Is this a Gallium Story establishing Scale - Mount Ridley Mines Secures Entire Grass Patch Complex.
- Noel Ong
- 11 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Announcement
MRD Expands Rare Earth and Gallium Tenure 12 November 2025 (click here to view the announcement)
Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) has announced a significant expansion of its tenure at the Mount Ridley Gallium and Rare Earth Project, located north of Esperance, Western Australia (Figure 1). The new Exploration Licences now consolidate the entire Grass Patch Complex — a distinctive geological domain marked by gravity and magnetic highs, interpreted to be associated with mafic intrusions, and recognised as a primary source of gallium and heavy rare earth enrichment.
Figure 1: Regional Location Map showing new Mount Ridley Tenements and major infrastructure associated with the project. (source: MRD)
The Business of Mount Ridley Mines - A Potential Gallium Player
Mount Ridley is progressing a multi-commodity critical minerals strategy centred on gallium, scandium, and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). The Company’s landholding now exceeds 1,069 km² and encompasses the entire interpreted corridor hosting three major mineralised blocks — including Blocks 1 and 2, which hold the majority of the Company’s maiden gallium resource estimate. The consolidated position provides continuity over a 68km-long and 12.5km-wide mineralised system.
Highlights – Expansion Establishes One of Australia’s Largest Clay-Hosted Critical Minerals Provinces
• Tenure expanded to more than 1,069 km², securing 100% control of the Grass Patch Complex.
• Consolidated footprint covers 68 km of strike and 12.5 km width, with ~80% of the area untested by drilling.
• New licence applications extend MRD’s holding 31 km southwest of Block 1 and 15.6 km northeast of Block 2 (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Gravity image showing the distinct Grass Patch Comp[lex gravity high and expanded Mount Ridley tenement position. (source: MRD)
• Blocks 1 and 2 host defined Gallium Mineral Resource Estimates and have intersected significant HREE mineralisation.
• Grass Patch remains largely underexplored for gallium, scandium, and HREEs — historical drilling mostly targeted base metals.
• Expansion gives MRD control of one of the largest clay-hosted REE and gallium provinces in Australia.
Leadership Commentary
Chief Executive Officer, Allister Caird commented,
“This strategic expansion cements Mount Ridley’s dominant position across the Grass Patch Complex, a geological domain that continues to reveal exceptional critical mineral potential, which, to date, includes gallium and heavy rare earths. With most of the area yet to see any modern drilling, we are positioned to unlock substantial new growth beyond the existing resources across Blocks 1, 2 and 3.”
About The Mount Ridley Project (WA)
The Grass Patch Complex is interpreted to represent a deep-seated mafic intrusive system expressed as a strong gravity and magnetic high. This geophysical signature correlates with the enrichment of gallium and heavy rare earths observed within the overlying regolith. To date, only 20% of the interpreted corridor has been tested, predominantly through shallow aircore programs. Systematic drilling, including deeper penetration, is expected to further delineate mineralised zones.
Mount Ridley’s current resource inventory includes:
Gallium Resource (Table 1): 838.7 Mt @ 29.3 ppm Ga (Inferred) across Blocks 1–3
Total REE Resource (Table 2): 168 Mt @ 1,201 ppm TREO (Inferred) at the Mia Prospect, including 25% MagREO.
Table 1: Global Total Gallium Inferred Mineral Resource Estimation
Table 2: Global Total REO Inferred Mineral Resource Estimation
Near-term Milestones to Watch
• Completion of modern geophysical data review across the Grass Patch Complex.
• Re-assay of historical pulps to refine gallium and rare earth distribution.
• Scandium resource potential assessment across priority zones.
• Focused evaluation of HREE mineralisation across Blocks 1 and 2.
• Drill targeting and prioritisation for step-out resource expansion drilling.
How Samso Understands the Investment Memo for the Company
This announcement reinforces Mount Ridley’s strategic consolidation play. Full control of a geophysically distinct and mineralogically favourable corridor provides a strong platform for sustained resource growth. The Company’s systematic approach — geophysics, re-assays, and targeted step-outs — indicates a disciplined pathway toward expanding both gallium and REE resources.
The underexplored nature of the region, combined with existing resource definition across multiple blocks, positions MRD as a developing story in Australia’s clay-hosted critical minerals space.
Samso Concluding Comments
The Mount Ridley story, with its headline Gallium story, is what is captivating this journey. In its previous life, MRD was promoting a clay rare earth project. The consolidation of the Grass Patch is a good way to build what could be a resurgence of the clay rare earth sector, with OD6 Metals and Co. making new claims to extract the rare earths with a sense of profitability.
From a geological point of view, there will be technical success, but as we have learnt, this sector is now all about delivering the products. There is no doubt that projects in this area will have the potential resources required for the market. The key is if the compnaies can extract profitably.
Figure 3: The share price chart for Mount Ridley Mines as of 25th November 2025. (source: CommSec)
The Gallium story is obviously the prize, as we can see in Figure 3, with the market fully embracing the release of the Gallium resource. I think that whether Gallium will ever see the light of day from a processing manner, the market sentiment will drive more value creation. Currently with a market capitalisation of just under AUD $58M (as of 25th November 2025), it does feel a bit heavy for a punt.
Some people would argue that the value is in a Gallium resource, which I am not denying, but can this Gallium be processed as historically, and in fact, currently, there are no primary Gallium facilities. The recent Alcoa deal that has the support of the US government is talking about Gallium from Bauxite ores.
The upside for MRD is that there is always a new path that will deal with a primary processing plant, which I think is potentially where an AUD $58M market cap will be considered cheap. I think if there are more retreating of the share price, MRD could well be a good one to take a position. The hope is that the selling will come as we approach the holiday season.
For investors, it is pertinent to remember that this growth in critical minerals does not always come from new discoveries. Sometimes, the value lies in securing the right geology, consolidating key positions, and having a product that is amenable to being extracted in a cost-efficient manner.
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