Ark Mines’ 100%-owned Sandy Mitchell Rare Earths and Heavy Minerals Project is located approximately 230 km north-west of Cairns in Far North Queensland. The project hosts both light and heavy rare earths within an extensive shallow heavy mineral sand system and has rapidly grown into Ark’s flagship development asset.

The September 2026 JORC (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate stands at 379.4 million tonnes @ 5,430 ppm MzEq, including 369.6 million tonnes classified as Measured or Indicated. Mineralisation is shallow, flat-lying and extends from surface to an average depth of approximately 11 metres, creating highly favourable characteristics for straightforward mine planning.

Rare earth mineralisation is principally associated with monazite and xenotime and includes valuable magnet rare earths such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium. Sandy Mitchell also hosts a broader heavy mineral basket including zircon and titanium-bearing minerals, creating potential for multiple saleable product streams.

Metallurgical testwork has already produced commercial-grade products from Sandy Mitchell material, including a monazite concentrate grading 54.8% TREO plus 1.49% Y₂O₃ and a premium leucoxene product grading 73.5% TiO₂. Further testwork is underway to optimise additional product streams and define the most efficient processing pathway.

Sandy Mitchell has also achieved major regulatory and development milestones, including an Environmental Authority, a granted Mining Licence and $4.5 million in backing from the QIC Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund. Ark is now incorporating the expanded resource and metallurgical results into an updated Scoping Study targeted for completion in 2026, followed by a Pre-Feasibility Study in 2027, as it targets first production from Sandy Mitchell in 2028.

And the growth story is far from exhausted. The current Mineral Resource footprint covers approximately 23.3 km², only around 14% of Ark’s broader 169 km² Sandy Mitchell tenure.