Highlights

• Company: AuKing Mining
• Project: Exploration at Myoff Creek
• Location: British Columbia, Canada
• Site Area: 800 hectares
• Mineral Potential: Significant niobium and rare earth elements
• Survey Method: Helicopter-borne aeromagnetic and radiometric
• Survey Coverage: 70-line-kilometer grid
• Survey Cost: Approximately A$30,000
• Region: Proven mining area with promising geological formations
• Historical Mineral Intercepts:
  • Niobium: 0.93%
  • Total Rare Earth Oxides: 2.06%

In a July 15 press release (opens in a new tab), AuKing Mining Limited (opens in a new tab) (ASX: AKN) announced that it will commence exploration activities at its fully owned Myoff Creek Niobium/Rare Earth Elements (REE) project in eastern British Columbia, Canada. This marks a significant step forward for the Australian-listed company as it expands its presence in the critical minerals sector, which is increasingly seen as essential to the clean energy and technology supply chains.

According to AuKing, the Myoff Creek site is particularly promising due to the presence of near-surface carbonatite mineralization spanning an extensive 1.4-kilometer by 0.4-kilometer zone, as previously identified by historical exploration efforts. The company reports that this mineralization remains open both at depth and along strike, suggesting substantial potential for further discoveries. High-grade historical intercepts have been recorded, including 0.93% niobium and 2.06% total rare earth oxides (TREO), which further underscore the site’s potential. In fact, maximum detection limits of both niobium (Nb) and cerium (Ce) have been seen in rock chips found roughly two kilometers away from the previously drilled area.

The Myoff Creek property spans approximately 800 hectares, encompassing eight mineral claims located in the South-Central Mining Region of British Columbia. This region is no stranger to large-scale mining, hosting proven operations such as Teck Resources’ Highland Valley Copper Mine and Hudbay Minerals’ Copper Mountain Mine. Proximity to local infrastructure also bolsters the project’s viability—well-maintained roads provide direct access to the exploration site, and nearby towns such as Seymour Arm and Kamloops offer logistical, technical, and professional support for ongoing exploration and development.

Geologically, Myoff Creek is located within the Shuswap Metamorphic Complex, a part of the Proterozoic carbonatite belt that forms the Columbia Orogen. This area is known for hosting niobium- and rare earth-bearing carbonatites, including the intrusive REN carbonatite and the extrusive Mount Grace carbonatite. These types of formations are prized for their high concentration of critical minerals and relatively low impurity levels. The carbonatite at Myoff Creek is nephelinite and ultramafic, up to 200 meters thick, and similar in character to British Columbia’s Aley and Wicheeda deposits.

One of the most immediate steps in AuKing’s exploration strategy is a helicopter-borne high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric survey. The company plans to fly a 70-line-kilometer grid pattern across the entire Myoff Creek tenure area. This aerial survey, scheduled to begin in the coming weeks pending helicopter availability and favorable weather conditions, will provide critical geophysical data that will help identify zones of higher mineral concentration and inform the design of future drilling programs. The survey and subsequent analysis are estimated to cost approximately A$30,000 and will take approximately three to four weeks to process once the data are collected.

Paul Williams, Managing Director of AuKing, noted the significance of this development, saying that Myoff Creek has been under exploration for over 40 years and that current market enthusiasm for rare earth elements makes this an opportune time to ramp up activities. He emphasized that the data gathered from the upcoming aerial survey will be key to assessing the full potential of the Myoff Creek mineralized system and planning further exploration, including potential drilling.

The next breakout node or a supporting act?

While the aerial survey may be the immediate next step for AuKing, the broader context surrounding Myoff Creek raises a web of questions that could shape its future. For starters, how the historical exploration results—some of them decades old—will hold up when re-evaluated under the current JORC Code remains a significant unknown. There's a real chance that confidence in those figures may shift, depending on what the data says when retested. Just as important is understanding the current regulatory landscape in Canada, especially in British Columbia, where permitting, environmental compliance, and community engagement—particularly with local First Nations—can either expedite or hinder the pace of development.

And let’s not forget about nature itself: the team’s plans hinge, at least in the short term, on the whims of bushfires and helicopter availability. There's also a larger, even more strategic layer at play—what happens to Myoff Creek’s prospects if global demand for niobium or cerium (or both) spikes in the next five years? Or if supply chains, particularly between Australia and North America, tighten or open further? It’s equally worth watching how this carbonatite-rich terrain compares with other deposits in the region, like Wicheeda or Aley—are we looking at the next breakout node or a supporting act?