Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE) reports ‘ultra high‑grade’ drilling results that materially expand the Monte Alto Rare Earths deposit in Bahia, Brazil, beyond its current mineral resource estimate (MRE) boundaries.
The company completed approximately 10,000m of diamond drilling across 39 new holes and extensions to 10 existing holes. Results from 33 new holes and five extensions are now available.
Key intersections include 25.6m @ 17.4% total rare earth oxide (TREO) from 174m, including 8m @ 28.1% TREO from 189m in hole MADD0230, extending the mineralised envelope to the south.
The eastern growth front delivered 9.4m @ 21.8% TREO from 161.7m, including 6.2m @ 25.4% TREO from 162.8m in MADD0093, confirming the system remains open down dip.
Additional step‑out results include 6.6m @ 21.2% TREO; 6.8m @ 19.1% TREO, including 2.2m @ 28.2% TREO; and 5.2m @ 17% TREO, including 2.7m @ 26% TREO.
Infill drilling strengthened the deposit’s central core with 12.3m @ 16.50% TREO, including 4.9m @ 32% TREO, 16.7m @ 12.6% TREO, and 21.1m @ 9.4% TREO including 3.5m @ 25.6% TREO.
The mineralisation shows exceptional rare earth enrichment with neodymium‑praseodymium grades up to 66,640 parts per million (ppm) and heavy rare earth grades, including dysprosium oxide up to 2,853ppm and terbium oxide up to 471ppm.
‘High‑grade’ co‑products include niobium oxide up to 10,986ppm, scandium oxide up to 318ppm, tantalum oxide up to 610ppm, and uranium oxide up to 4,443ppm.
Northern extension opens new growth corridor
CEO Bernardo da Veiga says the results demonstrate ‘exceptional, high‑grade’ mineralisation beyond the existing model margins and stronger geological continuity within the deposit.
“The current Monte Alto production case is based only on drilling available to 22 February 2026. Since then, our team has successfully expanded the interpreted mineralised envelope volume to the south and east/down dip, while continuing to deliver ultra high grades and advancing the open northern corridor,” da Veiga notes.
The northern extension emerges as a new growth corridor, with hole MADD0231 returning 0.9m @ 25.9% TREO from 71.8m, including 42,730ppm neodymium‑praseodymium oxides and significant niobium, scandium, tantalum, and uranium grades.
None of the reported results are included in the current Monte Alto MRE of 3.4 million tonnes @ 11.26% TREO, which was based on drilling available to 22 February 2026.
The drilling has increased the interpreted volume of the primary geological envelope by approximately 50% relative to the February 2026 model, with the system remaining open to the north, south, and east.
Brazilian Rare Earths plans to advance a 5,000m step‑out drill program and complete the northern bridging corridor drilling, targeting an updated JORC MRE for Monte Alto by the end of 2026.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Brazilian Rare Earths
