Apex Drills 23.1 m of 3.47% REO Within Broader Zone of 137.2 m at 2.01% REO, Extending Mineralization 180 m in Western Step-Out at the Rift Rare Earth Project
Apex drills another wide, high-grade rare earth step-out at Rift; confidence builds but two‑thirds of assays still unreported keep the scale question open
On May 15, 2026 Apex Critical Metals reported assay results from three drillholes at the Rift Rare Earth Project in Nebraska. Hole RIFT26‑005A, a western step‑out, cut 137.2 m grading 2.01 % REO from 252.6 m depth, including 80.0 m at 2.51 %, 23.1 m at 3.47 %, and 11.0 m at 4.39 % REO; individual samples reached 6.59 % REO. The upper “Trinity Zone” is now traced over a strike length of about 300 m and a down‑dip extent of roughly 180 m. Partial results from RIFT26‑006 added 43.8 m at 2.75 % REO within a 210.0 m envelope at 1.33 % REO. RIFT26‑004 returned two discreet intercepts (15.6 m at 2.10 % and 18.8 m at 2.01 % REO). In total, the 2026 drill program has completed 15 holes for about 11 000 m; assays for nine holes are still pending. The company characterizes the results as extending the Trinity Zone and reinforcing confidence in the multi‑horizon system.
The new results are solid but incremental relative to the discovery‑scale news already released this spring.
- Context: The April 7 results established a fresh high‑grade trend with 81.6 m at 2.02 % REO and the first indication of extreme neodymium‑praseodymium (NdPr) enrichment (49 % NdPr over 10 m). On April 28 assays from a 120 m southward step‑out showed 80.0 m at 2.29 % REO (including 23.7 m at 4.02 %). The May 6 release confirmed the separate, highly enriched “Neo Zone” with NdPr distributions of 30‑50 %, a genuinely novel discovery.
- Today’s news widens the shallow Trinity Zone to the west, adds a second 180 m extension, and delivers the best grade‑thickness product of 2026 (RIFT26‑005A). However, it does not introduce a new geological target or materially alter the known footprint beyond what the market already expects from a long mineralized carbonatite system. The high grades are consistent with earlier intervals.
- The majority of the drilled meters (9 of 15 holes) still lack assays, so the full scale is not yet defined.
Rating rationale: The release extends a known zone with strong but expected grades; it lacks the surprise factor that would make it material on its own. It falls within the normal flow of a successful drill campaign, hence Routine – Positive.
Apex Critical Metals is a Canadian‑listed junior explorer focused on carbonatite‑hosted rare earth elements (REE) and niobium. Its flagship is the 100 %‑owned Rift Rare Earth Project in the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, Nebraska, USA. The project covers approximately 3 500 acres adjacent to NioCorp Developments, and it hosts two known REE‑mineralized horizons – a shallow high‑grade REO zone (Trinity Zone) and a deeper zone with exceptional NdPr enrichment (Neo Zone). Historic drilling (Molycorp, Quantum) returned intercepts such as 155.5 m at 2.70 % REO and 236.2 m at 2.10 % REO. Apex’s 2026 Phase I program involves 10‑15 holes totaling ~11 000 m, designed to validate and expand those historical results. The company also holds the Cap Critical Minerals Project in British Columbia (niobium‑phosphate‑REE) and the Lac Le Moyne carbonatite project in Quebec, both at an earlier stage.