RE: Huge for REE outside of China14 Apr 2025 13:58
The presence of gallium associated to rare earths could change the economics of some of the rare earths ore bodies at Monte Muambe.
Gallium Discovery
Gallium is a rare metal usually extracted as a by-product from zinc and bauxite ore and is used in a wide-range of electronic and high-technology applications such as radars, light diodes and semiconductors. Gallium is considered a strategic raw material by several jurisdictions including the European Union, with China having a quasi-monopoly on its production. The price of gallium is currently at about US$ 250 per kg, The recent ban of gallium and germanium exports to the United States has propelled gallium to its highest price since 2011, at US$ 585 per kg in December 2024.
The price shift in gallium, and recent discoveries of high-grade gallium associated to rare earths in carbonatites, has prompted Altona to review its drilling data for this metal. Gallium is one of the trace elements which were analysed by Intertek Laboratories in the course of the preparation of our rare earths mineral resource estimate. Several high-grade gallium intercepts were noted in diamond drilling holes MM039 and MM040, with grades up to 232 g/t Ga.