Durack Project Update – High-Grade Monazite-Hosted Rare Earth Elements in Western Australia
- Noel Ong
- 9 hours ago
- 7 min read
Announcement
Durack project update - high-grade rare earths 24 November 2025 (click here to view the announcement)
BPM Minerals Ltd (ASX: BPM) has released a significant exploration update on the Durack REE-Ti-Zr Project, located approximately 110 km south of Wyndham and 100 km northwest of Halls Creek in the Eastern Kimberley (Figure 1). The latest fieldwork has highlighted exceptionally high-grade monazite-hosted rare earths within lithified heavy mineral sandstones, reinforcing Durack as a potentially large-scale, district-wide REE opportunity.
Figure 1: Durack Project Location – Western Australia (source: BPM)
The Business of the Company: Focus – Rare Earths Projects
BPM Minerals continues to build a diversified portfolio of precious, base, and critical minerals projects across Western Australia, with a strategy centred on Tier-1 jurisdictions and early-stage opportunities that offer scalable upside. The Company’s exploration focus remains disciplined, targeting geological systems with clear potential for grade, continuity, and long-term development pathways.
Key project areas include:
Durack REE–Ti–Zr Project – an emerging district-scale rare earth system hosted within lithified heavy mineral sands, now delivering exceptionally high-grade monazite-dominant rock chips.Rare Earth
Forelands Gold Project – a newly acquired high-grade gold system situated along a major structural corridor on the Yilgarn–Albany–Fraser margin.
Beachcomber Prospect (Santons Project) – with RC drilling underway and assays expected in early 2026, forming part of BPM’s broader gold exploration pipeline.
District-scale landholding strategy, focused on consolidating underexplored structural corridors with demonstrated mineral endowment.
Together, these projects position BPM as a proactive explorer with exposure to both the critical minerals thematic and traditional gold exploration, supported by a leadership team with a track record in major discoveries.
Highlights – High-Grade REE System with District-Scale Potential
Exceptional Rock Chip Grades at Chandler’s Find (Figure 2)
Figure 2: Recent Rock Chip results at Chandler’s Find within the Durack REE Project (source: BPM)
Rock chips returned exceptionally high TREO values (Figure 3), including:
9.65% TREO incl. 2.20% Nd₂O₃ + Pr₆O₁₁
6.34% TREO incl. 1.44% Nd₂O₃ + Pr₆O₁₁
3.71% TREO incl. 0.84% Nd₂O₃ + Pr₆O₁₁
These results complement earlier assays of:
4.89% TREO incl. 1.06% Nd₂O₃ + Pr₆O₁₁
4.38% TREO incl. 0.96% Nd₂O₃ + Pr₆O₁₁
Figure 3: Aerial view over Chandler’s Find looking northeast, showing the approximate location of rock chips collected along the prospective REE-Zr-Ti horizon of the lower Warton Sandstone. (source: BPM)
4 km of Newly Identified High-Grade Outcrop
Recent fieldwork extended the footprint of Chandler’s Find by ~4 km, with mineralisation remaining open in both directions.
A further ~45 km strike in the southern tenements remains untested for the 2026 season.
Monazite as the Dominant REE Mineral
Petrography confirms coarse-grained monazite (100–150 µm) within lithified heavy mineral sands, alongside zircon and Ti-bearing minerals.
Favourable mineral liberation characteristics support cost-efficient gravity and magnetic separation.
Radiometric Data Indicates Larger District Potential
Priority thorium radiometric anomalies extend well beyond Chandler’s Find, defining multiple kilometre-scale targets (Figure 4)
Figure 4: Durack Project (South) – GSWA Radiometrics (Thorium) (source: BPM)
Radiometrics highlight two major prospective corridors extending over 100 km (Figure 5)
Figure 5: Durack Project (South) – GSWA Radiometrics (Thorium) (source: BPM)
Strategic Alignment with Australia’s REE Processing Infrastructure
Durack’s monazite aligns with domestic downstream facilities such as Iluka’s Eneabba Rare Earths Refinery, supported by ~A$1.65 billion in federal funding.
