Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX: BRE) has significantly expanded its Sulista Rare Earth District in Bahia, Brazil, extending the strike length from over 10 km to more than 17 km with multiple high-grade mineralised corridors. The latest drilling results underpin a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate expected mid-2026 and support BRE’s strategic hub-and-spoke development plan.
- Sulista district strike length grows from 10 km to over 17 km
- Sulista East drill-tested strike extends beyond 1 km with mineralisation open at depth
- Outcrop Ridge confirms second high-grade mineralised centre with up to 16.7% TREO
- New +10,000 m drilling program underway at Sulista South growth corridor
- Maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate anticipated mid-2026
Expanding the Sulista Rare Earth District
Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE) has announced a major advancement in its Sulista Rare Earth District exploration campaign, located in Bahia, Brazil. Since their previous update in September 2025, the company has completed over 4,000 metres of diamond drilling alongside extensive geophysical surveys and auger drilling, resulting in a material expansion of the district’s strike length from approximately 10 kilometres to more than 17 kilometres.
This expansion is not merely a matter of scale but also of quality, with multiple mineralised corridors now delineated, including Sulista East, Outcrop Ridge, Sulista West, Sulista North, and Sulista South. These corridors host high-grade rare earth element (REE) mineralisation, with some drill intercepts returning total rare earth oxide (TREO) grades as high as 16.7%, alongside significant concentrations of critical minerals such as niobium, scandium, tantalum, and uranium.
Sulista East: The Anchor Deposit
The Sulista East deposit has emerged as the district’s anchor, now defined over more than 1,000 metres of drill-tested strike and extending vertically beyond 230 metres. Drilling has revealed multiple stacked mineralised horizons with true thicknesses up to 40 metres, and mineralisation remains open both along strike and at depth. Noteworthy drill results include intervals of 10.4 metres at 5.5% TREO and 14.0 metres at 4.2% TREO within shallow regolith and bedrock.
Step-out drilling has extended the known footprint significantly, with hole JITDD0060 confirming mineralisation well beyond previous limits. These results underpin the confidence in Sulista East’s potential to grow laterally and vertically, setting the stage for a maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate expected by mid-2026.
Outcrop Ridge and Sulista West: A Second High-Grade Centre
Parallel to Sulista East, the Outcrop Ridge area has confirmed a second high-grade mineralised centre within the district. Drilling here has demonstrated vertical continuity from surface outcrops into underlying bedrock, with ultra-high-grade rare earth grades reaching up to 16.7% TREO. This centre lies along strike from Sulista West, which also hosts high-grade REE-Nb-Sc-Ta-U mineralisation, collectively defining a robust second hub of mineralisation advancing alongside Sulista East.
New Growth Corridors: Sulista North and South
Significant exploration progress has also been made in the northern and southern extensions of the district. Sulista North has expanded the district footprint by more than 7 kilometres, revealing ultra-high-grade surface mineralisation and geophysical anomalies indicative of fertile hard-rock sources. Grab samples here have returned exceptional grades, including 19.2% TREO with elevated critical mineral contents.
Meanwhile, Sulista South has emerged as a major southern extension to the Sulista East trend, supported by intense magnetic and radiometric anomalies. A new +10,000 metre diamond drilling program is underway to test this highly prospective corridor, aiming to delineate the continuity of the mineralised magmatic system.
Strategic Development and Next Steps
Brazilian Rare Earths’ CEO Bernardo da Veiga emphasised the strategic importance of these results, noting that Sulista is transitioning from discovery to delineation of a scalable, high-grade rare earth district. The company’s development strategy revolves around a hub-and-spoke model, integrating multiple mineral operations with a planned rare earth refinery hub at Camaçari near Salvador.
Looking ahead, BRE plans to advance Sulista East towards Mineral Resource definition, delineate the full scale of Sulista West and Outcrop Ridge, and execute comprehensive drilling programs across Sulista South and North. These efforts will be complemented by integrated geological, geophysical, metallurgical, and mineralogical studies to support a province-scale development model.
With the maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate anticipated in mid-2026, the Sulista district is poised to become a significant new player in the global rare earth and critical minerals supply chain, particularly given the strategic importance of these elements for clean energy and advanced technologies.
Bottom Line?
Sulista’s expanding footprint and high-grade results set the stage for a pivotal resource estimate and strategic development in 2026.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the upcoming JORC Mineral Resource Estimate quantify the district’s economic potential?
- What are the environmental and permitting challenges associated with mining in the Sulista district’s sustainable use areas?
- How will BRE’s hub-and-spoke refinery strategy at Camaçari integrate with the growing Sulista mineral operations?