MRG Metals Confirms High Gallium Potential At South Africa’s Garies Project

MRG Metals has identified significant gallium mineralisation at its Garies rare earth project in South Africa’s Northern Cape, opening the possibility of recovering the critical mineral as a valuable by-product alongside future rare earth production.

The ASX-listed company confirmed that analytical results from its ongoing drilling programme revealed elevated gallium concentrations associated with magnetite and rare earth mineralisation, prompting additional metallurgical studies to assess commercial recovery potential.

Drilling Reveals High Gallium Concentrations

Analytical testing of 85 magnetite vein samples collected from 19 drill holes returned an average grade of 290 parts per million (ppm) gallium oxide, with peak values reaching 450 ppm gallium oxide.

Further analysis of a bulk metallurgical sample produced even higher concentrations after beneficiation.

Two rare earth oxide-rich concentrates generated during laboratory test work assayed:

• 880 ppm gallium oxide
• 573 ppm gallium oxide

The original bulk sample used for metallurgical testing contained 347 ppm gallium oxide.

Gallium Hosted in Pyrite Mineralisation

Microscopy and electron microscope element mapping confirmed that the gallium is primarily hosted within free pyrite grains.

According to MRG Metals, pyrite accounts for approximately 5% of the magnetite vein material, with the pyrite itself containing around 0.4% gallium.

The company will now undertake further metallurgical studies to determine whether the gallium-bearing pyrite can be selectively concentrated during mineral processing.

Current rare earth processing methods at Garies have proven effective in concentrating rare earth elements but are not designed to recover pyrite, limiting gallium recovery under existing test conditions.

Growing Demand for a Strategic Critical Mineral

Gallium is classified as a critical mineral because of its importance in advanced technology manufacturing.

It is used to produce gallium nitride and gallium arsenide semiconductors, which are essential components in:

• Power electronics
• Electric vehicle fast chargers
• 5G telecommunications equipment
• Defence radar systems
• High-performance semiconductor devices

According to the company, gallium oxide prices averaged approximately US$367 per kilogram in Shanghai on 1 July.

Potential Additional Revenue Stream

MRG Metals Chairperson Andrew van der Zwan said the discovery provides an opportunity to enhance the overall value of the Garies project while maintaining the company’s primary focus on rare earth development.

He said the results support further technical evaluation to determine whether gallium can be economically recovered as a by-product during future processing operations.

The company plans to expand its metallurgical programme by testing alternative processing methods specifically designed to concentrate gallium-bearing pyrite and assess whether higher-grade gallium concentrates can be produced.

If successful, the recovery of gallium alongside rare earth elements could strengthen the project’s economic potential by adding exposure to another high-value critical mineral increasingly sought after by global technology and clean energy industries.