The Rock Wrangler - The Rock Wrangler

Betting the deep as polymetallic nodules emerge as a billion dollar play to fuel batteries steelmaking and the critical minerals transition

It takes a certain type of confidence to suggest the future of clean energy metals might lie four kilometres below the Pacific Ocean – confidence, and perhaps a streak of stubbornness.

By Jamie Wade on October 7, 2025
ESG, Environmental Impact Assessments, Regulatory Adherence, Sustainable Practices, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Resource Sustainability, Reserve Estimation, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Collaboration with Research Institutions, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
North America, United States, Oceania, Asia, Indonesia, Japan
Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt

Australia maps the future with a 3.4 billion geoscience playbook unlocking critical minerals groundwater and net zero opportunities

When a government commits to a multi-billion program over 35 years to a single initiative, it’s worth paying attention.

Firebird metals flies into China with game-changing manganese tech and the low-cost edge to power the battery revolution from cathode to mine

While many Western critical minerals hopefuls scramble to decouple from China, Firebird Metals is doing the opposite — and for good reason.

Wandanya puts Black Canyon on the map with high-grade manganese and iron discovery that’s turning heads and drill rigs in the Pilbara

Black Canyon (ASX: BCA) used the RIU Sydney Resources Round-up 2025 to showcase something that’s getting field geologists and metallurgists talking: a genuine greenfields manganese discovery in the Pilbara with direct shipping-grade iron in the mix.

Australia strikes gold (and vanadium) in the race for critical minerals, securing Its future as a global leader in mining and clean energy supply chains

Australia has solidified its status as a global leader in the resources sector, emerging as the world’s largest holder of vanadium resources and a dominant force in critical minerals essential for clean energy and advanced technologies.