Overview
- Dateline Resources, an Australian miner, has staked about 32 square miles of heavy rare earth claims on Bureau of Land Management land beside Joshua Tree National Park.
- The claims sit in landscape the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identifies as crucial habitat for the endangered Mojave desert tortoise near the park’s Pinto Mountains boundary.
- The project remains in early exploration as the company maps, collects rock samples, and processes data from a recent airborne survey.
- No modern, independent technical report has verified a deposit that could be mined at scale, leaving the size and economics of the resource unproven.
- Conservation groups and Rep. Jared Huffman warn of risks to tortoises, groundwater, dark skies, and visitor views, citing the company’s record at the Colosseum Mine in the Mojave Preserve.
- Rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium are vital for EV motors, wind turbines, and defense systems, yet U.S. industry still relies on China for most separation and magnet production.