Eclipse Metals diamond drill push to target Greenland rare earths potential

Eclipse is gearing up to get the rods spinning in its Greenland rare earths hunt.

Eclipse Metals (ASX: EPM) has inked a drilling services contract as it gears up to launch a diamond drilling program at its Ivigtût and Grønnedal rare earth and critical minerals projects in Greenland.

Grønnedal hosts an inferred mineral resource estimate of 89 million tonnes averaging 6363 parts per million total rare earth oxides (TREO) and is recognised by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland as one of the country’s top rare earths prospects.

That resource amounts to 8074 tonnes of TREO. Importantly, about 2800 tonnes of the resource comprises the very lucrative “magnet” rare earths used in the manufacture of automotive electric motors.

The main mineralised zone covers a 3-kilometre stretch with widths up to 800 metres within a broader 5km by 2km exploration corridor. The company says the carbonatite body may extend deeper than 500m.

Notably, the current resource covers just 6 per cent of the carbonatite body, highlighting substantial growth potential as exploration continues.

The company says Grønnedal stacks up well with other world-class carbonatite-hosted rare earth deposits, such as China’s Bayan Obo and Australia’s Mount Well operations.

Crucially, Grønnedal’s coarser grain size, cleaner mineralogy and high liberation rates could translate to lower processing costs and a smaller environmental footprint – key advantages in today’s environmental, social and governance-conscious market.

Beyond rare earths, Greenland is something of a geological wonderland. It is also prospective for base and precious metals, lithium, graphite, industrial minerals, gemstones and uranium.

Eclipse’s Ivigtût project is home to the historic Ivigtût cryolite mine – the world’s only commercial natural source of the rare mineral. Over its 120-year history, the mine produced 3.8 million tonnes of cryolite. Historically referred to as Greenland Spar, cryolite is a colourless to white, soft halide mineral that was once the primary source of aluminium.

The mine waste created from the quest for the curious metal is laden with silver, zinc, gallium and copper, offering a potential early-stage revenue stream for the junior explorer.

Ivigtût also houses a high-grade 5Mt quartz resource averaging 99.9 per cent silica. Its exceptional purity makes it ideal for premium markets, including photovoltaic panels, semiconductors and other high-end electronic applications – offering Eclipse exposure to multiple growth sectors.

Signing this drilling contract marks the beginning of a highly active phase for Eclipse in Greenland. With strong global momentum behind securing rare earth supply chains, Eclipse is well-positioned to demonstrate the scale and quality of its Greenland prospects.

Eclipse Metals Executive Chairman Carl Popal

Sitting in a geopolitically safe jurisdiction, Greenland is rapidly emerging as a strategic rare earths hub, hosting some of the world’s largest undeveloped rare earths deposits, including Kvanefjeld and Kringlerne.

A stone’s throw from Grønnedal, the shovel-ready Kvanefjeld project, owned by ASX-listed Energy Transition Minerals, has a JORC-compliant resource topping one billion tonnes and an ore reserve of 108Mt – enough to sustain a 37-year mine-life. Positioned to be a world-class supplier of rare earths, Kvanefjeld is rich in the magnet metals neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which are critical for the global energy transition.

With rig mobilisation imminent, Eclipse is about to deliver its most significant drilling campaign yet at its Ivigtût and Grønnedal rare earths and critical minerals projects. The program is designed to test key zones across both projects and the results should shed light on the scale and quality of Greenland’s rare earth potential. In a market hungry for secure and alternative sources of magnet metals, success in this drilling campaign could position Eclipse as a key player in the global energy transition.

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