High Nd/Pr content supports demand trends linked to EV motors, wind turbines, and defence technology (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Forecast NdFeB Magnet Consumption (source: BPM)
Leadership Commentary
BPM CEO Oliver Judd commented:
“We are very encouraged by the recent observations and rock chips from Chandlers find Prospect at the Durack Project. Chandlers represent less the 5% of the total strike length of the project, demonstrating the potential for this project to host a major heavy mineral sand deposit containing REE’s.
Rock chips have returned multiple high-grade Rare Earth Element assays demonstrating significant concentrations, including 9.65% TREO with 2.20% Nd2O3+Pr6O11. The REE’s are hosted within the mineral Monazite, a typical source of LREE’s globally and a favourable mineral for commercial processing. HMS style deposits can be huge, often in the billions of tonnes. With this in mind, coupled with the initial high grade rock chips, large prospective land holding and compelling scalable radiometric anomalies, the Durack Project has the potential to deliver a major REE bearing resource in a new emerging REE district. With REEs recognised as a Critical Mineral by the Australian federal government, there are opportunities to benefit from national initiatives aimed at establishing Australia as a leader in the global Rare Earth market.”
About the Project
The Durack Project covers 151 exploration blocks across multiple pastoral leases, targeting lithified heavy mineral sands within the Proterozoic Warton Sandstone.
Key attributes include:
100 km of outcropping, REE-prospective strike
High-grade monazite-hosted REE within coarse, well-sorted heavy mineral bands
Geological continuity across a regional corridor
Project secured under a non-dilutive exclusive option agreement
The mineralisation dips gently (~10°) westward and reflects ancient beach placer systems preserved inland (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Ross Chandler standing on a well-exposed outcrop near where DRK056 was taken. Rocks dip shallowly (~10°) towards the west (right-side of image). Ross is approximately 5’6” for scale. (source: BPM)
Near-Term Milestones to Watch
According to the company’s published forward program:
2026 field season will include additional sampling, radiometric surveying, and metallurgical work
Heritage agreement execution with Kimberley Land Council anticipated in H1 2026
Tenement grants expected shortly after heritage approvals
Expanded assessment of the ~45 km prospective strike in southern tenements
Continued evaluation under the Durack Project option agreement
It is also worth noting that BPM continues to advance exploration across its broader portfolio, with ongoing work at Forelands and Beachcomber expected to carry through the 2025–2026 period.
How Samso Understands the Investment Memo for the Company
Durack presents a rare combination of high-grade, geological scale, and strategic relevance within a favourable jurisdiction. The consistent presence of monazite-hosted Nd-Pr mineralisation across a growing outcrop footprint suggests the potential for a large-tonnage REE-Ti-Zr system, comparable to heavy mineral projects known for multibillion-tonne potential.
With the Australian Government actively backing downstream REE processing, projects such as Durack — featuring coarse monazite and relatively simple beneficiation pathways — stand to benefit from emerging domestic supply chains. However, true project momentum will require systematic exploration once tenure is granted, including drilling to verify continuity and tonnage potential.
Samso Concluding Comments
According to BPM, Durack sits within one of Australia’s most prospective yet underexplored REE terrains, and the combination of monazite dominance and strong Nd-Pr representation stands out in the current market context. What is nice to see is the potential scale implied by the newly confirmed 4 km high-grade extension and the still-untested 45 km southern corridor. This is where the long-term value proposition resides: the potential emergence of a significant REE province in the Proterozoic Warton Sandstone.
The presence of coarse, well-sorted monazite is particularly important. It not only supports favourable processing characteristics but also aligns well with Western Australia’s downstream infrastructure initiatives. As EV and magnet supply chains diversify away from China, such attributes will carry increasing strategic weight.
Durack is in a province that is hard to move logistically, and there may be issues with land access. The red tape is not easy in the Kimberley, but that is not saying that it is unworkable.
For now, Durack presents a robust early-stage opportunity with meaningful upside. As always, the path from discovery to definition is long, but the ingredients present here offer a promising start.
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