Cadoux Extends Danube Rare Earth Zone 1.4km North Ahead of Maiden Resource
Key Takeaways
- Resampling of 21 historical holes produced 208 samples confirming mineralisation extends up to 1.4 km north of the June 2026 Exploration Target envelope, with hole DB0033 the furthest northern intercept at 4 m @ 0.61% zircon.
- Standout hole DB0029 returned 9 m @ 1.01% zircon, 0.13% monazite and 2.02% TiO₂ from 18 m — directly comparable in grade to the best holes inside the existing envelope.
- All seven holes on the southern traverse returned mineralised results, opening a new target area south of the envelope at 5–10 m @ 0.35–0.57% zircon from 11–14 m depth.
- The maiden Mineral Resource estimate has been pushed from Q4 2026 to Q1 2027 to incorporate both the extension and the infill drilling programme scheduled for Q4 2026, subject to landholder access.
- Cadoux holds 50% of the Minhub Darwin mineral separation plant — designed to process 500,000 tpa of heavy mineral concentrate — providing a downstream processing pathway for Danube feed material.
Danube mineralisation extends beyond the June 2026 envelope
Cadoux Ltd (ASX: CCM) has reported new resampling results from the Danube Rare Earth–Zircon Project that extend known mineralisation beyond both ends of the June 2026 Exploration Target envelope. The programme resampled 21 holes from the 2022/23 Danube drilling using fused-bead XRF at Bureau Veritas Minerals, Perth, producing 208 samples in total.
The headline finding is that mineralisation now extends up to 1.4 km north of the June 2026 envelope. At the southern end, all seven holes resampled on the southern traverse returned mineralised results, with intervals of 5–10 m @ 0.35–0.57% zircon from 11–14 m depth, opening a new target area to the south.
Best drill results north of the envelope
The three standout intersections north of the June 2026 Exploration Target envelope are:
- DB0029: 9 m @ 1.01% zircon, 0.13% monazite and 2.02% TiO₂ from 18 m, including 1 m @ 2.32% zircon from 23 m — comparable to holes inside the existing envelope such as DB0007 (7 m @ 1.00% zircon, reported June 2026)
- DB0030: 7 m @ 0.62% zircon and 0.08% monazite from 21 m, including 4 m @ 0.84% zircon, open at the base of sampling
- DB0033: 4 m @ 0.61% zircon and 0.08% monazite from 21 m, located 1.4 km north of the envelope
MD quote
Roland Hill, Managing Director, Cadoux Ltd
“Danube keeps impressing. Our resampling program indicates extensions to the mineralisation beyond the envelope we reported in June 2026. DB0029, north of the envelope, returned 9 metres at 1.01% zircon, comparable to the holes inside the envelope, and the mineralisation is still open to the north.
“We now have a clear run at the next stage. Infill drilling is scheduled for the December quarter, subject to landholder access, and is aimed at defining a maiden Mineral Resource. We already hold 380 kg of Danube material for bulk metallurgical testwork, which will feed a process flowsheet and a Scoping Study targeted for the June quarter of 2027. Victoria is demonstrating its support for the industry by permitting mineral sands projects in the Murray Basin. Danube is shaping up as a cornerstone feed source for the Minhub rare earth strategy.”
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Understanding rare earth–zircon mineralisation in the Wimmera
Zircon is a heavy mineral sold primarily to the ceramics and zirconium chemicals industries. Monazite and xenotime are the two rare earth minerals at Danube: monazite carries mostly light rare earths including neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), while xenotime carries mostly yttrium and the heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium (Dy+Tb).
Danube is a WIM-style heavy mineral placer deposit, formed in ancient offshore marine sands (the Pliocene Loxton–Parilla Sands) in the southern Murray Basin. This geometry produces a flat-lying, sheet-like body typically 5–10 m thick, sitting at shallow depths.
