Confidential · Under NDA
Codename Project Elisa
Strategic Critical Minerals · Chihuahua, Mexico

A non-Chinese source of cesium & rubidium, lab-verified.

Two of the world's most strategically concentrated critical minerals — currently controlled by a single Chinese operator — confirmed by two ALS Chemex certified analyses (2020 and 2021) on a 350-hectare permitted area with up to 3,000 additional hectares of contiguous exploration upside in northern Mexico.

Cs
Cesium · 55
Peak 443 ppm
Lead commodity · primary target
Rb
Rubidium · 37
Peak 280 ppm
High-margin co-product
Li
Lithium · 3
Peak 3,540 ppm
Future upside · subject to Mexican State partnership framework
LAB-VERIFIED — Cs, Rb, and Li grades confirmed across two ALS Chemex Certificates of Analysis (CH20063209 · April 2020 and CH21010699 · February 2021), totaling fourteen independent samples analyzed by ICP-MS (4-acid digestion, method ME-MS61). Signed by Saa Traxler, General Manager.
— 01 / Laboratory-verified mineralization

The data, uncut.

Two independent ALS Chemex Certificates of Analysis, completed thirteen months apart, demonstrate consistent cesium, rubidium, and lithium mineralization in the clay and zeolite host rock of the Satevó concession. All analyses were conducted by the standard ME-MS61 method (ICP-MS, 48 elements, 4-acid digestion).

Certificate CH21010699
8 rock samples · ME-MS61 (ICP-MS, 4-acid)
1 February 2021
ALS Chihuahua → Lima → Vancouver
Signed: Saa Traxler, GM
Sample Cs (ppm) Rb (ppm) Li (ppm) K (%)
POK SUP2592803,5405.31
POK3MNGO1352252,7604.70
POK3MVIO1492392,9504.61
POK3MBLCA1282082,6304.37
699 TEOFILO4432051,3903.49
POK ENTERO1161441,2904.44
POK BLANCA84894091.22

Highlighted: 699 TEOFILO carries the peak Cs grade at 443 ppm. Eighth sample (PLACER) excluded as low-grade outlier.

Certificate CH20063209
7 pulp samples · ME-MS61 (ICP-MS, 4-acid)
1 April 2020
ALS Chihuahua → Vancouver
Signed: Saa Traxler, GM
Sample Cs (ppm) Rb (ppm) Li (ppm) Ag (ppm)
Sustrato Calcario Pastel515226513.0
Arcilla Blanca1351011,36057.5
Piedra Verde5510597020.0
Arcilla Verde1341932,14023.6
Arcilla Rosa1731631,49058.7

Highlighted: Arcilla Verde and Arcilla Rosa carry the strongest combined Cs/Rb/Li signature. Two further samples excluded for clarity.

Cesium · combined range
51 – 443ppm
Rubidium · combined range
52 – 280ppm
Lithium · combined range
265 – 3,540ppm
— 02 / Investment thesis

A market where adding one credible alternative supplier is itself a re-rating event.

The structural setup

Cesium has only two active producing operations globally — Tanco in Manitoba and Bikita in Zimbabwe. Both are operated by China's Sinomine Resource Group, which controls effectively the entire cesium formate market.

Rubidium is produced almost exclusively as a by-product of Chinese lepidolite mines. Non-Chinese supply is, in practical terms, zero.

When Japan's historical cesium supply from Bikita was interrupted following the 2022 Sinomine acquisition, the country was unable to substitute. There is no spot market.

The opportunity

Cesium and rubidium are now on the critical minerals lists of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan. Defense, GPS timing, deep-well drilling, atomic clocks, and 5G synchronization all depend on uninterrupted Cs and Rb supply.

Western governments are actively funding non-Chinese alternatives through grants, offtakes, and friend-shoring programs. A Chihuahua project — clay/zeolite host rock, Mexican concession in good standing, US-aligned trade framework — is geographically and politically aligned.

Lithium is intentionally not the lead. Mexican lithium is reserved to the State and will require a partnership structure when its time comes. For now, Cs and Rb are the cleanly transactable story.

— 03 / Market

Two small markets, two large strategic premia.

