RareX review reveals shallow, clay-hosted gallium ahead of Khaleesi drilling

• Historical review identifies 9km gallium strike with mineralisation in every historical hole at Niobe prospect
• Drilling highlights include 20m grading 70g/t gallium and 32m at 67g/t in clay zones
• RareX to carry out 3000m drill program in Q1 2026 to test four geophysical targets

Special Report: The wealth of historical data available at RareX’s Khaleesi project in WA is proving its value with a review identifying shallow gallium mineralisation over a cumulative strike of about 9km.

Historical drilling at the Niobe prospect was found to have intersected gallium mineralised zones in every hole, returning highlights of 20m grading 70g/t gallium and 32m at 67g/t gallium, both in clay.

Two drill lines spaced 2km apart were drilled at Niobe, which has a geological profile of alluvial sands overlaying a clay cap that sits above an altered syenite granite.

Review results bode well for RareX’s (ASX:REE) upcoming 3000m drill program to test four geophysical targets including a 5km by 3km gallium enriched clay profile, within the Khaleesi Alkaline Intrusive Complex.

The company has completed heritage clearance leaving the flora survey to be completed before the drilling program starts in the first quarter of 2026.

“We are excited to progress the Khaleesi Project and we would like to thank the Upurli Upurli Nguratja Aboriginal Corporation for their heritage surveying of proposed drill areas,” managing director James Durrant said.

“The Alkaline Intrusive Complex is a great address to find a rare earth or niobium enriched carbonatite but also geological interpretation of the historical drilling at Niobe has outlined a very large gallium system with clay hosted gallium grades that are well above typical regolith hosted systems and we look forward to testing the gallium potential of the Niobe prospect.”

Drill plan

The Khaleesi project in WA’s East Yilgarn sits in a district-scale, highly fractionated alkaline intrusive complex – a breeding ground for mineralised carbonatites.

The eastern Yilgarn hosts Lynas’ (ASX:LYC) Mt Weld REE project and highly-endowed Ponton Dyke – which has returned some of Australia’s best rare earths intersections.

Potential carbonatites and gallium mineralisation were identified using geochemical results from historical aircore drilling combined with geophysical datasets.

The planned 3000m drill program will test four geophysical targets with potential to host rare earth and niobium mineralised carbonatites, as well as two geochemical targets that display elevated indicator elements associated with an alkaline hosted mineral system.

This includes rock chips at Niobe that returned up to 0.4% total rare earth oxides and 81g/t gallium as well as end of hole assays of 1.1% zircon, 311ppm hafnium, 895ppm niobium and 348ppm yttrium in hole MHAC0096 at the Nb target area.

Niobe is a 5km by 3km target with consistent gallium mineralisation in the basement syenite and the overlying clay cap. Holes will initially be drilled on a 400m by 400m grid over a 1.6km by 1.2km area immediately south of historical holes RDA203, RDA204 and RDA205 on the northern drill line.

This article was developed in collaboration with RareX, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.