Motzfeldt’s successful 2026 field programme collected fresh material to investigate the geology at Aries, alongside the collection of a 2-tonne bulk sample intended for mineralogical and processing studies.

The Aries deposit at Motzfeldt hosts a significant 340mt JORC inferred resource, with a contained metal inventory of ~1,564,000 tonnes of Zirconium, ~884,000 tonnes of Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO), ~629,000 tonnes of Niobium and ~41,000 tonnes of Tantalum.

The additional geological samples collected include volcanic country rock and quartzite associated with rare earth–niobium mineralised areas within the Motzfeldt Centre. They were collected to test and extend the geological interpretation of the Aries deposit.

We describe these rock bodies as “xenolithic rafts”. In geological terms, xenoliths are pieces of pre-existing rock incorporated into a younger igneous rock body. Studying them provides a way to examine the relationship between different rocks within a complex.

At Aries, the question is whether the relationships between these rock bodies and the mineralised areas represent an important control on mineralisation. A “control” is a geological feature or process that helps explain where minerals become concentrated. 

The samples will be examined to assess their significance; their association with mineralised areas is the starting point for that work. If a useful relationship is established, it could inform the geological interpretation and help focus further investigation, including future drilling.

By collecting this material during the field season, Arkadian has given the next technical studies a broader geological basis, supporting work to understand why mineralisation occurs where it does at Aries.

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