AuKing Mining Hits 59m at 1.51% Rare Earths as Malawi Drilling Widens Footprint
Key Takeaways
- Hole 26NH001 returned 59m at 1.51% TREO from 13m, including 5m at 2.96% TREO, confirming thick near-surface mineralisation on the western flank.
- High-grade TREO intercepts across the western, north-east and south-west zones point to a large carbonatite system rather than a single cluster.
- South-west step-out hole 26NH030 returned 36m at 1.50% TREO from 85m, suggesting the system extends beyond its previously interpreted footprint.
- A 1,000m diamond hole is being planned in the core area, with 2,047 samples still awaiting assay at Intertek's Perth lab.
- This is early-stage reconnaissance drilling with no Mineral Resource estimate, and true widths are still unknown.
Multiple high-grade TREO intersections confirmed across Nathace Hill
AuKing Mining (ASX: AKN) has reported reverse circulation (RC) drilling assays from selected areas of Nathace Hill at its Tundulu Rare Earth Project in southern Malawi. The company said the latest total rare earth oxides (TREO) results confirm mineralisation in the western, north-east and south-west areas.
The headline hole is 26NH001, which returned 59m @ 1.51% TREO from 13m, including 5m @ 2.96% TREO from 55m. The company said the results further strengthen the emerging scale of the carbonatite system.
Results across several separate areas, rather than one cluster of holes, are what the company points to when it describes a large system. That is the reading AuKing is putting forward, and it remains early-stage exploration.
Paul Williams, Managing Director
“…The results from 26NH030 are particularly exciting, establishing high grade REEs at depth and away from Nathace Hill, suggesting that the magnetic anomalies established from the airborne survey might well be marking significant rare earths mineralisation.”
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Hole-by-hole results by zone
All intercepts are downhole lengths, and true widths are currently unknown.
Western flank: near-surface continuity
Hole 26NH001 adds to results reported on 21 September 2026, which included 26NH011: 72m @ 1.51% TREO from surface, including 20m @ 4.26% TREO from surface. The company said the western flank is emerging as a key exploration focus at western Nathace Hill.
Within 26NH001, the company also reported 24m @ 2.02% TREO from 49m and 17m @ 2.46% TREO from 50m.
North-east: closer to the carbonatite core
Hole 26NH006 returned 47m @ 1.50% TREO from 26m, plus 9m @ 1.53% TREO from 128m, which includes 4m @ 3.33% TREO from 128m.
The company said 26NH006 and 26NH027 are among the closest holes drilled towards the interpreted carbonatite zone to date. It described 26NH027 as showing broad and continuous mineralisation from surface.
South-west: step-out drilling
A step-out hole is one drilled beyond the area already tested, to see whether mineralisation continues. Hole 26NH030 returned 36m @ 1.50% TREO from 85m, including 6m @ 3.14% TREO from 86m, and 26NH009 was also cited as a step-out hole.
AuKing said these results indicate the mineralised system may extend farther laterally than previously recognised, beyond the previously interpreted footprint.
| Hole | Zone | Interval | TREO grade | Highlight interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26NH001 | Western flank | **59m from 13m** | **1.51%** | **5m @ 2.96%** from 55m |
| 26NH006 | North-east | **47m from 26m** | **1.50%** | **6m @ 3.03%** from 40m |
| 26NH030 | South-west | **36m from 85m** | **1.50%** | **6m @ 3.14%** from 86m |
| 26NH011 (reported 21/09/2026) | Western flank | **72m from surface** | **1.51%** | **20m @ 4.26%** from surface |
What TREO grades and carbonatite systems mean for investors
TREO stands for Total Rare Earth Oxides, a standard way of adding up the rare earth elements in a sample into one grade figure. A carbonatite is an unusual igneous rock rich in carbonate minerals, and this style of intrusive complex is what AuKing is drilling at Tundulu.
For an early-stage project, three things matter: grade (how concentrated the rare earths are), thickness (how long the mineralised interval is) and near-surface position. Thick, high-grade intervals starting at or near surface are generally easier to test and follow up, which is why 26NH011 and 26NH001 draw attention.
Keep the stage in mind. The company describes the program as early-stage reconnaissance RC drilling, and the announcement does not include a Mineral Resource estimate. These results do not tell you how big or how economic the project could be.
Three things are worth watching from here:
- Depth continuity, meaning whether mineralisation holds in deeper drilling.
- Lateral extent, meaning how far it reaches beyond the current footprint.
- Resource definition, meaning whether drilling progresses towards a formal estimate.
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Next steps: deeper drilling and a steady assay pipeline
The company said the latest results reinforce the rationale for the previously announced major 1,000m diamond drill hole, with its collar currently being planned within the core area. Williams said the results provide significant confidence that deeper holes “are going to show continuous mineralisation beyond 400-500m.”
The assay pipeline gives a sense of how much news may still come:
- 2,242 samples assayed to date
- 2,047 samples awaiting assay at Intertek’s Perth lab
- More than 1,300m of diamond drill core samples awaiting Malawi export permits before being prepared for assay
- A steady flow of assay results expected over the next few months
For investors, that backlog means ongoing news flow is likely to remain a feature of the stock, though the results themselves are not yet known.
The Tundulu project sits within Exploration Licence EL0731/24, covering approximately 91.5 square kilometres, about 90 km east of Blantyre. The licence is currently 100% held in the name of Green Exploration Ltd, a subsidiary of Tusker Minerals Limited, and is the subject of a transfer approval with the Malawi MMRA.
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