October 21 SMM rare earth spot price: praseodymium oxide down 7500 yuan / ton

[SMM Niobium Flash] Volta Metals' compilation of 39 holes at its Springer project near Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, has identified niobium intervals longer than two metres in 13 holes. Reported results included 41.8 metres at 0.16% Nb₂O₅, including 2.0 metres at 0.46%, in hole SL12-12, and 58.2 metres at 0.11% Nb₂O₅ in SL11-01. The update followed completion of a 13-hole, 5,445-metre winter programme, for which all assays have now been received. The finding could add optionality to a deposit already being evaluated for rare earths and gallium, but it is early-stage. Volta explicitly said niobium is absent from the current resource estimate, no niobium metallurgical work has been completed, the grades are below those of primary niobium mines, and no decision has been made on dedicated follow-up. The company will first assess whether the data justify mineralogical, analytical and metallurgical work; therefore the release establishes exploration potential, not a recoverable resource or economic production case.

Rubaya’s coltan industry shows how mineral wealth can sustain livelihoods while under conflict. This study traces the mining district’s ownership, formalisation efforts and M23’s takeover, then examines trade routes, taxation and risks facing miners. Rubaya matters to global tantalum supply, but its precise contribution is subject to further research.

[SMM Tantalum/ Niobioum Flash] Critical Metals said on 5 October 2026 that Greenland had approved the Mining Plan and Closure Plan for Tanbreez, with the documents signed on 29 September. The approvals run under exploitation licence 2020-54 to 8 September 2050 and specify 19 extractable elements, including tantalum and niobium, alongside zirconium, hafnium and rare earths. This advances Tanbreez from a planning and permitting standpoint, but it is not permission to begin construction immediately. The company still needs activity-specific operating permits covering matters such as environmental management, marine transport, health and safety, and mineral exports, as well as the required financial security. No mining or commercial output has been achieved