Black Canyon Confirms 23.6Mt Manganese Resource With 90% in Top Confidence Tiers
Key Takeaways
- Black Canyon's maiden JORC resource at Wandanya stands at 23.6Mt at 25.8% Mn, with 66% Measured and 26% Indicated — meaning over 90% of the resource is in the two highest-confidence classifications, enabling a direct transition to feasibility studies without further resource drilling.
- A high-grade subset of 16.8Mt at 30.0% Mn (20% cut-off) and a DSO-grade subset of 3.7Mt at 38.9% Mn (35% cut-off) confirm meaningful product optionality across multiple market segments.
- Pilot-scale DMS testwork on 30% Mn feed composites consistently produced beneficiated products of 38.5–41% Mn at recoveries close to or above 80%, confirming simple, low-capital-intensity processing is viable.
- A separate iron resource of 12.5Mt at 54.9% Fe — 100% Measured — adds dual-commodity optionality, with drop tower tests producing a 74% lump product grading 59.7% Fe.
- A Scoping Study evaluating the 3.4km base case resource is underway and targeted for completion in December 2026, representing the next material value inflection point for shareholders.
Wandanya maiden resource confirmed: 23.6Mt at 25.8% Mn puts Black Canyon on the map
Black Canyon Limited (ASX: BCA) has delivered a maiden JORC (2012)-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for its 100%-owned Wandanya Deposit, anchoring one of the most significant recent greenfields manganese discoveries in Australia. The global manganese resource stands at 23.6Mt at 25.8% Mn (12% Mn cut-off), with an exceptional confidence profile: 66% Measured, 26% Indicated, and just 8% Inferred, meaning more than 90% of the resource sits in the two highest-confidence classifications.
Layered beneath the manganese story is a bonus iron commodity. A separate global iron resource of 12.5Mt at 54.9% Fe (50% Fe cut-off) has been defined at Wandanya, classified at 100% Measured, adding dual-commodity optionality to what is already a material asset for a junior explorer. A Scoping Study is currently underway, evaluating the 3.4km base case resource and targeting completion in December 2026.
Brendan Cummins, Managing Director
“Wandanya is one of the most significant recent greenfields manganese discoveries in Australia with a global Mineral Resource estimate comprising 23.6Mt @ 25.8% Mn. Delivering the maiden Mineral Resource estimate marks another defining milestone for Black Canyon and confirms our belief Wandanya is a Company making asset.”
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Resource highlights at a glance
The headline numbers across both commodities:
- Global Mn MRE: 23.6Mt @ 25.8% Mn (12% Mn cut-off)
- High-grade Mn subset: 16.8Mt @ 30.0% Mn (20% Mn cut-off)
- DSO-grade Mn potential: 3.7Mt @ 38.9% Mn (35% Mn cut-off)
- Beneficiation result: Pilot-scale dense media separation (DMS) testwork using feed composites around 30% Mn demonstrated strong potential to produce beneficiated products ranging between 38.5% Mn and 41% Mn with recoveries close to or over 80%
- Global Fe MRE: 12.5Mt @ 54.9% Fe (50% Fe cut-off); 100% Measured
- Iron DSO potential: Drop tower tests produced a 74% lump product grading 59.7% Fe
| Commodity | Classification | Tonnes (Mt) | Grade | Contained Metal (Mt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manganese | Measured | 15.5 | 26.9% Mn | 4.2 |
| Manganese | Indicated | 6.3 | 22.9% Mn | 1.4 |
| Manganese | Inferred | 1.8 | 26.7% Mn | 0.5 |
| Manganese | Grand Total | 23.6 | 25.8% Mn | 6.1 |
| Iron | Measured | 11.6 | 55.1% Fe | 6.4 |
| Iron | Indicated | 0.8 | 51.5% Fe | 0.4 |
| Iron | Inferred | 0.02 | 51.2% Fe | 0.0 |
| Iron | Grand Total | 12.5 | 54.9% Fe | 6.8 |
All mineral resources reported at cut-off grades of 12% Mn (manganese) and 50% Fe (iron). Source: Black Canyon ASX Announcement, 30 September 2026, Tables 1 and 2.
How Wandanya compares to Australia’s significant manganese developments
A JORC Mineral Resource Estimate is a formal assessment of how much mineralised material exists in the ground and how well-understood it is. The classifications — Measured, Indicated, and Inferred — reflect increasing uncertainty, from well-drilled and statistically robust (Measured) to more broadly interpreted (Inferred). For investors, a high proportion of Measured and Indicated resource matters because it signals a project is ready to advance into detailed economic studies without returning to the drill pad first.
