Apex Critical Metals Corp. (CSE: APXC | OTCQX: APXCF | FWB: KL9) (“Apex” or the “Company”), a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the identification and development of critical and strategic metals, is pleased to report assay results from drill hole RIFT26-002, representing the first assay results received from the Company’s 2026 drill campaign at it’s 100%-held Rift Rare Earth Project, located within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex in southeastern Nebraska, U.S.A.
Sean Charland, CEO of Apex Critical Metals, commented: “These first results from our 2026 drill campaign confirm that strong rare earth mineralization at Rift extends well beyond the historical footprint, with over 100 metres of continuous mineralization intersected in a step-out hole to the south. The presence of highly enriched NdPr distributions over meaningful widths further highlights the breath of potential at Rift, not just in terms of absolute REO grade and scale, but also in terms of contained NdPr content, where the value is focused. With rare earth mineralization open in all directions, the Company is well positioned for substantial value creation for our shareholders and we look forward to additional assay results in the weeks ahead.”
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EVP, Joness Lang, and Darren Smith, Co-lead Technical Director, discuss the significance of the initial assay results at Rift.
Key Observations and Takeaways
Drill hole RIFT26-002, reported on herein, was designed as more of a regional southern step out to test the continuity of rare earth mineralization beyond historical drilling, targeting extensions from NEC11-004 and EC-93 (Table 1, Figure 1). The drill hole successfully intersected strong grades including 50.9 m at 2.40% REO within a wider mineralized interval of 81.6 m at 2.02% REO with multiple (17) samples assaying over 3.00% REO. The intersection confirms that mineralized carbonatite extends to the south for at least another 100 m; however, when coupled with mineralization in historical drill hole EC-043 (See News Release Dated October 14, 2025), indicate a mineralized zone extending for more than 700 m in strike length (Table 2, Figure 1).
The successful demonstration of 2% REO intervals and a highly enriched NdPr zone further down hole highlight the potential scale and opportunity for Rift to deliver high quality tonnage to support the domestic REE supply chain in the United States.
Additionally, the drilling has confirmed the discovery of a highly enriched neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) zone which returned an average NdPr distribution(2) of 49% over 10 m at an REO grade of 0.75% REO (Figure 2). This discovery is significant as most carbonatite hosted rare earth projects have NdPr distributions typically ranging from 14-20%. NdPr represents the highest value component in most rare earth deposits due to its critical use in high-strength permanent magnets for electrification technologies. When the distribution of NdPr is enriched it means there is less lower value rare earths present (e.g., cerium and lanthanum), which in turn may significantly enhance the inherent value of the rock. The Company cautions that to-date this unique and globally significant NdPr enrichment has only been encountered with a single drill hole and, although very encouraging, requires follow up drilling to properly delineate the extent of the zone and confirm potential continuity and scale.
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