American Rare Earths Accelerates Pilot Plant to Produce Pre-Production Concentrate
Rhea-AI Summary
American Rare Earths (OTCQX:AMRRY) is accelerating a Halleck Creek pilot plant to produce pre-production rare earth concentrate, engaging metallurgical lead Jaye T. Pickarts and ordering key front-end equipment.
Preliminary test work shows ~94% gangue rejection, ~70% TREO recovery and roughly 10x grade enrichment. The company holds a 60,000-tonne exploration permit and has mined ~3,100 tonnes for testing.
Positive
- Gangue rejection ~94% in preliminary front-end test work
- TREO recovery ~70% demonstrated with GradePro and IRMS
- Grade enrichment ~10x versus feed in early tests
- 60,000-tonne exploration permit enabling bulk-sample mining
- 3,100 tonnes of Halleck Creek ore already mined for pilot feed
- Experienced pilot lead (Jaye T. Pickarts) engaged to de-risk execution
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
AMRRY gained 1.42% while closely linked peer ARRNF rose 7.62%. Other metals peers like HUSIF (+4.01%) and BMOOF (+3.66%) were also positive, but XTPT fell 8.82%, pointing to a stock‑specific move rather than a clean sector‑wide rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30 | Processing study mandate | Positive | +4.5% | Engaged Tetra Tech to advance Oxides to Metals study for HREE stream. |
| Mar 25 | Executive appointment | Positive | +5.6% | Hired ex‑Newmont executive as VP to drive corporate development and strategy. |
| Mar 24 | Exploration review | Positive | -2.3% | La Paz gold, silver, copper, manganese target review and follow‑up planning. |
| Mar 16 | DoE consortium feedstock | Positive | +2.2% | Halleck Creek ore selected as feedstock for DoE METALLIC consortium testing. |
| Mar 02 | Leadership change | Positive | -0.0% | Consolidated President and CEO roles with focus on Halleck Creek and US listing. |
Recent Halleck Creek and corporate development news has often seen positive price alignment, though a few governance and exploration updates showed muted or contrary reactions.
Over the last month, AMRRY has released a series of Halleck Creek‑focused updates, including an Oxides to Metals study mandate on Mar 30, a senior corporate development hire on Mar 25, and selection of Halleck Creek ore for the DoE METALLIC consortium on Mar 16. These generally aligned with positive price moves. A La Paz target review and the consolidation of President/CEO roles saw weaker or slightly negative reactions, suggesting investors have rewarded technical and strategic progress most consistently.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights concrete de‑risking steps at Halleck Creek, including installation of key front‑end equipment and pilot work showing ~94% gangue rejection and ~70% TREO recovery. The company has a permit to mine up to 60,000 tonnes and has already extracted about 3,100 tonnes for pilot feed. Against a backdrop of recent technical and strategic updates, investors may watch how pilot performance, downstream testing and offtake or strategic partner discussions evolve.
Key Terms
gangue technical
flowsheet technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
DENVER, April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) (“ARR” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce rapid progress on its pilot plant program to produce pre-production rare earth concentrate from Halleck Creek ore. The Company has engaged Jaye T. Pickarts, P.E. to lead the pilot plant process, bringing deep, U.S. based rare earth and project development experience to this critical next phase.
Mr. Pickarts is a metallurgical engineer, Registered Professional Engineer, and an independent contractor with more than four decades of experience in mine development, mineral processing and environmental compliance, including leading roles in rare earth demonstration plants and Wyoming based permitting and operations. In prior roles, including a senior role in the engineering firm Knight Piesold, he has overseen the design, construction and commissioning of rare earth pilot and demonstration facilities, as well as multiple technical studies advancing projects from scoping through feasibility. His background in both flowsheet development and practical plant execution will be applied to integrate and de-risk the Halleck Creek pilot circuit.
To support the pilot program, American Rare Earths has ordered three key pieces of processing equipment for the front end of the circuit. The Company has received two Induced Roll Magnetic Separators (IRMS) manufactured by Mineral Technologies, whose U.S. headquarters are in Starke, Florida, and has ordered a “GradePro” Reflux Classifier (RC) from FLSmidth in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is currently being fabricated on an expedited schedule. The remainder of the circuit will use standard, well-understood processing equipment, allowing the team to focus on quickly integrating and optimising these critical path units.
The GradePro Reflux Classifier will perform primary density-based separation, rejecting lower-density feldspars and quartz while concentrating higher-density minerals, including rare earth–bearing allanite. The IRMS units then provide secondary separation, exploiting differences in magnetic properties between iron-rich minerals and rare earth–bearing allanite to further upgrade the concentrate. Preliminary test work using the GradePro and IRMS has demonstrated gangue rejection of approximately
American Rare Earths holds an exploration permit to mine up to 60,000 tonnes of ore for testing purposes and has already mined approximately 3,100 tonnes of Halleck Creek material to feed the pilot program2. This ore will be used to generate representative pre-production concentrates to validate metallurgical performance, support downstream processing test work and advance discussions with potential strategic partners and customers.
Mark Wall, CEO of American Rare Earths, said:
“We are moving with speed to produce a pre-production concentrate from our ore. The work to bring together the pilot processing much faster than planned helps us expedite this project and bring the largest known total rare earth oxide deposit in the domestic United States a step closer to production3.”
By combining a large, long-life Wyoming orebody with experienced pilot-plant leadership, proven front-end equipment and a permitted bulk-sample program, American Rare Earths is advancing Halleck Creek along a clear, scalable path from resource toward production and reinforcing its ambition to become a cornerstone of the emerging U.S. rare earth supply chain.
This release was authorized by the Board of American Rare Earths.
Investors can follow the Company’s progress at www.americanree.com
About American Rare Earths Limited:
American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) is a critical minerals company at the forefront of reshaping the U.S. rare earths industry. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. (“WRI”), the company is advancing the Halleck Creek Project in Wyoming—a world-class rare earth deposit with the potential to secure America’s critical mineral independence for generations. Located on Wyoming State land, the Cowboy State Mine within Halleck Creek offers cost-efficient open-pit mining methods and benefits from streamlined permitting processes in this mining-friendly state.
With plans for onsite mineral processing and separation facilities, Halleck Creek is strategically positioned to reduce U.S. reliance on imports—predominantly from China—while meeting the growing demand for rare earth elements essential to defense, advanced technologies, and economic security. As exploration progresses, the project’s untapped potential on both State and Federal lands further reinforces its significance as a cornerstone of U.S. supply chain security. In addition to its resource potential, American Rare Earths is committed to environmentally responsible mining practices and continues to collaborate with U.S. Government-supported R&D programs to develop innovative extraction and processing technologies for rare earth elements.
For more information:
Media Contact:
Susan Assadi
sassadi@americanree.com
347 977 7125
Investor Relations US Contact:
Beverly Jedynak
Beverly.jedynak@viriathus.com
312 943 1123
1 Refer ASX announcement dated 10 November 2025 and 20 February
2 Refer ASX announcement dated 23 September 2025
3 Refer ASX announcement dated 4 February 2025
FAQ
What did American Rare Earths (AMRRY) announce about the Halleck Creek pilot plant on April 1, 2026?
How much Halleck Creek ore has AMRRY mined for the pilot and what permit covers testing?
What processing equipment did American Rare Earths (AMRRY) order for the pilot plant?
What do the preliminary metallurgical results mean for AMRRY (AMRRY) project development?
