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Australian Rare Earths Ltd

AR3’s 100%-owned Koppamurra Project, located in South-Eastern South Australia and Western Victoria, is a significant ionic clay-hosted rare earth deposit. 

AR3 has been awarded a $5 million grant from the Australian Government's International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program. The grant provides support for completion of a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) as well as building and operating a demonstration plant during 2025 and 2026. 

The project boasts a substantial Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 236Mt at 748ppm TREO and an Exploration Target of 500Mt to 3.2Bt. 

Notably, the resource contains a valuable Magnet Rare Earth component, accounting for 25% of TREO and encompassing all four key REEs, including the strategically important heavy REEs Dysprosium and Terbium (approximately 3%). 

With more than 65,000 meters drilled since 2021, AR3 has gained further confidence in the regional extent of the resource potential. 

The 2024 drilling program focused on extending the known mineralisation area that had not previously been drill tested and resource definition upgrades. Recent drilling defined new shallow high-grade and high magnet rare earth mineralisation outside the existing resource. 

As magnet rare earth content is one of the key economic drivers of rare earth projects, prioritising higher value mineralisation zones will be an important focus of our future development plans to maximise the Project’s value.

In April 2024, AR3 announced an enhanced development pathway, featuring a high-grade progressive heap leach and rapid rehabilitation approach. 

The high-grade ore zones, and the application of temporary heap leaching production pathways, will allow for scalable, efficient production of rare earths with staged satellite developments enhancing the favourable environmental outcomes from a development of this type. 

Successful Bulk Sample Pit and Rehabilitation Program

The latest Mineral Resource estimate for the project as of September 2024, increased by 27%. This includes a higher-grade subset of 68 Mt grading over 1000 ppm.

Leading the way in Rare Earths exploration & development in Australia

Check out our information hub on introducing Mining as a potential new industry to the Limestone Coast region. 

Explore our resources to learn more about this exciting opportunity and our commitment to coexistence.

See below the rehabilitation of the vegetation for the Bulk Sample Pit.

Image 1 - April 2022
Image 2 - Sep 2022
Image 3 - Oct 2024

Design features for developing the Koppamurra Project via a progressive heap leach pathway (as compared to a slurry leach), include: 

High-grade satellite mine sites with temporary heap pads located at the edge of the satellite mine void; 

Water treatment equipment will be located near the temporary heap pads to facilitate recycling and reuse of both water and reagents; and 

The extracted top soil and overburden material will be temporarily set aside ready to be placed back in the mine void after rare earths have been harvested from the clay and the clay has been washed allowing for rapid and progressive rehabilitation of the land. 

Potential for a significantly lower capital cost and reduced operating cost; 

Enables improved environmentally sustainable characteristics with; 

Improved materials handling characteristics enabling environmentally sustainable, rapid, progressive rehabilitation techniques 

Testwork also indicates lower gangue/impurity profile with higher rare earth in solution characteristics through column leach resulting in lower capital and operating cost; and 

Opportunity to easily expand and scale up production over time across the multi- generational province.

Example of Rehabilitation