Locksley Resources lands BLM approval for rare earths drilling at El Campo

Locksley Resources is progressing tenders for upcoming drilling at its El Campo rare earths prospect in California after being awarded drill permits

Locksley Resources has received the go ahead from the BLM to start drilling at the El Campo rare earths prospect. Pic: Getty Images

• Locksley Resources secures permit to drill at the El Campo rare earths project

• El Campo is near MP Materials' Mountain Pass mine, the only active integrated rare earth facility in the US

• Company now in the process of selecting drill contractor for program to start in September 2025 quarter

Special Report: The US Bureau of Land Management has granted Locksley Resources a permit to drill five reverse circulation holes at the El Campo rare earths prospect within its Mojave project in California.

El Campo is directly along strike from MP Materials’ Mountain Pass mine, the only active integrated rare earth mining and processing facility in the country.

The drilling program is designed to target a high-grade mineralised zone at El Campo, where 12 rock chip samples returned results ranging from 1.03% to 12.1% total rare earth oxides (TREO) across a six metre-wide mineralised zone.

The recently approved drill program marks an exciting milestone for Locksley Resources (ASX:LKY), representing its maiden drilling campaign at El Campo, following standout surface rock chip results.

“Finalising the BLM approval process for drilling at El Campo marks a pivotal step in unlocking the rare earth potential of the Mojave project,” chairman Nathan Lude said.

“With direct proximity to MP Materials’ infrastructure and outstanding surface results, El Campo is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the Unites States’ push to reduce reliance on offshore critical mineral supply.”

El Campo is in a strategic inlier within MP Minerals claims. Pic: Locksley Resources

Mojave project

Mojave consists of more than 250 claims covering ~20km2 about 1.4km from the Mountain Pass mine and Dateline Resources' (ASX:DTR) Colosseum project.

Additional to its REE prospectivity, the project is also known to host antimony, which is traditionally used for flame-retardant materials and military uses but is also seeing increasing use to increase the efficiency of solar panels.

Surface sampling at Desert Antimony target returned exceptional grades of up to 46% antimony with multiple samples exceeding 17% antimony.

With REEs and antimony designated as critical minerals by the US government, Mojave is emerging as a significant project in a federally-supported and historical mining district.

LKY is now starting field work to confirm drill locations and peg drill collars.

Tendering of the drill contract is also underway with the company expecting to select a contractor in the next 4-6 weeks.

Drilling is expected to start in the September 2025 quarter.

In parallel, the company is engaging with the BLM in relation to securing the drilling permit for the Desert Antimony Mine target.

The Desert Antimony drill permit is anticipated to be expedited given the current focus of the Trump Administration on developing US based critical minerals.

This article was developed in collaboration with Locksley Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Originally published as Locksley Resources lands BLM approval for rare earths drilling at El Campo