Locksley Resources maps rare earths-antimony as US unveils $1B minerals push
- James Pearson
- Aug 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Locksley Resources (ASX: LKY) is shifting its United States exploration campaign into a higher gear. The company has deployed a structural geology crew to its Mojave critical minerals project in California just as Washington rolls out a US$1 billion (A$1.5 billion) push to shore up domestic supply chains.
The work, which kicked off on Sunday, involves mapping, sampling and modelling across four key zones to potentially extend the project’s rare earth and antimony footprint. Among the focal points is the historic Desert antimony mine, where surface grades have previously returned up to 46 per cent antimony and more than a kilogram of silver per tonne.
Management says the latest campaign aims to flesh out fresh drill targets by combining boots-on-the-ground mapping with multi-element rock chip assays. The work will also expand the 3D geological model at the Desert mine to zero in on structures capable of hosting economic mineralisation.
Against a backdrop of fast-moving US policy, which appears increasingly tailored to projects such as Mojave, the timing of Locksley’s latest exploration round could not be better. Last week, the US Energy Department announced a US$1 billion funding package squarely aimed at securing domestic supply of rare earths, antimony and other critical minerals.
Locksley says the programs announced under the package are a neat fit for its processing strategy, opening the door to non-dilutive funding for pilot-scale development.
The company has also applied to join the Critical Materials Institute - a high-profile US research hub backed by the department - and has engagements locked in with the Export-Import Bank and the Interior Department. Both departments can help fast-track financing and permits, using tools such as the Defense Production Act and FAST-41 to speed up projects seen as vital to the country.
The deployment of our structural geology team for the second time in 2025 marks an important milestone in advancing Mojave. At the same time, US policy settings are shifting strongly in favour of projects like ours, with substantial Department of Energy funding initiatives, supportive permitting frameworks and direct engagement opportunities with EXIM Bank and the Department of Interior.
Locksley Resources Chairman Nathan Lude
The Mojave project covers more than 250 claims across two contiguous blocks, one of which rubs shoulders with MP Materials’ Mountain Pass mine – America’s only operating rare earth producer. With geological continuity stretching into Locksley’s ground, management is keen to test out Mojave’s potential for delivering similar results.
The urgency to boost America’s domestic antimony supply has also become critical after China - responsible for 85 per cent of global antimony production - slapped an export ban on the metal 12 months ago. The US has no domestic production of the silvery-grey metal, despite its critical role in semiconductors, defence hardware and metal alloys.
Locksley’s next steps include completing the structural mapping program, progressing its Critical Materials Institute membership and showcasing its credentials at the Energy Department’s critical minerals supply chain workshop this week.
With drills waiting in the wings and Washington throwing its financial weight behind domestic supply, Locksley’s Mojave play is shaping up as more than just another desert project.
In aligning boots-on-the-ground exploration with billion-dollar policy support and a looming shortage of metals such as antimony, the company is positioning itself squarely at the crossroads of geology and geopolitics. Punters are likely to remain laser-focused on Locksley’s every move to see if Mojave delivers.
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