Mount Ridley Mines (ASX:MRD) defines major gallium resource as Australia deepens critical minerals alliance with the United States

Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX:MRD) has achieved a major milestone with the announcement of its maiden Gallium Mineral Resource Estimate at the Mt Ridley Project, located northeast of Esperance, Western Australia.

The estimate confirms gallium as a key secondary mineral alongside rare earths and scandium within the same clay and saprolitic horizons, establishing Mt Ridley as one of the few new gallium discoveries outside China.

To discuss the results and their significance, Non-Executive Director Pedro Kastellorizos shared insights into the geological context, strategic implications, and the company’s next steps.

What is the significance of Mount Ridley’s maiden gallium resource?

The maiden gallium resource marks a defining achievement for Mount Ridley. It confirms gallium as a secondary mineral of economic interest within the same weathered clay and saprolitic horizons that already host the project’s rare earth elements.

The estimate defines an Inferred Mineral Resource of 838.7 million tonnes at 29.3 ppm gallium (39.5 ppm Ga₂O₃), containing 24,584 tonnes of gallium metal, ranking it among the largest known gallium resources globally.

“The timing of our maiden gallium resource could not be more significant,” said Mount Ridley Mines Director, Pedro Kastellorizos. “With Australia and the United States now formally aligning on critical-minerals supply chains, the Mt Ridley Project represents one of the few new gallium discoveries outside of China, and it sits within an established rare-earth system.”

The discovery builds on the company’s systematic re-evaluation of multielement geochemistry from historical drilling.

The presence of gallium, rare earths and scandium within a single regolith system provides a strong foundation for developing a multi-element critical minerals project capable of supporting allied supply chains.

How does this discovery position Mount Ridley in the global critical minerals landscape?

Gallium plays an essential role in semiconductors, LEDs, photovoltaics, power electronics and defence applications. The global market was valued at US$1.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$6.5 billion by 2030, representing an annual growth rate of around 25 per cent.

With China producing more than 98 per cent of the world’s gallium, the December 2024 export ban on the metal caused prices to rise sharply to approximately US$375 per kilogram, highlighting the urgent need for alternative supply sources.

Mount Ridley’s discovery positions the company as one of the few new gallium producers outside China.

The project aligns directly with the Australia–United States Framework for Securing Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths, which prioritises the development of new mining and refining capacity within Western Australia.

This alignment strengthens Australia’s contribution to secure allied supply chains and underscores Mt Ridley’s growing strategic importance in the global critical minerals sector.

What are the next steps for advancing the gallium resource?

Mount Ridley Mines next phase focuses on integrating gallium into its broader rare earth development program.

The company has commenced metallurgical studies to evaluate the recovery of gallium alongside rare earths through the production of a mixed rare-earth carbonate product.

This approach aims to improve efficiency and enhance project economics by generating multiple critical minerals from a single processing stream.

“Immediate focus will be on high-value zones rich in gallium and heavy rare earths as we advance metallurgical testwork and partnership discussions to define a viable development pathway.”

Discussions are underway with Australian and international research groups and processing specialists to design extraction and purification methods suited to clay-hosted systems.

These include beneficiation, solvent extraction and ion-exchange processes. In parallel, Mount Ridley is expanding its technical and advisory team with experts in rare earth processing, critical minerals policy and the U.S.–Australia strategic partnership to guide this next stage of development.

What makes the Mt Ridley Project geologically distinctive?

The Mt Ridley Project is a rare geological system in which gallium, scandium and heavy rare earths occur together within the same regolith sequence.

The mineralisation extends for more than 25 kilometres in strike, averaging over three kilometres in width, and begins from shallow depths of about four metres below surface.

The resource is based on 732 drillholes totalling 30,112 metres, covering 69.9 square kilometres of a 575 square kilometre tenement package, with approximately 70 per cent remaining untested.

Gallium enrichment is associated with alkali-enriched gabbroic intrusions within the Grass Patch Complex. The mineralisation is shallow, lateritic and laterally continuous, making it well suited to conventional open-pit mining and beneficiation techniques. This combination of geological scale, accessibility and processing potential underpins Mt Ridley’s standing as one of Australia’s most promising clay-hosted critical minerals systems.

Advancing Australia’s role in critical minerals

Mount Ridley’s maiden gallium resource reinforces its position within Australia’s growing critical minerals sector and demonstrates the nation’s ability to contribute to global diversification efforts.

The project’s scale, geological setting and timing align with international initiatives to establish non-Chinese sources of gallium and other critical minerals.

As Non-Executive Director Pedro Kastellorizos outlined, the company’s next stage will focus on developing high-value zones enriched in gallium and heavy rare earths, while advancing metallurgical programs and partnerships to establish a clear development pathway.

With strong technical foundations and access to infrastructure near Esperance, Mount Ridley Mines is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to Australia’s long-term critical minerals strategy and allied supply chain resilience.

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