Spartan Metals announced the confirmation of two tungsten skarn zones at the Tungstonia claims within its wholly owned Eagle Project in Nevada, US. As part of its ongoing exploration programme launched in May 2026, rock sampling from the historic Yellow Jacket Mine within the project returned tungsten trioxide grades ranging from 0.89% to 1.87%. Crucially, assays from the mine entrance and dumps detected notable concentrations of zinc (up to 3.3%) and 1,320 ppm beryllium, the latter being a newly discovered critical metal at the property. Backpack core drilling at the mine also intercepted a 0.3-meter interval grading 0.21% tungsten trioxide and 0.33% zinc. The confirmed mineralization, spanning an estimated 2-kilometer area, hosts a complex system of tungsten, molybdenum, beryllium, rubidium, and silver. Spartan Metals intends to launch approximately 3,000 meters of diamond core drilling at selected targets from early to mid-August to further untangle this expanding mineralized system.

Xinjinlu Group announced in June a planned investment of RMB 496 million to implement integrated mining, dressing, and metallurgical upgrades at its Guangxi Limu Mining subsidiary. The project includes upgrading mining operations to 600,000 tons/year, constructing a 1.5 million tons/year dressing line, building a tantalum-niobium hydrometallurgical workshop, and recovering associated metals like rubidium from tailings. Upon completion, it will form a complete industrial chain for tantalum, niobium, tin, and tungsten, yielding approximately 840 tons of tantalum oxide and 867 tons of niobium oxide annually.

On May 19, Sinomine Resource Group Co., Ltd. issued an announcement stating that it plans to issue A-shares to specific qualified investors, raising a total amount of approximately 5.2 billion yuan through the private placement. The maximum number of shares to be issued is 216,447,563, not exceeding 30% of the company's total share capital before the issuance. The fund-raising investment projects for this private placement focus on Sinomine Resource's main business, including the annual 100,000-ton lithium sulfate project in Zimbabwe, the Kitumba copper mine project in Zambia, and the annual 2,000-ton cesium-rubidium product project of Jiangxi Sinomine Advanced Materials Co., Ltd.

Ionic Mineral Technologies (IMT) from Utah announced the discovery of a massive rare earth and other critical metals deposit, which it may be "one of the largest deposits in North America" to date. Last week, IMT revealed that analysis of samples from the Silicon Ridge project in Utah indicates this is a halloysite-controlled ion-adsorption type deposit. Resources in such deposits are easier to extract compared to conventional "hard-rock" lithium ore. The company also stated that over 70% of the world's heavy rare earth resources come from ion-adsorption type rare earth deposits. Furthermore, this deposit is not only rich in rare earth resources but also contains various critical metals such as gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, scandium, lithium, vanadium, tungsten, and niobium.

Recently, US magnet manufacturer eVAC shipped the first batch of NdFeB permanent magnets from its Sumter plant in South Carolina, marking a critical step in the localization of rare earth permanent magnet production in the US. This delivery is considered the first commercial production of rare earth magnets in the country. At the same time, positive news emerged from domestic resource exploration in the US—Ion Mineral Technology discovered an ion-adsorption rare earth ore deposit at its Silicon Ridge project in Utah. This deposit is not only rich in rare earths but also contains 16 critical metals, including gallium, germanium, and rubidium. This discovery could become one of the largest critical mineral deposits in North America.

A mining company from Utah claims to have discovered a massive deposit of rare earths and other critical metals, describing it as potentially "one of the largest deposits in North America discovered to date." Ionic Mineral Technologies (IMT) announced last week that sample analysis from its Silicon Ridge project in Utah confirmed it as a halloysite-controlled ion-adsorption deposit, which is easier to extract compared to traditional "hard-rock" lithium ore. The company stated that ion-adsorption rare earth deposits account for over 70% of the world's heavy rare earth resources. Additionally, the deposit is not only rich in rare earths but also contains gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, scandium, lithium, vanadium, tungsten, and niobium.

