NYSE-listed Idaho Strategies Resources has identified significant heavy rare earths (HRE) mineralisation, including yttrium, at its Diamond Creek project, in Idaho.

The company's latest surface sampling work revealed rare earth mineralisation at four distinct prospects along a 3.2-km-long lineament. From north to south, these prospects are known as Contact, Lucky Gem, Simer and Frank Burch.

The grade results across the four prospects averaged 1.8% total rare earth oxide (TREO) with enriched heavy rare earth oxides (HREO) averaging greater than 2 000 parts per million (ppm), including more than 1 300 ppm yttrium.

Of the four distinct prospects, Lucky Gem was trenched and drilled in 2022. A single 32-m surface trench averaged 1.5% TREO with HREO enrichment averaging approximately 2 300 ppm including 1 600 ppm yttrium.

Similarly, Diamond Creek drillhole DC 22-8, also located at the Lucky Gem prospect, intersected 11.3 m of mineralisation averaging 1.5% TREO with more than 2 500 ppm HREO including 1 700 ppm yttrium.

These results compare quite favourably to many North American peers, where HREO enrichment is less common than light rare earths dominance seen at existing rare earth mines and development projects.

In the context of US dependence on China for refined HREs, Diamond Creek’s mineralisation offers the potential for an early-stage domestic pathway to bolster supply chains amid looming fears of reinstated Chinese dual-use export controls and domestic sourcing mandates.

Idaho Strategic president and CEO John Swallow comments that the company's interest in additional Diamond Creek exploration is the result of an increasing number of conversations with global end-users who lack a reliable ex-China source of heavy rare earth elements and yttrium.

"While these groups have always been around, it is only lately that conversations have been driven more by their need for supply chain resiliency (actual supply) rather than financial preferences/sensitivities. In the grand scheme of things, HREs and yttrium typically are not a huge cost driver of the finished goods that they are a part of, making the potential for a small-scale domestic operation appealing to a price-insensitive customer," Swallow states.

"While still at an early stage and requiring further testwork, Idaho Strategic’s results across its Idaho rare earth belt holdings (including Diamond Creek, Lemhi Pass, and Mineral Hill) underscore the strategic potential of Idaho’s rare earth endowment to meet the growing demand for HREs and yttrium, reducing geopolitical exposure in critical technologies.

Yttrium, in particular, stands out as a potential high-value product at Diamond Creek, with concentrations frequently in the 800 ppm to 2 000 ppm yttrium range. As a key input for superconductors, high-performance alloys, phosphors, and ceramics, yttrium faces similar supply risks as other HREs.

Moving forward, the company plans to conduct additional exploration fieldwork at Diamond Creek this year, further refine mineralogical studies and begin evaluating the potential for a bulk sample of ore from the Lucky Gem prospect.