Defense Metals (TSX‑V:DEFN) reports ‘high-grade’ rare earth element intersections from its spring drilling program at the Wicheeda Rare Earth Project in British Columbia, Canada.
The company completed 11 core holes totalling 1,633m during a resource infill program designed to upgrade inferred resources to indicated category within the current Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) pit design.
Hole WI26‑96 returned the standout result, intersecting 2.86% total rare earth oxide (TREO) over 65m, including a ‘higher‑grade’ zone of 6.15% TREO over 20.3m within mixed xenolithic dolomite carbonatite rock.
Additional intersections include hole WI26‑93, which returned 1.7% TREO over 184m, including 2.52% TREO over 57m. Holes WI26‑100 and WI26‑102, collared 100m northwest of WI26‑93, yielded 2.4% TREO over 85m and 3.25% TREO over 34.3m respectively, both from surface.
VP for Projects Robin Jones says the results are expected to contribute positively to a resource classification uplift.
“We’re exceptionally pleased that all eleven drill holes reported in today’s news release intersected significant widths of high to moderate grade rare earth element mineralization within the pit confines defined by the 2025 [PFS] and are expected to contribute positively to a resource classification uplift,” Jones says.
The 2026 drilling program comprises 31 core holes totalling 5,345m, with the current results representing the first batch of resource upgrade holes.
Defense Metals owns 100% of the Wicheeda project, located near Prince George. The deposit features a mineral resource and mining reserve detailed in the company’s 2025 PFS.
Defense Metals is a Canadian critical minerals company advancing its 100%-owned Wicheeda Rare Earth Project in British Columbia towards development as a North American supplier of rare earth elements.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Defense Metals
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