Located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Menzies, the Mt Ida Critical Minerals Project is emerging as a pivotal development in Western Australia's mining sector. This integrated operation employs an innovative model, combining the extraction of three critical minerals – lithium, rubidium, and tantalum – within a unified development framework, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and economic returns while strongly supporting lithium industry innovation within Australia's critical minerals sector.

Berkeley Energia Limited announced that its Conchas Project in Spain has achieved positive preliminary metallurgical test results, indicating strong potential for the recovery of key minerals such as lithium (Li) and rubidium (Rb). The results show that Conchas hosts shallow, thick zones of lithium and rubidium mineralization, with accessory tin, cesium, beryllium, niobium, and tantalum, mainly occurring within muscovitic leucogranite. Metallurgical test work conducted by SLR Consulting included sample characterization, mineralogical analysis, gravity separation, flotation, and magnetic testing. In the flotation tests, samples with particle sizes under 150 microns achieved recoveries of 78% for lithium and 63% for rubidium. Magnetic separation on coarser material (-300 to +150 microns) achieved stage recoveries of 77% lithium and 58% rubidium, suggesting that combining magnetic separation and flotation could enhance overall recovery efficiency. Next, the company plans to conduct 3D modeling of drilling data to refine geological interpretation of the lithium and rubidium mineralization, followed by a second phase of metallurgical testing to optimize processing methods. Rubidium, widely used in defense, aerospace, communications, and renewable energy, is classified as a critical mineral by the U.S. and Japan, reflecting its growing strategic and industrial importance.

Spark Energy Minerals Makes Significant Progress at Arapaima Project in Brazil's Lithium Valley. Through geological mapping, geochemical analysis, and sampling, the company has confirmed priority drill targets for lithium and gallium-rare earth elements (REE). They are advancing logistics, surface access agreements, and permitting to prepare for diamond drilling at the Cruzeta, Água Branca, and Grota do Maquém lithium targets, along with air-core or reverse circulation drilling at the Caladão gallium-REE target. The Arapaima Project has identified 123 pegmatite occurrences over 31 kilometers of strike length, completed reconnaissance and stream sediment sampling over about 55% of the drainage basins, with 75% of sampled basins showing lithium and pathfinder element anomalies needing further follow-up. Surface sampling over a 4,500-hectare area of the Caladão Granite shows anomalous gallium and rare earth element values, adjacent to Axel REE’s recent gallium-REE discovery. Three high-priority lithium targets show strong correlation of lithium with pathfinder elements such as cesium, tin, and rubidium, consistent with fertile lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) and spodumene-rich pegmatites (SRP). The association of lithium with manganese and the identification of the mineral lithiophorite suggest lithium remobilization from primary minerals at depth, enhancing the potential for deep lithium mineralization in the area.

Winsome Resources Ltd (ASX: WR1) has identified multiple high-grade cesium and lithium mineralized zones at its Sirmac-Clapier Project in Quebec, Canada. Recent fieldwork returned cesium oxide (Cs₂O) values up to 4.20% and lithium oxide (Li₂O) up to 4.23%. Four new mineralized zones were discovered within 1 km of the original outcrop, significantly expanding the project's mineral footprint, with several samples showing Cs₂O above 1%. Further sampling at the original outcrop confirmed that the high-grade mineralization extends both north and south, with mineralogical analysis verifying pollucite—the world’s primary cesium ore—as the dominant cesium-bearing mineral. Of 57 samples, 42 had Cs₂O above 0.11%, and lithium averaged 1.69% Li₂O. Rubidium levels also reached up to 10,000 ppm, indicating strong multi-element potential. Regional sampling confirmed widespread mineralization beyond the discovery zone, with multiple high-grade cesium and lithium samples. Four key mineralized areas have now been defined, supporting strong potential for future project expansion and development.