Apex Drills 81.6 m of 2.02% REO, including 50.9 m of 2.40% REO, Extending Strike Length of Main Body, with Highly Enriched NdPr Zone at Rift
Advancing domestic rare earth and niobium projects
- On 2026‑04‑07 Apex released assay results from hole RIFT26‑002 at the Rift Rare Earth Project: 81.6 m @ 2.02 % REO, including a core segment of 50.9 m @ 2.40 % REO.
- A highly enriched neodymium‑praseodymium (NdPr) zone was intersected, averaging 49 % NdPr over 10 m at an associated 0.75 % REO grade – far above the typical 14‑20 % NdPr range for carbonatite‑hosted deposits.
- The mineralized zone now extends >100 m south of historic drilling and, combined with historic hole EC‑043, suggests a continuous strike length >700 m that remains open laterally and at depth.
- Eight holes (~5,868 m) have been completed in the 2026 drill program; assays are pending for seven additional holes (~5,266 m). Visual logs from pending holes show carbonatite with hematite alteration coincident with higher REO grades.
- Qualified Person Nathan Schmidt, P.Geo., reviewed and approved the technical content under NI 43‑101.
Earlier news (chronologically) shows:
- Phase I drilling was >50 % complete by 2026‑03‑18 with six holes finished (5,175 m total).
- A board appointment of Zayn Kalyan (CEO of Scorpio Gold) on 2026‑03‑25 added capital‑markets expertise.
- Acceptance into the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) on 2026‑02‑23 highlighted strategic alignment with national security supply chains.
- Multiple financing events in late 2025 raised up to $10 million via private placements with attached warrants.
The April 7 drilling results constitute material positive news because:
- They provide genuinely new, unexpected assay data that significantly exceed the typical grades for carbonatite‑hosted REE deposits (especially the NdPr enrichment).
- The results extend known mineralization >100 m south and imply a continuous >700 m strike zone open in all directions, directly supporting the company’s stated goal of defining a sizable domestic REE resource.
- Compared with prior expectations (Phase I drilling to validate historic high‑grade intervals such as 155.5 m @ 2.70 % REO), the new hole delivers both thicker mineralization and higher value‑added NdPr enrichment, indicating upside potential beyond the original plan.
- No material financing, strategic investment, or game‑changing corporate event accompanied the release; therefore the news does not reach the threshold of a “Material – Game Changer”.
Apex Critical Metals Corp. is a Canadian‑listed exploration company focused on critical minerals, principally rare earth elements (REE) and niobium. Its flagship asset is the 100 % owned Rift Rare Earth Project located in the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, Nebraska, USA. The project targets REE mineralization hosted within carbonatite intrusions, with historic intercepts showing grades up to 155.5 m @ 2.70 % REO and 68.2 m @ 3.32 % REO. A secondary asset is the Cap Critical Minerals Project in British Columbia, which hosts niobium‑rich carbonatite zones.