Cs
Cesium market
2024 size
USD 395 M
2031 projection
USD 618 M · 6.6% CAGR
Active mines
Two globally · both Sinomine
Critical-mineral status
US · CA · EU · JP · AU
Defense / military share
31.8% of demand
Key applications
Atomic clocks · GPS · 5G · drilling fluid · aerospace
Rb
Rubidium market
2025 size
USD 960 M
2030 projection
USD 1.25 B · 5.4% CAGR
Atomic-clock sub-segment
USD 145 M → 310 M · 9.1% CAGR
Supply origin
Almost entirely Chinese by-product
2025 tariff pressure
US processors actively re-sourcing
Key applications
Atomic clocks · fiber-optic glass · quantum · medical imaging
Supply concentration

"Cesium brine sells for whatever Sinomine says it sells for. Introduce a second supplier, even of a different but compatible fluid, and price discovery begins." — Hallgarten + Company, 2025

— 04 / The asset

Project Elisa, in brief.

What sits on the ground

A concession in Chihuahua state with 350 permitted hectares for metals exploration and an additional 3,000 hectares of contiguous land identified for further exploration, hosting alkali-bearing clay and zeolite assemblages with confirmed Cs, Rb, and Li mineralization.

Two ALS Chemex certified analyses (April 2020 and February 2021), conducted by the standard ME-MS61 ICP-MS method, document peak grades of 443 ppm Cs, 280 ppm Rb, and 3,540 ppm Li across multiple samples.

The concession is held by Zeolita de Chihuahua S.A. de C.V. and is in good standing, with certified titles available to qualified buyers under NDA.

Codename
Project Elisa
Jurisdiction
Chihuahua, Mexico · USMCA · stable mining tradition
Area
350 ha permitted for metals exploration · +3,000 ha contiguous upside
Host geology
Alkali-bearing clay & zeolite assemblage
Lead commodities
Cesium, Rubidium · pre-resource exploration stage
Lab verification
ALS Chemex CH20063209 & CH21010699 · ICP-MS ME-MS61
Peak grades
Cs 443 ppm · Rb 280 ppm · Li 3,540 ppm
Tenure
Concession in good standing · certified titles under NDA
Mexican legal status
Cs and Rb fall outside the 2022 lithium reserve framework
Owner entity
Zeolita de Chihuahua S.A. de C.V. · corporate · clean status
Critical-mineral status
Eligible for project-status filing with Secretaría de Economía
— 05 / Counterparty universe

Three doors. All open.

Tier A

Strategic & industrial

  • Cabot Corporation — Cs in medical & aerospace
  • American Elements — specialty Rb compounds
  • AccuBeat — rubidium atomic clocks
  • Excelitas Technologies — photonics, Cs/Rb
  • Microsemi / Microchip — telecom Rb clocks
  • Patriot Battery Metals — Shaakichiuwaanaan Cs
  • Avalon Advanced Materials — Lilypad Cs exploration
Tier B

Financial & royalty

  • Sprott Resource Lending — critical minerals debt
  • Wheaton Precious Metals — streaming arm
  • Resource Capital Funds — mining PE
  • Specialty critical-minerals royalty funds
Tier C

Government & public finance

  • US DoD · DPA Title III
  • US EXIM / DFC · supply-chain finance
  • NRCan / CMIF · friend-shoring
  • METI / JOGMEC (Japan) · post-Bikita warm lead
  • EU CRM Act · project-status candidate
— 06 / Transaction

The seller is open to more than one shape of a deal.

Outright sale

Sale of the concession or sale of shares in the holding entity. Reference range subject to grade verification and structure.

Joint venture

Earn-in over staged exploration milestones. The seller retains an aligned minority position and contributes local knowledge and tenure.

Royalty / stream

Upfront capital in exchange for a percentage royalty on Cs and Rb production, with optional buy-down structures.

Technical partnership

Pre-resource collaboration to define Cs/Rb mineralization with an industrial off-taker willing to fund the resource definition phase.

Open a technical dialogue, not a sales process.

This document is shared under non-disclosure. The first conversation is a technical one: grade thresholds, product forms, documentation standards. Commercial terms come later, once the geological work confirms the story.

Direct line
Vanessa Danjoux
Founder · Mineora
Email
vanessa@mineora.ca
Jurisdiction
Mexico · Canada
Mandate
Exclusive · brokered under signed agreement