Altona Rare Earths, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange, has announced the discovery of high-grade gallium mineralisation at its Monte Muambe rare earths and fluorspar project, located in Moatize, in the province of Tete. The company reported gallium concentrations of up to 232 grams per tonne (g/t), a strategic metal widely used in cutting-edge technologies, the Mining Weeklynews portal reported on Tuesday 1 April .
The agency explains that the discovery was made in the ‘Fluorite’ zone and in ‘Target 6’, highlighting the ‘MM039’ intercept, which revealed continuous mineralisation from the surface to 100 metres deep, with an average content of 77 grams per tonne (g/t) of gallium and a 14.89 metre section with 141 g/t. Hole ‘MM040’, located in ‘Target 6’, also confirmed high levels of gallium.
Economic and strategic impact
Gallium is a rare metal used in the production of radar, semiconductors and LEDs, and is considered a strategic raw material by several jurisdictions, including the European Union. China has a near-monopoly on its production, and the recent ban on exports to the US caused the price of the metal to reach 585 dollars per kilogram (dollars/kg) in December 2024, the highest since 2011. Currently, the price has stabilised at around 250 dollars/kg.
Altona believes that the discovery could change the economics of rare earth ores at Monte Muambe, adding a valuable by-product to its exploitation. The company plans to assess the recoverability of the gallium, starting studies to determine the exact mineralogy of the mineralisation.
Gallium is a rare metal used in the production of radar, semiconductors and LEDs, and is considered a strategic raw material by several jurisdictions, including the European Union.China has a near monopoly on its production (…)
Next steps
Mining Weely explains that the company will also analyse the site’s soil sample database to identify possible gallium anomalies and expand exploration work to determine the lateral extent of the mineralisation.
At the same time, studies are progressing into fluorspar exploration. Samples have been sent to the Peacocke & Simpson laboratory in Zimbabwe for gravity separation and flotation tests. Despite logistical delays due to the country’s post-election instability, the results are expected in April.
Altona’s CEO, Cedric Simonet, emphasised that Monte Muambe already has significant potential for rare earth and fluorspar exploration. ‘The discovery of gallium mineralisation in less explored areas of the carbonatite reinforces the site’s potential. We will carefully evaluate the possibility of recovering gallium as a by-product and exploring its extension on surface,’ said Simonet.
