Apex Critical Metals (CSE: APXC; US-OTC: APXCF) has expanded high-grade rare earth mineralization at its Rift project in southeastern Nebraska, with the latest drilling returning multiple intercepts above 4% total rare earth oxides (REO).

According to results announced on Wednesday, highlights include 10.2 metres grading 5.27% REO from 178.6 metres depth in hole RIFT26-14, and 8 metres grading 4.48% REO from 273 metres down hole RIFT26-12. Both intercepts are situated within broader mineralized intervals of approximately 150 metres grading above 2% REO. The Rift project is located roughly 100 km south of Lincoln.

CEO Sean Charland described the assays as the company's "best grade x width results south of the discovery area." In a release, he stated: "The growing mineralized footprint and consistency observed from assay results to-date increases confidence in the shallow west-dipping Trinity Zone and ability to deliver a strong inaugural mineral resource estimate in 2027's first quarter."

The latest results reinforce Rift's position as one of the higher-grade rare earth discoveries currently being drilled in North America. The project sits near NioCorp Developments' (Nasdaq: NB) advanced niobium project in the Elk Creek district, part of a broader carbonatite complex that has drawn exploration interest for multiple critical minerals. Rift has demonstrated repeated intercepts exceeding 2% REO across broad widths that support the scale of the discovery, though the project has not yet published an initial resource estimate.

Shares in Apex Critical Metals gained 7.6% to $1.28 by mid-Wednesday in Toronto, giving the company a market valuation exceeding $123 million. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $1.02 to $4.95.

Rift joins a small but expanding group of U.S. and Canadian rare earth developments, including MP Materials' (NYSE: MP) producing Mountain Pass mine in California — currently the only operating rare earth mine in the United States — Defense Metals' (TSXV: DEFN; US-OTC: DFMTF) Wicheeda project in British Columbia, and Ucore Rare Metals' (TSXV: UCU; US-OTC: UURAF) planned rare earth separation plant in Louisiana. The limited number of North American projects at advanced stages reflects the capital-intensive path from discovery to production, with permitting and processing infrastructure remaining key industry bottlenecks.

The latest assays build on a series of strong results reported by Apex in April, May, and July. Previously announced highlights include RIFT26-002, which cut 81.6 metres grading 2.02% REO from 221.2 metres depth; RIFT26-005A, which returned 137.2 metres grading 2.01% REO from 252.6 metres; and RIFT26-008, which intersected 191.9 metres grading 2.5% REO from 211.5 metres, including 14.9 metres grading 5.09% REO from 244.5 metres and 12.3 metres grading 5.63% REO from 257.1 metres.

Drilling in April and May also identified a zone enriched in neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), suggesting the project may host locally elevated concentrations of the highest-value magnet rare earths. NdPr and related elements such as dysprosium and terbium are central to high-performance permanent magnets used across defence and clean-energy technologies. Hole RIFT26-002 averaged 49% NdPr over 10 metres at 0.75% REO. In May, hole RIFT26-003 expanded the NdPr-enriched horizon over at least 120 metres of strike.

Apex has outlined mineralization across more than 700 metres of strike that remains open in all directions within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex. The company's ongoing drilling program is focused on expanding the mineralized footprint ahead of the initial resource estimate.

Rare earth projects outside China have drawn increasing investor interest as the United States and its allies seek to secure domestic supplies of magnet materials used in artificial intelligence applications, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defence systems. China accounts for the majority of global rare earth processing capacity, and U.S. government policy under both recent administrations has prioritized reducing that dependence through initiatives tied to the Defense Production Act and Department of Defense supply chain programs.