Apex Critical Metals Commences Key Drilling Campaign at Nebraska Rare Earths Project

Apex Critical Metals CA03753D1042

Apex Critical Metals has initiated a major exploration phase at its Rift rare earths project in Nebraska, marking a significant operational milestone for the Canadian company in mid-January 2026. This drilling program represents the first hands-on investigation of a deposit that initially generated considerable interest during exploration campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s.

The company has mobilized a substantial drilling operation aimed at verifying and expanding upon historical findings. The first drill rig arrived on site in late January and is currently being assembled. Site preparation, including the construction of access roads and drill pads, is underway concurrently. A second rig is scheduled to arrive shortly to accelerate the pace of the campaign.

Apex Critical Metals plans to complete between 10 and 15 drill holes, with depths ranging from 600 to 900 meters each. This will culminate in a total of 8,000 meters of core drilling. The activity will focus on the southeastern section of the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, an area where previous operators successfully identified rare earth element mineralization.

Key Operational and Financial Details:

• Project Scale: Approximately 3,500 acres.
• Program Objective: To confirm and potentially extend historical mineralized zones.
• Current Liquidity: The company reported a cash position of CAD $14.76 million as of its last quarterly statement.
• Recent Funding: This drilling initiative is supported by a CAD $10 million private placement finalized in late 2025.

Building on a Foundation of Historical Data

The current program is not starting from scratch. Apex Critical Metals is leveraging extensive historical work conducted over several decades. From the 1970s onward, the US industrial firm Molycorp conducted over a decade of drilling at Elk Creek. Subsequently, Quantum Rare Earth Developments executed further drilling between 2010 and 2011. Both companies reported intercepting broad zones of rare earth mineralization that remain open in all directions.

In preparation for its own campaign, Apex Critical Metals collaborated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2025 to re-log and analyze preserved historical drill cores. The final regulatory step was secured in early January 2026 with the receipt of a permit from the Nebraska Department of Water Resources.

Initial assay results from the new drilling are anticipated in the first or second quarter of 2026. Looking further ahead, the company has outlined plans for a second phase of drilling in the latter half of the year. This work is intended to support the development of an inaugural NI 43-101-compliant mineral resource estimate for the project.

@ boerse-global.de | CA03753D1042 APEX