B&N Mining Announces Expanded Critical Minerals Evaluation at the Lida Valley Lithium Project
Esmerelda County, Nevada – [5/27/2026] — B&N Mining is pleased to announce that ongoing geological and geochemical review at the Company’s Lida Valley Lithium (“LVL”) Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada has identified significant concentrations of several critical and strategic elements associated with the project’s lithium-bearing clay system. In response to these findings, the Company is initiating development of a rare earth and critical mineral evaluation protocol to systematically assess the occurrence and potential economic significance of these elements throughout the project area.
Recent internal analysis of multi-element assay data from historical and current drilling has identified elevated concentrations of cesium (Cs), rubidium (Rb), gallium (Ga), uranium (U), and additional rare earth and critical mineral pathfinder elements within portions of the LVL basin system.
Highlights from the current dataset include:
Rubidium assays as high as 380 ppm over 5 feet
Rubidium-bearing intervals exceeding thicknesses of up to 300 feet
Cesium intercepts exceeding 500 ppm
Cesium-bearing intervals extending up to 290 feet in thickness
Elevated gallium values associated with structurally controlled zones on the property
Of particular interest to the Company is the fact that much of the cesium and rubidium mineralization identified to date occurs within the same green clay horizons that host the project’s lithium mineralization. This spatial relationship suggests the potential for these elements to be recovered alongside lithium as part of a future clay-processing operation.
Management believes the presence of cesium and rubidium within the lithium-bearing clay units could represent a meaningful opportunity to enhance future project economics, particularly as new extraction technologies continue to emerge for recovering multiple critical minerals from clay-hosted deposits.
In addition to the clay-hosted cesium and rubidium mineralization, the Company has also identified elevated gallium values in localized structurally controlled zones across the property. While the gallium mineralization does not appear to be directly associated with the primary lithium-bearing green clays, management believes these occurrences further demonstrate the broader critical mineral potential of the Lida Valley basin system.
“In reviewing our expanding assay database, we began recognizing consistent enrichment of cesium and rubidium within the same green clay units that host our lithium mineralization,” said Liam Eades, Chief Geologist for B&N Mining. “What makes these results particularly compelling is the possibility that these elements could potentially be extracted together in a future processing flow sheet, allowing cesium and rubidium to act as valuable production offsets alongside lithium. At the same time, the presence of gallium and other critical minerals elsewhere in the system highlights the broader strategic mineral potential of the project.”
As part of this initiative, B&N Mining will begin developing a dedicated REE and critical mineral evaluation protocol designed to systematically assess all historical and future drill holes for rare earth and associated critical elements, including cesium and rubidium. The program is expected to include expanded multi-element geochemical analysis, mineralogical characterization, and future metallurgical evaluation aimed at determining whether these elements may have potential as recoverable by-products in conjunction with lithium extraction.
The Company cautions that no rare earth element or critical mineral resource has been defined at the LVL Project at this time. Additional analytical work, metallurgical testing, and economic studies will be required to determine continuity, recoverability, and any potential commercial significance of these elements.
The LVL Project is located within Nevada’s Walker Lane Structural Zone and consists of a large land position covering lithium-bearing basin sediments in one of the United States’ most strategically important critical mineral regions.
About B&N Mining
B&N Mining is a Nevada-focused exploration company engaged in the exploration and advancement of lithium, gold, and critical mineral projects throughout the western United States. The Company’s flagship Lida Valley Lithium Project is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, a globally significant lithium-producing region.
About the Lida Valley Lithium Project
The Lida Valley Lithium Project is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, within the Walker Lane mineralized province. The Project consists of 18,000 contiguous acres and 849 Bureau of Land Management mining claims across three claim blocks (Lida Valley, EZ, and Gemini), with 22 reverse-circulation drill holes completed to date and 56-element ICP assay coverage across 2,373 samples. The Gemini claim block has a NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource of approximately 7.13 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent at a 400 ppm lithium cutoff grade (Technical Report prepared by Nevada Sunrise Metals Inc., March 2024, prior to B&N's acquisition); the Lida claim block is in advancement toward NI 43-101 classification with a 12 to 18 month target. The Project is operated by B&N Mining Company LLC with exploration management by Unhinged Geology LLC, led by Chief Geologist Liam Eades. Additional information is available at www.lidavalleylithium.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future exploration plans, metallurgical evaluation, extraction technologies, and the potential for by-product recovery of critical minerals and rare earth elements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that further exploration or testing will define an economic resource or commercially recoverable by-products. This release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Project and B&N Mining Company LLC, including statements about metallurgical performance and recovery rates, federal program engagement and funding, planned work, project milestones, future mineral resource and reserve classifications, offtake arrangements, and strategic positioning. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including metallurgical performance pending pilot validation, federal program eligibility, permitting outcomes, commodity price volatility, capital availability, and competitive responses; actual results may differ materially. Gemini claim block resource estimates are from the existing Gemini NI 43-101 Technical Report. The Lida claim block resource is in advancement toward NI 43-101 classification and has not yet received such classification; Lida-specific grades and statistics are based on internal modeling and have not been independently verified or classified under NI 43-101 standards. References to peer projects use those companies' public disclosures for industry context only; B&N Mining Company LLC has no relationship with, and assumes no liability for the accuracy of, any peer disclosures. This release is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy securities. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.
