Maxus Mining defies convention by launching diamond drilling and ore-sorting trials at its Alturas West antimony project in British Columbia, aiming to compress the path to production amid strong critical mineral demand.
The playbook for mineral exploration typically calls for drilling first, metallurgy later. Maxus Mining is tearing up that script at its Alturas West antimony project in British Columbia, where it has kicked off a diamond drilling programme and simultaneously launched ore-sorting tests — an unusual combination for an asset that has yet to define a formal resource.
At the heart of the campaign lies the historic Alps-Alturas mine, which once produced more than 95 tonnes of material grading an extraordinary 57.2% antimony. While modest by industrial standards, the grades are rich enough to justify the company’s accelerated approach. Up to 2,000 metres of diamond drilling are planned to test priority targets and extensions of known mineralisation.
The targets themselves are being refined using fresh data. Maxus contracted Geotech Ltd. to fly a VTEM electromagnetic survey covering roughly 1,417 line kilometres across six blocks. Those airborne readings, combined with earlier prospecting results and a three-dimensional structural model, are guiding the drill bit. Additional surface sampling will further sharpen the geological picture.
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But the real departure from convention is the early-stage metallurgical work. Surface samples and drill core are already being tested for their suitability for pre-concentration, specifically ore sorting. If barren rock can be separated before any material reaches a mill, processing costs fall and feed grades rise. For a project without a defined mineral resource, this is a bold step — but one that could dramatically compress the timeline to production.
The broader antimony market is providing tailwinds. Prices have cooled from the historic highs seen in mid-2025, sliding roughly 36% by early 2026 to around $35 per kilogram. Yet they remain well above long-term averages. Chinese export restrictions and steady demand from defence and green technology sectors are keeping supply tight. Governments are increasingly pushing for domestic sources of critical minerals, and Maxus’s 15,098-hectare portfolio — 8,920 hectares of which are antimony-focused across three projects — fits squarely into that policy framework.
The stock market, however, has not rewarded the narrative. Shares closed at €0.55 last Friday, gaining 4.14% on the day but still down more than 50% since the start of the year. The relative strength index sits at 25, deep in oversold territory, which may help explain the recent bounce. On a weekly basis the highly volatile stock has added nearly 10%.
Maxus has set aside roughly CAD $4 million for this year’s exploration programme. Management is also actively engaging with local First Nations communities, integrating their feedback into project planning to minimise environmental impacts. The next few weeks are likely to bring a dense flow of news: mobilisation of drilling rigs, the final VTEM results, and initial data from the ore-sorting trials. If those early metallurgical tests show promising separation efficiencies, Alturas West could soon acquire an economic profile rather than just a geological one.
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