Heavy Minerals Moves Red Hill Garnet Project Toward First JORC Resource Estimate
Key Takeaways
- Heavy Minerals has engaged Mineral Technologies to deliver a maiden JORC Mineral Resource estimate for its 100%-owned Red Hill Garnet Project in Western Australia, with completion expected within approximately 4–5 weeks.
- Garnet was the dominant mineral in every one of the 47 heavy mineral composites tested, with 45 of 47 returning between 68% and 92% garnet — a level of consistency that strengthens confidence in deposit homogeneity and future processing design.
- Red Hill carries an existing Exploration Target of 90–150 Mt at 4.1–5.4% THM; the JORC resource estimate will convert this conceptual figure into a formally reportable standard usable for development and financing discussions.
- The resource work is led by Greg Jones of Mineral Technologies, who spent more than 10 years compiling Iluka Resources' annual Resource and Reserve statement — though investors should note he also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Heavy Minerals.
- HVY is simultaneously advancing Kanmantoo through FEL3 engineering and Port Gregory post-PFS, the latter delivering a post-tax NPV of A$322.8 million and a 24-year mine life, with the chairman flagging the next 12 months as a transition toward garnet production.
Red Hill garnet project moves toward maiden JORC resource
Heavy Minerals Limited (ASX: HVY) has engaged Mineral Technologies Pty Ltd to prepare a geological model and maiden Mineral Resource estimate under the JORC Code (2012) for its 100%-owned Red Hill Garnet Project in Western Australia. Alongside this engagement, the company has reported Quantitative X-Ray Diffraction (QXRD) mineralogy results across all 47 heavy mineral composites from its 2023 Red Hill air-core drilling programme, with garnet returned as the dominant mineral in every single sample.
Key highlights from the announcement:
- Mineral Technologies tasked with delivering a geological model, Mineral Resource estimate, and JORC Code (2012) Technical Report for Red Hill, drawing on existing drilling, assay, and mineralogical data including the newly reported QXRD results
- Garnet was the dominant mineral in every one of the 47 composites tested, ranging from 53% to 92% of the heavy mineral concentrate
- Red Hill carries an existing Exploration Target of 90 to 150 Mt at 5.4% to 4.1% THM (ASX announcement, 4 May 2023). The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature; there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource
- Indicative timeline for completion: approximately 4–5 weeks from commencement, subject to data review and feedback timeframes
For investors, this engagement represents a meaningful de-risking step. It converts the project from Exploration Target status toward a JORC-reported Mineral Resource estimate, a standard milestone that improves how the project is evaluated by investors and potential project financiers.
Who is Mineral Technologies?
Mineral Technologies is a mineral sands technical group with offices across Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne), the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and India. The company prepares technical reports to JORC Code, NI 43-101, and S-K 1300 standards, and provides geology, mining, feasibility study, and technical review services.
The engagement is led by Greg Jones (Head of Geology and Mining), who has more than 30 years’ experience as a geologist, primarily in mineral sands. He spent much of his career with Iluka Resources and its predecessors, including as Manager Development Geology, where he compiled Iluka’s annual Resource and Reserve statement for more than 10 years. It is worth noting, for transparency, that Mr Jones is also a Non-Executive Director of Heavy Minerals Limited as well as a full-time employee of Mineral Technologies, which has been engaged by the company on commercial terms. The announcement discloses this relationship directly.
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Garnet dominates every sample — QXRD results confirm consistent assemblage
The most significant technical finding from this announcement is straightforward: garnet was the dominant mineral in every one of the 47 composites tested. That kind of consistency across a full drill programme strengthens confidence in deposit homogeneity, which is a positive signal for future processing design and product quality.
The headline figures: garnet ranged from 53% to 92% of the heavy mineral concentrate, and 45 of the 47 composites returned between 68% and 92%. The two exceptions, RH001 (53%) and RH002 (54%), were the lowest-garnet composites but also carried the highest pseudorutile grades (13% and 11% respectively). These two samples represent the outlier, not the rule.
Secondary minerals across the dataset were minor. Ilmenite ranged from 3% to 14% and zircon from zero detected to 3% of the heavy mineral concentrate.
Analysis was conducted by Bureau Veritas Minerals Pty Ltd, Adelaide, using Quantitative X-Ray Diffraction (QXRD) — a method that uses X-ray beams to identify and quantify the crystalline mineral phases present in a sample. Method XD009 with Rietveld quantification was applied across all 47 samples and cross-checked against XRF assay. Results were delivered in report AN2040, dated 19 May 2026. The announcement notes that values below 1% are indicative only.
| Mineral | Range (% of HM concentrate) | Typical range (45 of 47 composites) |
|---|---|---|
| Garnet | 53–92% | 68–92% |
| Ilmenite | 3–14% | — |
| Zircon | 0–3% | — |
| Pseudorutile | Highest in lowest-garnet samples | Up to 13% |
Source: Bureau Veritas report AN2040. Values are weight percent of heavy mineral concentrate, crystalline phases only, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Building a pipeline — Red Hill in the context of HVY’s broader garnet strategy
Executive Chairman Adam Schofield framed the Red Hill progress within a broader portfolio context:
Adam Schofield, Executive Chairman
“Engaging Mineral Technologies to conduct the Mineral Resource estimate for Red Hill brings one of the most experienced mineral sands resource teams in Australia to work on the project. The QXRD results show a consistently garnet dominant heavy mineral assemblage across the deposit, and this package of work is the natural next step in converting our Exploration Target into a JORC-reported Mineral Resource Estimate. The Company looks forward to receiving the Minerals Resource Estimate in the next 4-5 weeks…
The next 12 months should be an exceptional period for shareholders as we look to transition from an advanced explorer to a Garnet production company that still retains multiple exploration opportunities.”
A quick note on what a JORC Mineral Resource estimate actually is: it is a formal, publicly reportable estimate of mineralisation under the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, classified by confidence level as Inferred, Indicated, or Measured. For investors, it represents a step up from a conceptual Exploration Target toward a project that can be evaluated for development, financing, or transaction purposes.
Three active workstreams are currently progressing across HVY’s garnet portfolio:
- Red Hill — maiden Mineral Resource estimate expected within approximately 4–5 weeks from commencement of work by Mineral Technologies
- Kanmantoo — FEL3 (Front-End Loading) engineering for the garnet tailings plant is progressing, with digital twin modelling of the planned plant site underway; multiple funding discussions for Kanmantoo are continuing
- Port Gregory — work continues following completion of the Pre-Feasibility Study, which delivered a post-tax NPV of A$322.8 million, a maiden Probable Ore Reserve of 85.5 Mt at 4.43% THM for 3.3 Mt of contained garnet, and a 24-year mine life (ASX announcement, 29 July 2026)
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What to watch next
- Maiden JORC Mineral Resource estimate for Red Hill expected within approximately 4–5 weeks from commencement of Mineral Technologies’ work
- FEL3 study completion at Kanmantoo, and outcomes of the ongoing funding discussions for that project
- Further work at Red Hill is planned to include particle size distribution, garnet product quality, and metallurgical performance testwork
- Mineralisation at Red Hill remains open to the south and south-west, though access to this area is currently restricted by a lodged but not yet registered Aboriginal Heritage Place
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