Evion Uncovers Untested 200m Fluorspar Target at Nevada’s Carp Project
Key Takeaways
- Evion's Phase One mapping at the Carp Fluorspar Project identified a new 200m × 200m exploration target approximately 300 metres southwest of the South Pit — ground that shows no evidence of previous mining and has never been tested.
- The new prospect displays barite, hydrothermal brecciation, calcite veining and silica alteration — the same pathfinder mineral assemblage associated with the South Pit, which was historically Carp's highest-producing working.
- 41 rock chip samples across all four historic pit areas and the new southwest prospect have been submitted to the laboratory, with results expected within weeks.
- Historical production at Carp ran to approximately 44,900 tonnes at ~69% CaF₂ between 1958 and 1971, with 2024 surface sampling independently verifying grades of up to 88.15% CaF₂ — confirming the system's potential to reach acid-grade quality.
- The US imports 100% of its fluorspar requirements with no meaningful domestic production since 1990, and the Defense Logistics Agency recently awarded a US$168.9 million fluorspar supply contract — a direct structural tailwind for any credible US fluorspar developer.
Evion uncovers untested target at Carp Fluorspar Project
Evion Group NL‘s maiden field programme at the Carp Fluorspar Project has identified a new exploration target outside the historic workings — a 200m × 200m zone of anomalous outcrop located approximately 300 metres southwest of the South Pit, the historically highest-producing working at Carp. The area shows no evidence of previous mining and is a wholly untested prospect. A total of 41 rock chip samples have been submitted for laboratory analysis, with results expected within weeks, marking the opening chapter of a systematic exploration programme on a US-domiciled critical mineral asset.
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What the Phase One mapping revealed
The field reconnaissance programme was completed by Evion with support from Rangefront Mining Services across all four historically mined areas — the South, Central, West and North pits. This represents the company’s first field programme across the Carp system since acquiring the project.
Pathfinder minerals pointing to a new system
The most significant finding from Phase One was the identification of the new southwest prospect. Mapping recorded barite, hydrothermal brecciation, calcite veining and silica alteration within metamorphosed limestone and dolomite — the same carbonate host sequence that produced Carp’s high-grade fluorspar between 1958 and 1971.
Barite is a known pathfinder mineral for fluorite across the Carp system and is most strongly developed within the South Pit, where historical production was greatest. Its presence across an area of this scale on ground that has never been mined is considered by the company to be an encouraging indicator of a potentially mineralised system beneath.
The prospect is centred on two newly interpreted northwest-southeast trending structures defined over approximately 200 metres of strike from satellite imagery. These structures are interpreted as analogous to the controlling structures elsewhere within the regional trend, and they lie within the north-south mineralised zone hosted by the carbonate sequence. Ten rock chip samples were collected from the new prospect, contributing to 41 total samples now submitted to the laboratory.
The historic foundation
The new target sits in the same host sequence that delivered one of Nevada’s more notable historical fluorspar operations. Between 1958 and 1971, approximately 44,900 tonnes at ~69% CaF₂ was mined from the four shallow open pits and sold directly to Kaiser Steel Corporation as metspar (metallurgical-grade product) without beneficiation — meaning the material required no processing before it met commercial specification.
More recently, 2024 surface rock chip sampling independently verified grades of up to 88.15% CaF₂ across the historic pit areas (refer ASX announcement 25 May 2026), confirming the high-grade nature of the system and its potential to reach acid-grade quality.
The Carp high-grade CaF2 results from 2024 surface sampling established the grade ceiling for the system, with individual samples returning up to 88.15% CaF2 across the historic pit areas and providing the geological confidence underpinning the current Phase One and Phase Two programmes.
