Ni · Co · Mg

Natércia Critical Minerals Project

The Natércia Project is a developing nickel-cobalt-magnesium mineral project located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Natércia Project OverviewContact MBR

The Natércia Project is a developing nickel-cobalt-magnesium mineral project located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

MBR's strategy is to combine geological development with local hydrometallurgical processing and the production of higher-value mineral and chemical products.

Ni | Co | Mg

Nickel · Cobalt · Magnesium

Development Stage

Metallurgical development and pilot-scale validation.

Processing Strategy

Hydrometallurgical transformation and progressive scale-up.

Sonda de perfuração em operação no Projeto Natércia, Minas Gerais
Mapa de localização do município de Natércia, em Minas Gerais, Brasil
Project location — Natércia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Official municipal locator map.

Geology & Exploration

A weathering-controlled polymetallic system

The Natércia Project is associated with a deeply weathered metamafic–ultramafic, serpentinized geological system in southern Minas Gerais. Prolonged weathering developed a lateritic profile composed predominantly of soil, saprolite and altered ultramafic rock, with saprolite representing the principal and most continuous geological domain identified by the current drilling.

The geological and geochemical database indicates systematic variation through the weathering profile. Nickel enrichment is preferentially associated with the saprolitic domains, while progressively less weathered and altered ultramafic material generally contains higher magnesium levels. This vertical and lateral zonation is increasingly relevant to MBR's development strategy, which evaluates Natércia as an integrated Ni–Co–Mg hydrometallurgical opportunity rather than solely as a conventional nickel feed.

Weathered ultramafic outcrop at the Natércia Project, Minas Gerais

Weathered ultramafic outcrop at the Natércia Project, Minas Gerais.

Field exposure illustrating the intense and heterogeneous weathering characteristic of the project area.

Weathering profile

Lateritic profile developed over altered metamafic–ultramafic rocks.

Dominant domain

~64% Saprolite

Saprolite represents approximately 5.58 Mt of the current modeled geological inventory.

Geometallurgical potential

Variations in lithology, nickel and magnesium provide the geological basis for an integrated hydrometallurgical development strategy.

Exploration footprint

Drilling the interpreted mineralized system

Fourteen executed drill holes form the current subsurface investigation database at Natércia, providing the geological and analytical foundation for MBR's current interpretation of the mineralized system.

Official Natércia Project map showing the interpreted mineralized area and 14 executed drill holes over satellite imagery
Natércia Project — interpreted mineralized area and executed drilling program. Fourteen drill holes comprise the current subsurface investigation database.

Preliminary geological inventory

Building scale through geological modelling

MBR's current internal geological model indicates approximately 8.75 million tonnes within the interpreted Natércia geological system. The estimate integrates the current drilling database, topography and lithological domains through preliminary three-dimensional block modelling.

~8.75 Mt

Preliminary geological inventory

14

Executed drill holes

384.3 m

Drilling database

385

Analytical intervals

Saprolite — dominant geological domain

Approximately 5.58 Mt, representing roughly 64% of the current modeled geological inventory.

Technical note

The 8.75 Mt figure represents a preliminary internal geological inventory based on MBR's current geological model. It has not been classified as a Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve under CBRR, JORC or equivalent reporting standards and remains subject to additional geological validation, drilling, QA/QC, density characterization and model refinement.

Geological de-risking

Advancing toward a defined mineral resource

MBR is advancing the Natércia Project from a preliminary geological inventory toward a progressively higher-confidence geological model. The next phase is focused on increasing drill density, validating physical and analytical parameters, refining geological domains and strengthening the technical basis for future mineral resource classification under recognized reporting standards.

  1. 01

    Current model

    • 14 executed drill holes
    • ~8.75 Mt preliminary geological inventory
  2. 02

    Infill & step-out

    • Increase geological control across priority areas and less-constrained margins
  3. 03

    Validate

    • Density characterization
    • QA/QC consolidation
  4. 04

    Refine

    • Updated geological domains
    • Geostatistical review
    • Geometallurgical integration
  5. 05

    Independent review

    • Independent technical validation
  6. 06

    Future resource classification

    • Progress toward classification under recognized reporting standards

The current drilling provides the strongest geological control across the central portion of the interpreted system. Future work is intended to increase confidence across less-constrained margins and priority geological domains.

Development path

Project Development Path

Exploration & Geological Modelling

Completed

Mining & Dry-Processing Permitting

Completed

3

Metallurgical Development

In progress

4

Pilot-Scale Validation

Planned

5

Mineral Resource Evaluation

Planned

6

Demonstration

Planned

7

Industrial Development

Planned

Current stageMetallurgical Development — Advancing

Technology

Technology Development Status

Technology scale-up program submitted to FINEP and currently under evaluation.

Technology development in cooperation with CETEM/MCTI.