Dreadnought Lays Out Regional Tungsten Play With Grades Up to 6.5% at Mangaroon
Dreadnought confirms high-grade tungsten across Mangaroon and Mangaroon South
Dreadnought Resources (ASX: DRE) has confirmed high-grade tungsten mineralisation at both its 100%-owned Mangaroon and Mangaroon South projects in WA’s Gascoyne region. Whilst the company continues to focus on gold, it has identified what Managing Director Dean Tuck describes as a “major regional tungsten opportunity” with over a dozen additional scheelite areas remaining to be mapped and sampled. Recent reconnaissance sampling at Nina returned grades up to 6.5% WO₃, whilst historical work recorded up to 12.7% WO₃.
The news builds on Dreadnought’s existing gold-focused strategy, adding a new critical metals pathway without diverting resources. Key highlights include:
- Nina target (Mangaroon): ~800m strike x ~100m wide “high-grade” core zone
- New Dreadnought rock chips up to 6.5% WO₃
- Mulka Well (Mangaroon South): first-ever sampling confirms scheelite up to 1.9% WO₃
- Drilling at Nina planned end-2026 / early 2027
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The Nina target — where the grades stack up
Nina sits within the Leake Spring Metamorphics, hosted within the crustal-scale Minga Bar shear zone — approximately 60km along strike from Dreadnought’s gold targets at Cullen’s Find, Midday Moon and Midnight Star.
Historical work by Catalyst Metals between 2005 and 2011 confirmed a tungsten zone extending over 2,000m long and up to 800m wide, with a “high-grade” core of approximately 800m x 100m. Catalyst’s surface sampling returned multiple high-grade intercepts before exploration was halted due to market conditions. No follow-up has occurred since, presenting Dreadnought with a re-emerging opportunity rather than a first-time discovery.
Dreadnought’s recent reconnaissance night sampling and shortwave UV prospecting confirmed the quality of Catalyst’s historical work. The company’s rock chips validate the zone’s attractiveness as a drill target.
| Sample ID | Source | Grade (% WO₃) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRK002 | Dreadnought | 6.5% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| NIRK003 | Dreadnought | 3.3% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| NIRK011 | Dreadnought | 2.4% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| NIRK009 | Dreadnought | 1.4% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| 9926 | Historical (Catalyst) | 12.7% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| 9833 | Historical | 6.8% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| 9929 | Historical | 4.8% | Quartz-scheelite vein |
| W702 | Historical | 3.3% | 1.0m wide quartz-scheelite vein |
Mangaroon South — a dozen untested scheelite targets
Mangaroon South sits within the Mooloo Zone of the Gascoyne Province, straddling the crustal-scale Chalba Shear Zone. The area is prospective for tungsten, gold and rare earth carbonatites.
German uranium explorer Urangesellschaft mbH mapped over a dozen scheelite occurrences across the project area in 1982 but never assayed them. No tungsten exploration has been recorded in the area since. Dreadnought acquired the Mangaroon South tenements in March 2026 (ASX 2 March 2026), consolidating the region’s rare earth and critical metal potential.
Mulka Well is the first of these occurrences that Dreadnought has sampled. The company discovered well-developed scheelite mineralisation on the opposite side of the hill from historical costeans (shallow trenches), indicating the original trenches were poorly positioned. An additional area of quartz veining within felsic schist, located approximately 200m north, returned 0.5% WO₃, highlighting potential for additional tungsten zones.
Mulka Well results:
- MWRK003: 1.9% WO₃
- MWRK008: 1.4% WO₃
- MWRK009: 1.3% WO₃
- MWRK002: 1.0% WO₃
Why tungsten matters — a critical metal in tight supply
Tungsten is a rare, dense metal with the highest melting point of any metallic element (3,422°C) and the highest tensile strength of any pure metal, and the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion. It is sourced almost entirely from the minerals scheelite and wolframite, which are upgraded into tungsten concentrate before further processing into ammonium paratungstate (APT), ferrotungsten and tungsten metal or carbide products.
Tungsten’s hardness and thermal stability make it essential for cutting tools, hardmetals, steel alloys, electronics and defence applications including munitions and armour. On this basis, it is listed as a critical mineral by Australia, the United States, the European Union, the UK, Japan, Korea and India.
Supply is highly concentrated. China holds approximately 52% of global reserves and accounts for the large majority of mine production, with Australia ranked second for reserves. Tungsten is not traded on a public exchange; prices are set bilaterally between producers and consumers and tracked via independent assessments, most notably Fastmarkets’ APT benchmark. Benchmark prices have risen sharply through 2025–2026, linked to tightening Chinese export quotas and rising defence and industrial demand. As with any commodity, historical price performance is not necessarily indicative of future price movements.
Grade context for investors:
- Global tungsten mines typically report Resource grades of 0.2%–0.5% WO₃
- High-grade deposits range from 0.5% to over 1.8% WO₃
- Dreadnought’s results to date sit at and above this high-grade band — but as the company states, “it is early days, but the results seen to date certainly justify follow-up”
What management is saying
Dean Tuck, Managing Director
“Tungsten has become a highly valuable critical metal and the Gascoyne presents a compelling opportunity to make multiple significant tungsten discoveries. While we remain focussed on gold, adding in high-grade tungsten targets will ensure we pursue the most attractive opportunities to add value through discovery and diversify our exploration and potential development opportunities.”
Tuck highlighted the low-cost nature of the tungsten opportunity. Nina is already a defined target, and the dozen-plus Mangaroon South scheelite occurrences “just require targeted surface sampling and mapping before ranking for discovery drilling.” These tungsten programs will run in parallel with gold exploration at Mangaroon and air core drilling at Illaara, adding diversification without diluting the core strategy.
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What’s next — the roadmap into 2027
Dreadnought’s tungsten programs add low-cost optionality on top of the company’s existing gold focus. The strategy is to run systematic sampling and mapping in parallel with ongoing precious metals work, creating multiple near-term catalysts across the portfolio.
Upcoming catalysts:
- September 2026: Systematic sampling and mapping of Mangaroon South prospects commences
- August/September 2026: Stream sediment sampling results — Mangaroon South
- November 2026: Gold and tungsten target definition results — Mangaroon and Mangaroon South
- End 2026 / early 2027: RC drilling planned at Nina
Tungsten represents a new value driver layered onto Dreadnought’s existing portfolio of gold (Star of Mangaroon, Metzke’s Find), rare earths (Yin, Gifford Creek) and base metals. The company has positioned itself across multiple critical and precious metals, with low-cost near-term catalysts ahead. As management emphasises, “it is early days” — but the grades and geological setting justify the next phase of work.
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