David Round, Managing Director
“The initial Phase One reconnaissance and mapping programme has provided valuable information about the potential of the Carp Fluorspar Project, and we are pleased with the work completed to date. Alongside confirmation of the historical mining on the tenements, we have identified a new prospect approximately 300 metres southwest of the South Pit which shows no evidence of previous mining, but where mapping recorded barite, hydrothermal brecciation, calcite veining and silica alteration across an area of approximately 200 metres by 200 metres. Barite occurs with fluorite across the Carp system and is notably developed within the South Pit, where historical production was greatest… Carp is a high-grade, US-domiciled fluorspar system in Nevada, one of the world’s premier mining jurisdictions, and the newly consolidated ground is where we see real scale beyond the four historic pits. With the United States importing all of its fluorspar and defence-driven demand accelerating, this programme is the next deliberate step toward establishing Carp as a scalable, domestic source of high-grade fluorspar.”
Why fluorspar in the US matters right now
Fluorspar (calcium fluoride, CaF₂) is not a niche industrial mineral — it sits at the centre of some of the most strategically sensitive supply chains in the world. Here is what you need to know about the commodity and why the US position is structurally exposed:
- Fluorspar is designated a critical mineral by the US, EU, Australia, Canada and Japan
- It is an essential input across semiconductor manufacturing, lithium-ion batteries, nuclear fuel processing, aerospace and defence systems, advanced refrigerants, and steel and aluminium production
- The US imports 100% of its fluorspar requirements, with no meaningful domestic production since 1990 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025)
- Global production reached approximately 10.2 Mt in 2025, with China accounting for approximately 59% of supply alongside Mongolia and Mexico
- The US Defense Logistics Agency recently awarded a US$168.9 million fluorspar supply contract, underscoring the strategic urgency of establishing secure domestic supply
Carp is described by the company as a rare, high-grade, US-domiciled fluorspar asset. The combination of zero domestic production and defence-driven demand creates a direct structural tailwind for any credible US fluorspar developer — and Carp is currently one of the few advanced prospects in the country.
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Phase Two takes shape — what comes next
Following completion of the Phase One field programme, Evion has specified a detailed Phase Two exploration programme. The programme is designed to define the geophysical and geochemical footprint of the Carp system across both the historically mined ground and the newly consolidated claim area, and to prioritise targets for a maiden drill programme.
The next steps, in sequence, are:
- Receipt and interpretation of Phase One rock chip assay results, expected within weeks
- Completion of a drone magnetic survey at 25m line spacing and 25m flight height, targeted for completion by end October 2026
- Completion of a surface geochemical survey at nominally 25m × 50m spacing across the north-south mineralised zone, targeted for year end 2026
- Integration of field, geophysical and geochemical data into the geological model for the project
- Progression of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) permitting to enable a maiden drill programme
It is important to note that any drill programme remains subject to receipt of the necessary BLM approvals, and timing is dependent on the permitting process and rig availability. Drilling is not imminent or certain at this stage.
The table below provides a snapshot of the project and programme status:
| Item | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Land holding | 59 unpatented lode claims, ~493 hectares, Viola Mining District, Nevada | Consolidated |
| Phase One samples submitted | 41 rock chip samples across all four historic pit areas and new prospect | At laboratory — results expected within weeks |
| New target zone | 200m × 200m zone, ~300m southwest of South Pit — wholly untested | Identified — assays pending |
| Phase Two survey (magnetic) | Drone magnetic survey at 25m line spacing and 25m flight height | Targeted completion end October 2026 |
| Phase Two survey (geochemical) | Surface geochemical survey at nominally 25m × 50m spacing across north-south mineralised zone | Targeted completion year end 2026 |
Evion holds a consolidated, 493-hectare land package in Nevada — one of the world’s premier mining jurisdictions — covering the known Carp system and its most prospective surrounding ground. The Phase Two programme is designed to systematically convert geological potential into drill targets, with the pace of progression subject to BLM permitting and the results now being processed in the laboratory.
For readers wanting to understand the geophysical methodology in more depth, our detailed coverage of Evion’s Nevada magnetic survey programme explains the survey design, line spacing rationale, and how drone magnetics will be used to prioritise drill targets across the consolidated claim area.
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