Axel REE has revealed significant gallium mineralisation from the surface at its Caladão project in the Lithium Valley, Brazil.
Axel REE managing director Fernando Tallarico said the findings highlight the project’s potential to contribute to global critical mineral supply chains.
“I am delighted to report to our shareholders that significant gallium concentrations have been identified in our clay-hosted REE mineralisation at Caladão,” he said.
“Like the family of high-grade rare earth elements we have intercepted to date, gallium is a high-value, strategically critical ingredient used in the semiconductors industry to manufacture high-tech communication components and in modern military defence equipment.”
High-grade intercepts include up to 124 grams per tonne (g/t) gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) in shallow profiles, with thick mineralisation from surface to depths of 45m.
Key drill results from Area A, covering approximately 10 per cent of the project’s 30km² target area, include:
- CLD-DDH-005: 14m at 77g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface
- CLD-DDH-006: 45m at 50g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface to end-of-hole, including 6m at 70g/t from surface
- CLD-AUG-109: 6m at 71g/t Ga₂O₃ from 4m, including 1m at 124g/t from 4m
Tallarico highlighted the economic significance of the near-surface gallium finding.
“Another important characteristic of the gallium mineralisation at Caladão is that it is shallow with thick and high-grade intercepts occurring from surface,” he said.
“This potentially has significant economic benefits as we shape our deposit.
“REE mineralisation has trended from near-surface to the deepest parts of the clay-rich regolith, whereas the gallium is concentrated in the upper and shallowest portions of this same regolith.”
Gallium, classified as a critical mineral by both the US and the European Union, is essential for advanced technologies including high-performance semiconductors.
The discovery gains importance as geopolitical pressures, such as China’s recent gallium export ban, drive demand for alternative suppliers.
“Brazil is progressively consolidating into a world-class supplier of critical minerals, offering the possibility of a steady supply to the Western world,” Tallarico said.
“We are delighted to be working towards becoming a player in the global critical minerals sector, and we will continue to put all our efforts into advancing this highly promising gallium-rare earths project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.”
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