Eclipse Metals uncovers critical minerals bonanza at historic Greenland mine

Eclipse Metals has breathed new life into a century-old mine in southern Greenland, and the results are bigger than anyone expected.

The company's latest drill results from the historic Ivigtût project show it's not just a fluorspar mine – it's a potential treasure chest of critical minerals. Two diamond drill holes totalling 503 metres, completed in October 2025, returned high-grade fluorine alongside gallium, rubidium, niobium, tantalum, hafnium, yttrium, and polymetallic mineralisation.

One hole hit 122 metres grading 37 parts per million (ppm) gallium from surface, including 15 metres at 56.8ppm gallium and 22.5 per cent fluorine from 105 metres. The second hole returned 77 metres grading 41.4ppm gallium from 223 metres, with a peak 1-metre sample hitting 101ppm gallium. A standout sample also carried 1065ppm rubidium, 54.3ppm silver and 2.9 per cent fluorine.

Fluorspar – the principal ore of fluorine – is classified as a critical mineral in the United States, which relies heavily on imports. That puts strategic value on secure Western-aligned sources. But the fluorine grades aren't the biggest revelation. Ivigtût was already known as one of the world's premier fluorine deposits, having produced 3.8 million tonnes of natural cryolite – a fluorine-bearing mineral critical to aluminium production – between 1865 and 1985.

What's new is the suite of metals turning up alongside the fluorine. Gallium is used in semiconductors and defence systems. Rubidium has applications in electronics and quantum computing. Niobium and tantalum are key to superalloys and capacitors. Hafnium is used in nuclear reactors and aerospace. Yttrium is vital for LEDs and lasers.

"These results reinforce our view that Ivigtût is much more than a historic cryolite mine," said Eclipse executive chairman Carl Popal. "Minerals and elements that were once secondary, or not routinely assessed, are now increasingly relevant due to their roles in semiconductors, defence systems, advanced manufacturing, industrial chemicals, clean-energy technologies and secure Western supply chains."

The results suggest historical mining focused largely on cryolite and fluorspar, leaving a broader suite of strategic minerals unexplored by modern standards. Even as their importance has grown since mining ceased, no one had looked for them – until now.

Eclipse also holds the nearby Grønnedal rare earth element project, where it recently more than doubled the resource to 208 million tonnes at 0.72 per cent total rare earth oxides. Together, the two projects give the company exposure to rare earths, fluorite, and other strategic minerals.

Management is now progressing geochemical, mineralogical and metallurgical studies to assess the distribution and recoverability of the wider suite of critical minerals. If future work confirms economic recovery pathways, Ivigtût could evolve from a historic fluorspar mine into a strategically important multi-commodity critical-minerals project.

The next major catalysts sit with metallurgy, resource definition and proving the broader system extends beyond the areas tested. If those studies stack up, Eclipse may have uncovered a far broader strategic minerals opportunity hiding in plain sight.