmont and O’Connor deposits, and what controls the distribution of gallium within these saprolitic systems?

Of the total 263 Mt Inferred gallium resource, 194 Mt at 26 ppm Ga is defined at the Newmont deposit and 69 Mt at 26 ppm Ga at the O’Connor deposit, both reported above a 20 ppm Ga cut off and constrained within the ≥300 ppm TREO envelope.

At Newmont, gallium enrichment is spatially associated with saprolite developed over a central amphibolite unit and adjacent felsic and intermediate gneisses, which also host the core rare earth, scandium and titanium mineralisation, and drilling together with aeromagnetic data demonstrates that this lithological architecture exerts a strong control on metal distribution.

“The same amphibolite and gneissic framework that focuses rare earth, scandium and titanium mineralisation is also the primary control on gallium enrichment within the saprolitic profile, providing confidence in geological continuity and resource scalability.”

Widespread gallium mineralisation occurs throughout the same saprolitic horizons that carry elevated TREO and Sc2O3 grades, while at O’Connor a similarly close association is observed between gallium and the rare earth enriched clay profile, with current Mineral Resources limited to 250 m either side of the existing drill lines, reflecting data density rather than geological closure.

In both deposits, the continuity of gallium follows the geometry of the saprolite and the underlying bedrock controls, supporting the interpretation that gallium forms part of the same weathering and enrichment system as the rare earths, scandium and titanium.

What metallurgical evidence supports the potential recovery of gallium as a co product, and what test work results have been reported to date?

Metallurgical programs undertaken by Nagrom and TSW Analytical on representative Salazar saprolite samples demonstrate that gallium can be leached and recovered alongside rare earths, scandium and alumina under atmospheric pressure conditions, providing early support for a co product development pathway.

Head assays from test samples indicate gallium grades of approximately 40 ppm, while size fractionation work shows that a significant proportion of gallium reports to the fine minus 0.075 mm fraction, which also concentrates rare earth and scandium oxides and is therefore a key target for hydrometallurgical processing.

“Test work indicates that between 45% and 82% of gallium can be extracted under atmospheric leach conditions using hydrochloric acid, with improved recoveries achieved through extended residence times, demonstrating technical viability for gallium recovery within a rare earth focused flowsheet.”

Leach testing using hydrochloric and sulphuric acid across a range of temperatures, pulp densities and residence times achieved gallium extractions between 45.13% and 81.61% with hydrochloric acid and between 36.87% and 72.71% with sulphuric acid, while precipitation

test work has confirmed that gallium can be recovered from solution in conjunction with REE and scandium products.

Conceptual flowsheet development illustrates an integrated process route incorporating REE, TiO2, scandium and gallium streams, with ongoing work focused on refining reagent regimes, residence times and separation steps to confirm recoverability and processing performance suitable for future engineering studies.

What exploration upside exists for gallium beyond the current Mineral Resource, and which areas are considered most prospective for resource growth?

The current gallium Mineral Resource is confined to areas where air core drilling has defined the ≥300 ppm TREO envelope at Newmont and O’Connor; however, reconnaissance drilling has confirmed that gallium mineralisation extends beyond these boundaries into a number of surrounding prospects.

RC and air core drilling at Newmont South, Matilda South, Glenmorangie and Talisker has returned near surface saprolitic intersections, including 12 m at 56.0 ppm Ga and 3 m at 108 ppm Ga2O3 equivalent, demonstrating that gallium enrichment is not restricted to the currently modelled deposits.

“The presence of high grade gallium intersections at Glenmorangie and Talisker confirms that the mineralised saprolite system extends well beyond the current resource wireframes and supports the potential for material resource growth through systematic air core drilling.”

Geological mapping and magnetic interpretation indicate that the controlling amphibolite and associated weathered profiles continue along strike and down dip beyond the present drill coverage, particularly to the south and south west of Newmont and around the margins of O’Connor, where substantial areas of prospective saprolite remain untested and represent priority targets for future resource expansion.

How does the designation of gallium as a critical mineral and its inclusion in Australia’s strategic reserve framework align with the Salazar resource profile and development concept?

Gallium is classified as a critical mineral due to its essential role in semiconductors, advanced electronics, defence systems and internet infrastructure, and Australia has formally prioritised gallium, together with rare earths and antimony, for inclusion in its planned Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve.

At Salazar, the presence of a large Inferred gallium resource of 263 Mt at 26 ppm Ga, co located with substantial rare earth, scandium, titanium and alumina resources in shallow saprolitic clays, establishes a domestic inventory of several commodities that directly align with these strategic priorities.

“With published JORC Resources for rare earths, scandium, titanium, alumina and now gallium within a single saprolitic system, Salazar represents a consolidated critical minerals platform aligned with Australia’s strategic reserve objectives.”

The development concept is based on recovering gallium as a co product from a rare earth focused processing flowsheet, supported by metallurgical test work demonstrating leachability and precipitation of gallium alongside REE and scandium under atmospheric conditions, thereby providing a technically grounded pathway for multi commodity extraction.

In combination, the scale of the resource, the continuity of mineralisation, the favourable saprolitic host and the progress in metallurgical understanding position Salazar as a project capable of contributing to future critical minerals supply chains, subject to continued resource growth, process optimisation and advancement of development studies.

Gallium Resource strengthens Salazar’s multi commodity critical minerals profile

The establishment of a 263 Mt Inferred gallium Mineral Resource within the Salazar saprolitic clay system confirms the presence of a substantial and laterally continuous gallium endowment that is geologically and metallurgically aligned with the project’s rare earth, scandium, titanium and alumina resources.

With mineralisation constrained to a weathered profile that supports free digging and atmospheric leach processing, and with early test work demonstrating recoverability of gallium alongside REE and scandium, West Cobar Metals now holds a consolidated critical minerals platform of scale, continuity and strategic relevance, underpinned by defined exploration upside and a growing body of metallurgical evidence to support ongoing resource growth, process optimisation and future development studies.

As Australia advances its Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve and prioritises domestic supply of gallium, rare earths and associated co products, the scale, continuity and multi commodity nature of the Salazar resource base, together with defined exploration upside beyond the current wireframes, provides a technically robust foundation for ongoing resource growth, metallurgical optimisation and future development studies under the leadership of Managing Director Matt Szwedzicki.

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