QEM Limited has completed a detailed review of historical data for the Garden Valley Project in central-west Idaho, identifying priority rare-metal targets across the newly acquired package.

The review highlights the Vaught-Peck prospect as the primary focus, where historical government records document a strongly zoned pegmatite measuring approximately 250 feet long and at least 200 feet wide. Past underground work at the prospect reportedly recovered around 500 pounds of columbite, alongside coarse mineralisation including a recorded 309-pound columbite-bearing crystal.

The project was added to QEM following the completion of its acquisition of Freshwater Metals Pty Ltd on August 18, 2026. The company’s asset portfolio also includes the past-producing Big It tungsten project, which is also located in Idaho.

“The compilation of the data for Garden Valley (formerly named Columbite) demonstrates the clear exploration potential for the highly prospective, underexplored niobium and tantalum system, and provides a platform from which QEM can plan and undertake exploration activities. Combined with the Big It Project, the Garden Valley Project positions the Company at the forefront of several tightening critical mineral global supply chains. With niobium constrained by extreme supply concentration and the tantalum market increasing, we see a unique potential for QEM to address the U.S. critical minerals supply chain crisis, and ultimately becoming a domestic producer of these critical minerals in the United States to feed a growing market.”

— Robert Cooper, Managing Director

Work programs at Garden Valley will begin with geological and structural mapping, systematic rock and soil geochemistry, and modern geophysics. These initial ground methods are designed to prepare the site for potential drilling across priority targets, including Vaught-Peck, Bowman, and Mirandeborde.

Read the full announcement: Significant Opportunities Garden Valley Rare Metals Project