Motzfeldt Concentrates Produced; Clogau Sampling
Summary by AI BETAClose X
Arkadian Strategic Metals Plc / EPIC: AKN / Market: AIM / Sector: Mining
3 November 2026
Arkadian Strategic Metals Plc
("Arkadian" or the "Company")
Motzfeldt Metallurgical Tests Produce Concentrates;
Clogau Sampling Completed
Arkadian Strategic Metals Plc (AIM: AKN), the strategic metals and gold-focused exploration and development company, is pleased to report positive initial metallurgical results from an Aries bulk sample at its majority-owned Motzfeldt Critical Metals Project in Greenland. The Phase 1 tests produced rare earth concentrates using established processing methods and identified the priorities for the next phase of testwork.
Demonstrating that the target minerals can be separated from the host rock and upgraded with conventional methods is the first step in defining a processing route for the Aries deposit, which hosts a JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 340 million tonnes. The mineralogical work has also identified finer grinding as the main lever for improving recovery in Phase 2.
At the Company’s 100%-owned Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine in north Wales, sampling of the Jack Williams vein and the systematic collection of floor material around Shaft 2 have been completed. The samples are being submitted for laboratory analysis and the floor material is scheduled for processing through the Company’s pilot plant.
A new corporate presentation has been produced by the Company which can be accessed on the Company’s website at https://arkadianmetals.com/corporate-documents.
Highlights
Motzfeldt Phase 1 Metallurgical Test Programme
- Rare earth concentrates produced from an Aries bulk sample using established mineral separation methods, the first step in defining a processing route for the Aries deposit.
- A preliminary flotation test upgraded the feed from approximately 0.65% total rare earth oxides (“TREO”) to a concentrate grading 13.37% TREO, around twenty times the feed grade, at 20.3% TREO recovery from a single unoptimised stage.
- Gravity separation of the finer tested fraction produced a concentrate grading 2.24% TREO and 12.2% zirconium oxide, at recoveries of 39.9% and 59.1% respectively within that fraction.
- Mineralogical analysis identified finer grinding as the main lever for raising recovery, with greater release of the target minerals from the host rock at finer particle sizes.
- Phase 2 programme designed to test finer grinding, gravity separation and flotation as a combined processing route, targeting higher recovery and concentrate grade, as well as to assess niobium and tantalum recovery.
NB: “Grade” refers to how much of the desired material is present in the concentrate, while “Recovery” refers to how much of that material in the original test feed is successfully captured in the concentrate.
Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine
Jack Williams stope exploration (Upper Tyn y Cornel)
- Sampling of the exposed vein completed, with 29 samples collected for gold assays and thin section analysis, to inform the selection of further underground targets along the Main Lode.
Floor material bulk sampling
- Approximately 1.5 tonnes of floor material collected from around Shaft 2 on the Tyn y Cornel adit level, with further floor material and hard rock samples collected from the Upper Tyn y Cornel east and west sections.
- The material is scheduled for processing through the Company’s pilot plant to test gold recovery from historic mine material.
Company comment
George Frangeskides, Executive Chairman, commented:
“These first phase metallurgical test work results from the Aries deposit at Motzfeldt show that the rare earth minerals in the tested sample can be separated from the host rock and concentrated using established processing methods. The gravity tests also produced concentrates carrying rare earths and zirconium. For a deposit of Aries’ scale, showing that the minerals respond to conventional separation is the essential first step towards a processing route, and that is what Phase 1 has given us.
“The work has also told us where to focus next: finer grinding to release more of the target minerals, and a combined gravity and flotation route. Phase 2 is designed to raise recovery and concentrate grade on that basis, and also to assess niobium and tantalum recovery alongside the demonstrated rare earth and zirconium response.
“At Clogau, the 29 Jack Williams samples will tell us about the gold content and mineral textures at the western end of the Main Lode, which guides where we direct further underground work, and the Shaft 2 floor material gives the pilot plant a substantial run on historic mine material. We expect to report on both as results come in.”
Motzfeldt Metallurgical Test Programme
Overview
Phase 1 testwork by the Company’s specialist metallurgical contractors in South Africa demonstrated that rare earth and zirconium-bearing minerals from an Aries bulk sample can be concentrated using established processing methods. The findings point to a processing route based on gravity separation followed by flotation, which is the focus of the Phase 2 programme.
To test how the target minerals respond to processing, Phase 1 used the most mineralised of the available Aries bulk samples. The results relate to this sample and the methods tested.
Work Completed
Phase 1 investigated three principal areas:
- Mineral analysis examined the minerals containing niobium, tantalum, rare earths and zirconium, how they occur within the rock and how readily they can be separated.
- Gravity and magnetic separation tests assessed the concentration of target minerals and removal of unwanted rock minerals.
- Eight preliminary flotation tests screened four reagent chemistries to assess the selective recovery of rare earth minerals into concentrates.
