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Apex expands high-grade rare earth intercepts at Rift project in Nebraska
Recent drilling at Apex Critical Metals’ Rift project returned intercepts above 4% TREO across multiple holes, and the company expects an inaugural mineral resource estimate in the first quarter of 2027.
Apex Critical Metals said it has expanded high-grade rare earth mineralization at its Rift project in southeastern Nebraska, with multiple drilling intercepts returning above 4% total rare earth oxides (TREO). Mining.com reports the company cited results including 10.2 metres grading 5.27% TREO from 178.6 metres depth in hole RIFT26-14 and 8 metres grading 4.48% REO from 273 metres depth in hole RIFT26-12.
Apex said the intercepts sit within mineralized intervals of about 150 metres grading more than 2% TREO, and it described the assays as “best grade x width results” south of the discovery area. The company characterized the expanding mineralized footprint and assay consistency as increasing confidence in its shallow west-dipping Trinity Zone and supporting an inaugural mineral resource estimate targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
Rift is located about 100 km south of Lincoln. Apex also linked the findings to the project’s broader positioning among higher-grade rare earth discoveries being drilled in North America, alongside the nearby Elk Creek district’s niobium development from NioCorp Developments.
The company noted the project has yet to publish an initial resource, while earlier results from April, May and July included intervals such as 81.6 metres grading 2.02% REO from 221.2 metres depth and a separate zone enriched in neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), suggesting locally enhanced concentrations of magnet rare earths. Shares in Apex Critical Metals rose 7.6% to $1.28 apiece by mid-Wednesday in Toronto, valuing the company at more than $123 million.