Greenland-based miner Amaroq Minerals Ltd. has confirmed the presence of conventional rare earth element (REE) bearing mineralisation within the Nunarsuit licence area in South Greenland — marking the company’s first verified entry into the REE and critical minerals market.
The discovery, announced last week, highlights a significant exploration milestone for Amaroq and its partners under the Gardaq ApS joint venture (JV), which operates the Nunarsuit licence.
The Ilua pegmatite zone within the licence has been confirmed to host REE mineralisation with grades reaching up to 2.31 per cent total rare earth oxide (TREO), underscoring the site’s economic potential.
According to assay results, samples from the Ilua zone show an average composition of 27 per cent heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) and 73 per cent light rare earth elements (LREEs), with 21 per cent comprising critical magnet metals such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium.
Amaroq’s vice president of exploration James Gilbertson said: “The confirmation of high grade REEs on our licence area is very good news and we are extremely encouraged by these initial results, which marks the first entry of Amaroq into the REE space in Greenland.
Gilbertson said the company was encouraged by indications that the REE mineralisation is found in low-uranium, conventional geological settings, adding that Amaroq believes the host mineral is probably monazite — a familiar rare earth ore that supports standard extraction and processing methods.
The Ilua pegmatite zone lies within the Gardar igneous province, an area identified by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) as one of the world’s most significant REE provinces, estimated to collectively contain about 20 per cent of global REE resources.
The province is also home to other strategic deposits such as Kvanefjeld and Tanbreez.
Initial fieldwork at the Ilua outcrop suggests an extensive REE-bearing pegmatite system several metres wide and extending approximately five kilometres in strike length.
Amaroq noted the possibility of multiple parallel structures in the area that will be subject to additional mapping during the 2026 exploration season.
Geochemical analysis indicates the pegmatite systems are predominantly hosted in monazite mineralogy, a conventional and well-understood REE ore type that typically offers simpler processing pathways compared to more complex REE mineral assemblages found elsewhere in South Greenland.
Importantly, uranium levels in the samples fall below current government thresholds, reducing both environmental and regulatory risk.
Gilbertson added: “This potential discovery builds on our expertise in defining resources and mine development in the region, while diversifying into critical minerals at a time of rising global demand for these resources.
“Our team is looking forward to unlocking the full value of this potential discovery with further work and scout drilling in 2026, and we are optimistic that Nunarsuit’s rare earth potential could add significant shareholder value alongside our existing projects.”
Amaroq’s technical team is now planning a scout drilling campaign in spring 2026 to define the size and geometry of the Ilua system.
Further results from the company’s ongoing 2025 non-gold exploration campaign are expected later in the year.
The development follows Amaroq’s July 2024 approval from the Government of Greenland for the environmental and social impact assessments for its Nalunaq gold project, underpinning its expanding portfolio of exploration activity across the region.