Key Findings
The best flotation result upgraded the feed from an approximate grade of 0.65% TREO to a concentrate grading 13.37% TREO, around twenty times the feed grade, at 20.3% TREO recovery from a single unoptimised stage. Other tests achieved higher recoveries at lower concentrate grades, showing that both respond to the flotation conditions, and Phase 2 will refine those conditions to improve the balance between grade and recovery.
In the finer gravity test fraction (45 to 150 micrometres), concentrate grades reached 2.24% TREO and 12.2% zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), at recoveries of 39.9% TREO and 59.1% ZrO₂ within that fraction. The response of the finer fraction is consistent with the mineralogical findings below and supports the enhanced gravity separation work planned for Phase 2.
Mineral analysis showed greater release of the target minerals from the host rock at finer particle sizes, identifying finer grinding as the main lever for raising recovery. Magnetic separation contributed little recovery in the tests undertaken, which focuses the Phase 2 programme on gravity separation and flotation.
Phase 2 Programme
The Company’s technical advisers have designed a Phase 2 programme to build on these results. The programme comprises:
- Finer grinding with gravity separation, including enhanced gravity separation for finer material, to release and concentrate more of the target minerals.
- Refined flotation conditions with additional recovery and cleaning stages.
- Tracking of the target minerals through each processing stage to identify where recovery can be increased.
- Testing of the combined gravity separation and flotation route as an integrated process, targeting higher-grade concentrates for downstream refining.
Phase 2 will also assess niobium and tantalum recovery alongside the demonstrated rare earth and zirconium response.
Phase 1 was a scoping programme on a single selected sample. Establishing overall process recoveries and concentrate specifications for downstream refining is the objective of the Phase 2 work.
Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine
Jack Williams sampling and mineralogical work
The Jack Williams stope lies at the western end of the historically worked Main Lode, the principal quartz-vein structure that produced most of Clogau’s historic gold. Sampling of the exposed vein via the Upper Tyn y Cornel level is complete, with 29 samples collected for laboratory submission. Gold assays and microscopy using thin section analysis, will characterise the gold content, mineralogy and textures of this part of the Main Lode and inform the selection of further underground targets along the structure.
Shaft 2 floor material excavation
As previously announced, sampling and hand-panning of floor material around one of the shafts from previous periods of mining identified what are believed to be particles of visible gold. Systematic excavation around Shaft 2, working from east to west in one-square-metre sections down to bedrock, has been completed, and approximately 1.5 tonnes of material have been collected for concentrating through the Company’s pilot processing plant.
Floor material and hard rock samples have also been collected from the Upper Tyn y Cornel east and west sections and are scheduled for processing.
Processing this material through the pilot plant will test gold recovery from historic mine material, and the results will inform how further material from the mine is treated.
Competent Person Statement
The technical information relating to the exploration results contained in this disclosure has been read and approved by Mr Mark Austin, who is a qualified geologist (member of SACNASP, Reg. No. 400235/06, Fellow of The Geological Society and Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa) and acts as the Competent Person under the AIM Rules - Note for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated results that are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market, financial and business conditions, competition for and availability of qualified staff and contractors, regulatory processes and actions, technical issues, new legislation, uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, uncertainties resulting from working in a new political jurisdiction, uncertainties regarding the results of exploration, uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of prospecting rights, uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of regulatory and other third party consents and approvals, uncertainties regarding the Company's or any third party’s ability to finance, execute and implement future plans and programmes, and the occurrence of unexpected events. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors.
ENDS
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Key Contacts
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Arkadian Strategic Metals Plc George Frangeskides, Executive Chairman |
+44 20 3950 0725
|
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SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nomad) Andrew Emmott |
+44 20 3368 3555
|
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CMC Markets plc (Broker) Thomas Smith / Douglas Crippen |
+44 20 3003 8632
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Arkadian’s Key Projects at a Glance
Motzfeldt Critical Metals Project, Greenland
Arkadian holds a majority interest in the Motzfeldt Critical Metals Project in southern Greenland, a large-scale mineralised system containing rare earth elements, niobium, tantalum and zirconium. Its Aries deposit hosts a JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 340 million tonnes, with additional exploration potential across the wider project area, including the Merino and Voskop targets.
The Company is advancing Motzfeldt through resource evaluation, mineral processing studies and environmental and engineering work, while assessing opportunities to expand and upgrade the existing resource. The longer-term objective is to develop the project’s potential to supply critical metals needed by advanced technologies and industry.
Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine, Wales
Arkadian owns the exclusive exploration rights to the Clogau-St David’s Gold Mine in north Wales, Britain’s largest historic gold producer, with recorded production of at least 80,000 ounces. Situated within the Dolgellau Gold Belt, the mine combines a distinguished gold-mining heritage with opportunities to investigate extensions to historically productive veins and previously unworked targets.
The Company’s strategy combines geological investigation and targeted underground exploration with evaluation of gold recovery from historic mine material. Alongside this technical work, Arkadian is developing commercial opportunities for Welsh gold, whose scarcity and provenance can support premium pricing through limited-edition coins, jewellery and other products.
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