Victory Metals Unveils World-Class Dysprosium and Terbium Grades at North Stanmore

Exceptional Heavy Rare Earth Grades Confirmed

Victory Metals Limited (ASX, VTM) has announced outstanding assay results from recent infill aircore drilling at its North Stanmore Heavy Rare Earth Element (HREE) Project in Western Australia. The highlight is Dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) grades reaching up to 218 parts per million (ppm), which is approximately 54 times higher than the average upper continental crust levels. Terbium (Tb), another critical heavy rare earth, was recorded at concentrations up to 70ppm, about 110 times the crustal average. These figures place North Stanmore among the highest-grade heavy rare earth clay deposits worldwide.

Strategic Importance of Dy and Tb

Dysprosium and Terbium are indispensable for manufacturing high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, and advanced defense systems. Their scarcity and irreplaceable role in these technologies have driven prices significantly higher than more common rare earths. Victory Metals’ CEO Brendan Clark emphasized that the deposit’s unique geochemistry and low levels of radioactive elements set North Stanmore apart on the global stage, offering a secure and sustainable Western-aligned supply chain for these critical materials.

Robust Mineral Resource and Metallurgical Advances

The company’s Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) totals 320.6 million tonnes with an average total rare earth oxide plus scandium (TREO + Sc2O3) grade of 510 ppm. Notably, 71% of this resource is classified as indicated, underscoring confidence in the deposit’s continuity and scale. Metallurgical testwork conducted by Core Resources has demonstrated high recoveries of key rare earths; including 94% for Praseodymium and Neodymium, and over 90% for Terbium and Dysprosium; alongside 50% recovery of scandium oxide. These results suggest promising processing pathways for producing high-purity mixed rare earth carbonate products.

Geological and Environmental Context

North Stanmore’s mineralisation is hosted within a flat-lying saprolite-clay horizon over an alkaline intrusion, with mineralogy dominated by fine-grained phases such as churchite and rhabdophane. The deposit extends over 8 kilometers with thicknesses up to 70 meters. Importantly, uranium and thorium levels are very low, reducing environmental and processing challenges commonly associated with rare earth projects. The project benefits from proximity to existing infrastructure, including the Great Northern Highway and the township of Cue.

Next Steps and Market Implications

Victory Metals plans further metallurgical optimisation and variability testing to refine extraction processes. A scoping study has been commissioned to evaluate the project’s economic potential. Given the growing global demand for heavy rare earths amid supply constraints and geopolitical tensions, North Stanmore’s emergence as a high-grade, low-radioactivity deposit could be pivotal for Western supply chains in clean energy and defense sectors.