Yule River Project
Greenfields exploration opportunity across the Sholl Shear Zone targeting gold, nickel-copper and VMS systems
Project Overview
The Yule River Project is located 35km southwest of Port Hedland in Western Australia's Pilbara region. Mantle Minerals Ltd (ASX:MTL) holds the 141km² exploration licence (E47/3857), which is divided into two blocks approximately six kilometres apart. The tenement sits across the Sholl Shear Zone (SSZ) — a >330km long terrane boundary with a complex history of displacement and reactivation.
Within the licence area, the SSZ brings De Grey Supergroup greenstones into contact with metasediments of the Mallina Basin, creating a highly favourable structural and stratigraphic setting. The geology and structural framework indicate potential for several mineralisation styles, including orogenic and intrusive-related gold, magmatic nickel-copper sulphides, and VMS copper-zinc systems.
Despite this potential, Yule River remains a greenfields project. Thick fluvial cover (30–70m) and challenging groundwater conditions have historically limited drilling effectiveness, with fewer than ten holes successfully completed across the ground. Earlier geophysical surveys were unable to image beneath the conductive cover, making modern, higher-resolution techniques a priority.
Primary Target
YRSZ-SSZ Intersection Zone
Historical Work
Past work by Troy Resources in 2005 identified the interpreted Yule River Shear Zone (YRSZ), a second-order structure potentially linking the SSZ to the Mallina Shear Zone 40km to the south.
Reconnaissance drilling outlined a 9km zone of anomalous gold (to 420ppb) with associated copper, arsenic and lead, supporting the presence of a fertile mineral system. Importantly, this anomalism trends directly into Mantle's tenure, where the interpreted YRSZ intersects the SSZ — a target area that has never been effectively drill tested.
Future Programs
Going forward, Mantle intends to refine exploration targeting through geophysical surveys, leading to a structured drilling program. While drilling conditions remain challenging, the combination of favourable host rocks, major intersecting shear zones, and evidence of multi-element anomalism provides a compelling rationale for systematic exploration.
Yule River represents a high-impact discovery opportunity within Mantle's portfolio, with modern exploration techniques offering the potential to overcome historical limitations and unlock the project's significant mineral potential.