company Frontera Minerals, is a large alkaline system measured in
kilometres rather than hectares — more than 1.5 by 1.5 kilometres in
surface extent, with rare earth element grades above 2,500 ppm of total
rare-earth oxide and optional niobium credits. It represents one of the
more distinctive additions to the Brazil rare earth exploration
pipeline.¹
kilometres by 1.5 kilometres — places it in a size class that most
Brazilian rare-earth projects in the current cycle do not match.
commercially consequential: large footprint translates into large
potential tonnage, and the combination with rare-earth grades above
industrial optionality.¹
rare-earth value itself, measured in TREO grade and aggregate contained
tonnage that the system's geometry implies. The second is the niobium
credit potential — the same kind of co-product optionality that makes
the Alto Paranaíba carbonatite province commercially attractive and that
underpins CBMM's dominant position at Araxá.¹
percent. The 2,500 ppm figure sits in a range that makes commercial
extraction economically plausible at current rare-earth prices, although
the final economics depend on the mineralogy — specifically, the
distribution of individual rare-earth elements, the host rock
characteristics, and the metallurgical processing behaviour of the
particular ore.
typically work deposits at grades between 500 and 2,000 ppm TREO, with
the viability coming from processing simplicity and large aggregate
tonnage rather than grade. Bastnaesite-hosted deposits such as Mountain
alkaline system like JORD fits somewhere between these two models, which
creates a specific commercial profile.
systems in Brazil carry pyrochlore mineralisation that yields niobium as
an economically meaningful co-product. If JORD's niobium content
confirms at commercial grades during exploration, the project's
economics improve materially because niobium revenue complements
rare-earth revenue without requiring separate infrastructure.
representing one of the world's most significant concentrations of
rare-earth, niobium, phosphate and related critical-mineral resources.
operations — most notably CBMM at Araxá — have demonstrated that
world-class production.²
by ionic-clay projects from juniors and listed explorers (Serra Verde,
increasingly include alkaline-hosted deposits alongside the ionic-clay
operations. JORD is positioned to be part of that second wave.
continued importance of Brazilian alkaline-complex exploration, and the
federal government's Plano Decenal de Mapeamento Geológico (PlanGeo) for
the Amazon, Northeast and Center-South macro-regions. Alkaline systems
with rare-earth and niobium potential sit squarely within that
prioritisation.²
approximately 93 percent of global supply, primarily through CBMM at
high-strength-low-alloy steel consumption, and niche applications in
aerospace superalloys provide additional margin. A new Brazilian niobium
source at commercial scale would compete directly with CBMM but would
also add supply diversification value that some customers are willing to
pay a premium for.³
optionality. If rare-earth economics remain attractive, the project can
develop as a primary rare-earth operation with niobium as a minor
by-product. If niobium market conditions support a different balance,
the project can shift emphasis toward niobium with rare earths as the
complementary revenue. That flexibility is valuable during a multi-year
development timeline because it reduces exposure to any single-commodity
price cycle.
well-suited to the current critical-minerals environment. Rare-earth
pricing shifted materially in 2025 after Chinese export controls, and
niobium demand remains structurally strong through steel, aerospace and
superalloy end uses. An asset that can serve both markets simultaneously
carries lower single-point exposure than a pure-play project in either
commodity.
discovery quality over portfolio count. Eight discoveries across more
than 300 projects analysed translates to a roughly 2.5 percent hit rate
exploration-stage work. The franchise's ability to identify, advance and
either operate or exit projects successfully reflects both technical
capability and commercial discipline.¹
assets, but the project profile — large scale, commercially meaningful
grade, optional co-product credits, alignment with Brazilian
alkaline-system geology — fits the template that has worked for the
franchise across multiple commodity categories.
group's 2017 sale of Brasil Graphite to South Star Battery Metals —
after taking the project from discovery through drilling, resource
definition, pilot plant and pre-feasibility study — demonstrated the
franchise's ability to advance exploration-stage proje