Ark Mines Ltd. (ASX: AHK) is an Australian critical minerals exploration and development company focused on advancing its flagship 100%-owned Sandy Mitchell Rare Earths and Heavy Minerals Project in North Queensland.
Sandy Mitchell has rapidly developed into a project of significant scale. The September 2026 JORC (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate stands at 379.4 million tonnes @ 5,430 ppm Monazite Equivalent (MzEq), with 97% of estimated tonnage classified as Measured or Indicated.
The mineralisation is shallow, flat-lying and extends from surface to an average depth of approximately 11 metres. Based on Ark’s review of publicly reported estimates, Sandy Mitchell is the largest rare earth Mineral Resource reported under the JORC Code (2012) hosted in residual heavy mineral sands derived from a metamorphic basement complex.
Significant growth potential remains. The current Mineral Resource covers approximately 23.3 km², representing only around 14% of Ark’s broader 169 km² Sandy Mitchell tenure.
The project has achieved several major development milestones, including the granting of its Environmental Authority and Mining Licence, together with a $4.5 million investment from the QIC Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund to support its development.
Metallurgical testwork has also successfully produced commercial-grade monazite and titanium products, including a high-grade rare earth concentrate grading 54.8% TREO plus 1.49% Y₂O₃ and a premium leucoxene product grading 73.5% TiO₂. Further metallurgical work is underway alongside an updated Scoping Study targeted for completion in 2026, followed by a Pre-Feasibility Study in 2027, with first production targeted for 2028.
Beyond Sandy Mitchell, Ark holds a broader North Queensland portfolio prospective for gold, fluorite, copper, nickel, cobalt and iron.
With a rapidly advancing flagship project, significant remaining exploration potential and growing strategic demand for secure critical mineral supply chains, Ark Mines is working to establish itself as an important future Australian supplier of rare earths and heavy mineral products.