Maiden resource underlines global significance of Terra Metals’ Dante critical minerals project

• Terra defines 148Mt resource with 14.8% titanium dioxide plus significant vanadium, copper, gold and platinum at Dante
• Resource covers less than 10% of mapped mineralised trend and was defined within 12 months of discovery
• Phase 3 drilling imminent with metallurgical optimisation testwork underway

Special Report: Terra Metals’ Dante polymetallic project in WA has been confirmed as a globally significant critical minerals discovery after the definition of a maiden resource with plenty of upside.

Leading independent consultant Ken Lomberg from Pivot Mining Consultants pencilled in a resource of 148Mt grading 14.8% titanium dioxide, 0.54% vanadium pentoxide, 0.18% copper and 0.33% PGE.

This represents resources of 22Mt TiO2, 800,000t V2O5, 270,000t copper, 400,000oz gold, 880,000oz platinum and 330,000oz palladium.

It includes a high-grade indicated resource of 38Mt at 18.4% TiO2, 0.73% V2O5, 0.23% copper and 0.72g/t 3PGE.

Terra Metals (ASX:TM1) noted that this resource was defined within 12 months of initial discovery and was made at a low discovery cost of just 7c per tonne, which highlighted the simple, laterally extensive and near-surface nature of the system.

Adding further interest, the resource covers less than 10% of the mapped mineralised trend, which remains open along strike and at depth with reconnaissance continuing to expand the known footprint.

Initial metallurgical testwork using flotation and magnetic separation has also confirmed excellent recoveries and concentrate grades across all key metals – titanium, vanadium, copper, gold and platinum – with optimisation work ongoing.

Titanium metal is much sought after in the aerospace sector for its high strength and light weight compared with steel.

“Our maiden mineral resource confirms Dante as a globally significant critical metals discovery — and to achieve it within just 12 months, at a very low discovery cost per tonne of resource, is an exceptional result,” managing director Thomas Line said.

“Not only have we exceeded our previous exploration target but the quality of the mineral system — its scale, near-surface continuity, metallurgical performance and growth potential — positions Dante as a strategic, long-life critical metal asset on a global scale.”

Dante project

The Dante project in WA’s West Musgrave region differs from other titanium projects in key aspects with its multi-commodity nature. 

It encompasses titanium, copper, gold, vanadium and platinum, and sits in hard rock mineralisation rather than the typical heavy mineral sands.

The Dante Reefs are a series of gently dipping, laterally extensive mineralised layers which outcrop from surface and run for at least 42km, believed to mirror the Bushveld province of South Africa, which houses some of the world’s largest, longest running and most profitable PGE, copper, nickel and gold operations.

Recent tenement acquisitions have extended strike potential to over 80km, with hundreds of kilometres of prospective stratigraphy within the project’s footprint.

Metallurgical testing using simple and low-cost processing techniques returned promising recoveries of 95.8% for copper, 65.6% for titanium, 90.9% for vanadium, 74.4% for platinum group metals and 75.8% for gold.

This work also demonstrated high-grade concentrate products, including a high-grade 28% copper, 17g/t gold and 21.4g/t PGM sulphide concentrate as well as a high-grade titanium-ilmenite concentrate and a high-grade vanadium-magnetite concentrate, which highlight Dante Reefs’ potential to be a competitive producer of multiple strategic mineral products from a single source.

TM1 is currently planning to carry out Phase 3 drilling imminently.

This includes infill and extensional drilling at Reef 1 North (Crius), Reef 2 (Hyperion), and Reef 1 South (Oceanus) as well as the testing of new targets identified across the broader Dante trend, including outcropping mapped reefs and electromagnetic targets.

Metallurgical optimisation work is underway to support future scoping and feasibility studies while reconnaissance exploration is expected to continue to expand the strike of known reef systems.

Additionally, high resolution airborne magnetics is planned on the recently acquired HRM tenements (Dante West).

This article was developed in collaboration with Terra Metals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.