Locksley launches dual drilling campaign near US rare earths giant

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

Locksley Resources has officially broken ground in the Mojave Desert with its first drill rig now turning on United States soil, and the timing couldn't be sharper.
The company today confirmed it has kicked off drilling at its rare earths and antimony-rich Mojave project in California, just as momentum continues to build around the White House's critical minerals agenda.
With claims abutting MP Materials' rare earth powerhouse at Mountain Pass and early sample grades up to 46 per cent antimony and 12.1 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), Locksley might have fired the starter's pistol on one of the most strategic drilling campaigns in America this year.
The program is targeting two separate systems in a single swing, one for rare earths and one for antimony - and both have the potential to plug directly into federally backed initiatives for sovereign supply chain development. The first holes will test the company's El Campo prospect for rare earths over a defined 860-metre strike, while follow-up holes will hone in on the historic Desert antimony mine that's returning up to 1022 grams per tonne (g/t) silver and monster antimony grades at surface.
Importantly, all approvals are already in place and drilling is fully funded, following a $1.47 million placement to institutional and sophisticated investors.
Locksley is advancing a twin assault on two of the US's most strategically important but under-developed metals, rare earths and antimony.
It's a fair bet that not many Australians have heard of the dusty El Campo prospect in the far reaches of California's Mojave Desert, but it's a name that might just be about to find its way onto a very high-powered radar in Washington DC.
That's because ASX-listed Locksley Resources is sitting on ground that could position it smack bang in the middle of America's race to rewire its critical mineral supply chain away from China.
Locksley is advancing a twin assault on two of the US's most strategically important but under-developed metals, rare earths and antimony. Both are now recognised as critical to US defence and industrial applications, both have zero current domestic mine production and both are found in high grades at Locksley's wholly owned Mojave project in California.