At Wandanya, having more than 90% of the manganese resource in Measured and Indicated categories is a project-advancement advantage. As Cummins noted, the high confidence classification “will enable an efficient transition to feasibility studies without further detailed resource drilling.”
The most directly comparable Australian manganese development is Bootu Creek in the Northern Territory. Wandanya’s 23.6Mt at 25.8% Mn is materially superior in scale to the Bootu Creek pre-mine resource of 11.0Mt at 27% Mn (18% Mn cut-off, 2004), a project that was subsequently built and operated by OM Holdings (ASX: OMH) for 15 years. That benchmark is the most recent comparable Australian manganese mine development.
Woodie Woodie, located 80km north of Wandanya, provides further context. That operation developed and mined 20 individual deposits over 20km of strike, with resource sizes ranging between 0.2Mt and 5.5Mt and averaging 0.5Mt, at depths from surface to over 200m. By contrast, Wandanya presents a continuous mineralised horizon extending over 3.4km of strike, with the majority of mineralisation at surface or less than 20m depth.
What makes Wandanya’s geology unique
The mineralisation at Wandanya is shallow, near-surface, and largely outcropping to sub-cropping — directly relevant to potential mining economics because shallow deposits typically cost less to mine and carry lower project risk. Manganese oxides dominate near the surface and transition to Mn carbonate at around 20m vertical depth; iron mineralisation runs separately along 1.5km of strike.
The resource estimate is underpinned by 929 RC holes for 24,021m of drilling, completed on a 50m x 50m and 50m x 100m regular grid spacing. That drilling density, combined with strong geological continuity confirmed across strike and down-hole, directly supports the high proportion of Measured classification. The key investor takeaway is straightforward: shallow, continuous, densely drilled mineralisation means lower projected mining costs and greater development flexibility.
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Metallurgy, DSO optionality, and the path to production
Pilot-scale dense media separation (DMS) testwork — a density-based beneficiation process that separates valuable minerals from waste using a heavy liquid — was conducted on blended feed composites of around 30% Mn. Results consistently demonstrated strong potential for beneficiated products ranging between 38.5% Mn and 41% Mn, with recoveries close to or over 80%, using applied liquid densities of 2.8 to 3.0 g/cm³.
The Direct Ship Ore (DSO) manganese option adds near-term flexibility. A subset of 3.7Mt at 38.9% Mn (35% Mn cut-off) represents material that may be simply mined, crushed, and screened for direct ship markets, or blended with beneficiated product to improve overall specifications. On the iron side, drop tower tests produced a 74% lump product grading 59.7% Fe, confirming DSO potential for the iron resource as well.
Simple processing methods using density-based technology reduce capital intensity relative to more complex flowsheets. That is a meaningful risk-reduction factor at this stage of project development.
Simple processing upgrades to 40-45% Mn at Wandanya were confirmed in earlier testwork, establishing that the project’s ore responds well to density-based separation well before the pilot-scale DMS program reported here, and providing the baseline product quality targets now feeding into Scoping Study assumptions.
Scoping Study and next steps
The forward-looking pipeline from here includes:
- Scoping Study underway, evaluating the 3.4km base case resource, on track for completion December 2026
- Further metallurgical testwork planned, including diamond core drilling and potentially bulk sample pits
- Additional feasibility-related studies on the broader Balfour Mn Field projects (315Mt at 10.5% Mn across the BMF, almost 87% Measured and Indicated)
- Tenure applications for mining and miscellaneous licences
- Gravity surveys commenced mid-July 2026 to detect deeper buried mineralisation
Delivering the Scoping Study is the next value inflection point for shareholders. As Cummins stated: “The Wandanya Mineral Resource now sets the platform for the Scoping Study which we anticipate will highlight the potential value of our manganese and iron assets to build a long-life mining operation and we look forward to delivering that to shareholders by year end.”
Why manganese matters
Manganese is essential and non-substitutable in steel manufacturing, where it improves strength and corrosion resistance. It is also a critical mineral in the cathodes of Li-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and bulk energy storage systems. That dual demand profile — from traditional steel production and the energy transition simultaneously — underpins the long-term fundamentals for the commodity.
For investors exploring the broader strategic context behind the manganese and iron combination at Wandanya, our deep-dive into Black Canyon’s Pilbara dual-commodity positioning covers how BCA established itself across both commodities in the region and what that means for the company’s development pathway beyond the Wandanya deposit itself.
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