Under the JORC Code (2012), an Exploration Target is a conceptual estimate of the possible range of tonnes and grade. It is not a Mineral Resource — it signals that sufficient geological evidence exists to define a range of potential scale, but further exploration is required before a formal resource can be declared. The June 2026 Exploration Target for Danube sits at 50–100 Mt at 0.8–1.2% in-situ zircon and 800–1,200 ppm in-situ TREO. Nearby analogues in the Wimmera include Iluka’s WIM 100, VHM’s Goschen, and Astron’s Donald projects, which frame the geological context for Danube.
Development pathway: from envelope extension to Scoping Study
The work programme for Danube runs four parallel workstreams: quantitative mineralogy of the heavy mineral, infill drilling (subject to land access), bulk metallurgical testwork on the 380 kg bulk sample already compiled, and process flowsheet development. The maiden Mineral Resource estimate has shifted from Q4 2026 to Q1 2027, so that it can incorporate both the extension and infill drilling planned for Q4 2026.
Stakeholder and community engagement is a Q4 2026 priority. Danube sits on freehold farmland, and landholder access is a gating factor for the infill drilling programme. Cadoux has engaged an experienced stakeholder engagement consultant for the WMS JV, with stakeholder meetings scheduled during the quarter.
The maiden WMS drilling programme, completed earlier in 2026, provided the first systematic drill data across the broader WMS joint venture ground and directly informed the sequencing of testwork and infill drilling now planned for the Danube development pathway.
The indicative timetable below summarises the planned progression. All timing is indicative and depends on land access, drilling rig availability, laboratory turnaround, testwork results and funding.
| Timing | Activity | Key Output | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2026 | Heavy mineral testwork review; bulk metallurgical testwork start; infill drilling (subject to landholder access) | Heavy mineral results | Scheduled |
| Q1 2027 | Infill assays; Maiden Mineral Resource estimate; bulk testwork results; quantitative mineralogy | Maiden Mineral Resource | Target |
| Q1–Q2 2027 | Process flowsheet development integrated with Minhub Darwin mineral separation plant | Flowsheet | Target |
| Q2 2027 | Danube Scoping Study | Scoping Study | Target |
Minhub Darwin plant — the downstream link
Cadoux holds 50% of Minhub Operations Pty Ltd and has the right to acquire the remaining 50%. The Darwin mineral separation plant is designed to process an initial 500,000 tpa of heavy mineral concentrate and is the subject of ongoing feasibility studies.
The Danube bulk metallurgical testwork will inform the potential inclusion of a flotation circuit for fine-grained WIM-style feed in the Darwin plant feasibility study. Minhub’s strategy targets separating xenotime from monazite: the monazite would be sold as an NdPr-bearing product, while the xenotime (carrying heavy rare earths and yttrium) would be sold separately or used as feed for the concept-stage Minhub4000 project, which targets processing up to 4,000 tpa of xenotime to a heavy rare earth-rich carbonate. The rare earth basket reported in June 2026 comprises NdPr at approximately 19%, Dy+Tb at 3%, and yttrium oxide at 17% of total rare earth oxide (TREO).
The flotation circuit, xenotime–monazite separation strategy, and Minhub4000 remain development concepts. They are subject to testwork, engineering studies, approvals, funding, and future investment decisions.
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Victoria’s approvals track record supports Danube’s pathway
Victoria has demonstrated a clear capacity to permit well-planned mineral sands and rare earth projects in the Murray Basin. Recent approvals provide tangible evidence of a supportive regulatory environment:
- VHM Goschen: 20-year mining licence granted April 2025; Commonwealth EPBC approval September 2025; work plan approval November 2025
- Avonbank (WIM Resource, approximately 25 km from Danube): Commonwealth EPBC approval April 2025; mining licence application under assessment
- Astron Donald: Phase 1A work plan approved June 2025; Major Project Status granted by the Australian Government October 2025
Victoria’s Critical Minerals Roadmap provides further regulatory confidence for the Danube pathway. The WMS JV team brings substantial on-the-ground experience: Project Director Neil O’Loughlin has worked in Murray Basin mineral sands since 1996, and he and Steve Hart of Rovatec Resources Pty Ltd were both involved in the discovery of the Bondi, Bondi East and Echo deposits of the Douglas Mineral Sands Project. That track record underpins execution credibility as Danube advances toward a maiden Mineral Resource and Scoping Study.
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