Apex Critical Metals Accelerates Drilling Campaign at Nebraska Rare Earths Project

Apex Critical Metals has ramped up its exploration activities, deploying a second drill rig to its wholly-owned Rift Rare Earths Project in Nebraska. This strategic move to operate two rigs concurrently is designed to speed up the Phase I program, which is focused on delineating the scale and continuity of mineralization within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex.

The primary objectives of the intensified campaign are to extend historically identified mineralized zones along strike and to gain a clearer three-dimensional understanding of the mineralization geometry within the carbonatite body.

The company’s active drilling schedule currently features three key holes, with preparations underway for additional step-out locations.

• RIFT26-002: This hole was collared approximately 100 meters south of the historic hole NEC11-004. It successfully intersected carbonatite over a span of roughly 330 meters, starting from a down-hole depth of 178 meters. The hole was specifically positioned to extend a significant, historically defined zone of mineralization to the south and to better understand its orientation.
• RIFT26-001A: Drilling is ongoing at this location, having reached a depth of 110 meters toward a planned target depth of 600 meters. The intercept with carbonatite is anticipated at around 175 meters.
• RIFT26-003: Drilling has commenced at this third site.

The Phase I program is targeting a north-south corridor spanning about 850 meters.

Historical Data Informs Modern Exploration

The targeting for these drills is based on a comprehensive dataset, including historical drill logs, surface geochemical surveys, and geophysical readings. This information has been integrated into a contemporary 3D geological model to guide the current campaign.

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Core processing from the ongoing drilling is already in progress. According to the company, the first batch of samples is slated to be prioritized and prepared for submission within the coming weeks.

Project Potential and Additional Asset

The Rift Project is situated within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, an area where previous operators reported substantial intervals of high-grade rare earth mineralization. Historical results highlighted in the release include one interval of 155.5 meters grading 2.70% Total Rare Earth Oxides (REO) and another of 68.2 meters grading 3.32% REO.

Beyond its flagship Rift Project, Apex Critical Metals also holds the Cap Project in British Columbia. A 2025 drill program there confirmed niobium mineralization, returning an interval of 36 meters grading 0.59% Nb₂O₅, including a higher-grade section of 10 meters grading 1.08% Nb₂O₅. This result is part of a niobium trend that extends for 1.8 kilometers.

The technical disclosures in the announcement have been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, P. Geo., who acts as the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 guidelines.