Apex Critical Metals drills 23.1 m of 3.47% REO at Rift
Apex widens its rare earth footprint with a 137-metre, 2% REO intercept, but the real test is converting drill hits into a maiden resource.
Apex Critical Metals reported assay results from three step-out holes (RIFT26-004, –005A, –006) at its Rift Rare Earth Project in Nebraska. The headline intercept comes from RIFT26-005A, a 180‑metre western step-out that returned 137.2 m at 2.01% REO starting at 252.6 m depth, including higher-grade zones of 80.0 m at 2.51% REO, 23.1 m at 3.47% REO and 11.0 m at 4.39% REO, with individual samples up to 6.59% REO. Hole RIFT26-006 produced 43.8 m at 2.75% REO within a broader mineralized envelope of 210.0 m at 1.33% REO. RIFT26-004 delivered two separate intervals (15.6 m at 2.10% REO and 18.8 m at 2.01% REO).
The results expand the “Trinity” high‑grade REO horizon to an approximate 300 m strike length and 180 m down‑dip, and it remains open in all directions. Together with the underlying, highly NdPr‑enriched “Neo” zone, the project continues to demonstrate potential for a multi‑horizon rare‑earth system.
To date, 15 drill holes (≈11 000 m) have been completed; assays are pending for nine holes.
The announcement is unequivocally positive, but its materiality falls into the routine‑positive category. The drill program has been delivering strong, consistent results since the first assays in early April. The 137 m intercept at 2.01% REO represents the best width‑times‑grade outcome so far, yet it is a logical extension of a trend that was already signaled by earlier holes (e.g., 81.6 m at 2.02% REO in RIFT26‑002 and 80.0 m at 2.29% REO in RIFT26‑003). The market had priced in a high probability of continued success, as reflected in the stock’s stable, rangebound trading near $2.15 before the release. There is no new discovery, no maiden resource, no strategic investment, and no off‑take agreement. Therefore, while the results strengthen the technical story, they do not fundamentally alter the investment thesis in a way that would justify a “material” rating. The information is incremental and confirms existing expectations.
Apex Critical Metals is a junior explorer focused on carbonatite‑hosted rare earth elements (REE) and niobium. Its flagship is the Rift Rare Earth Project in southeastern Nebraska, located within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex adjacent to NioCorp Developments’ Elk Creek project. The company assembled a land position of ≈3 500 acres through acquisitions in late 2025, covering high‑grade historical REE intercepts such as 155.5 m at 2.70% TREO and 236.2 m at 2.10% TREO.
The 2026 Phase I drill program (11 000 m) has identified two distinct horizons: a shallow, high‑grade REO zone (Trinity) and a deeper, highly NdPr‑enriched zone (Neo) with NdPr distributions of 30–50%, far exceeding typical carbonatite deposits. Both zones remain open in all directions.
The company also holds the Cap Critical Minerals Project in British Columbia, where drilling discovered near‑surface niobium (0.59% Nb₂O₅ over 36 m) and confirmed a large magnetic anomaly, and the early‑stage Lac Le Moyne carbonatite project in Québec.