Mine profile
Bokan Mountain: location, owner, status and timeline (2026)
Exploration Alaska
Bokan Mountain, on southern Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska about 60 km southwest of Ketchikan, is a heavy-rare-earth-rich exploration project that Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV: UCU) owns 100%. An April 2026 estimate shows 5.15 Mt at about 0.58% TREO, with heavy rare earths making up 35% to 40% of the oxide.
Verified through Oct 1, 2026
Status and timeline Report a correction All US rare earth mines
Where is Bokan Mountain?
Bokan Mountain is on the southern end of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, about 60 km southwest of Ketchikan, and the Dotson Ridge deposit sits on the mountain's southeast flank. The project area covers about 3,000 hectares near Kendrick Bay.
The mountain is a Mesozoic peralkaline granite complex. The Dotson deposit consists of three mineralized systems, described as irregular structurally controlled pipes, shear-zone veins and pegmatitic or felsic dikes, exposed over a strike length of about 3.5 km.
The area has an earlier mining history. The Ross-Adams uranium mine, on the slopes of Bokan Mountain at the head of Kendrick Bay in the Tongass National Forest, opened as an open pit in 1957 and closed in 1971. A deal reported in July 2020 had Newmont agreeing with the US Forest Service to a $7M cleanup of that site, while Ucore was exploring about one mile away.
Who owns Bokan Mountain?
Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV: UCU; OTCQX: UURAF) controls 100% of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge rare earth project, according to its April 2026 resource release. The company is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and puts its near-term US effort into a processing complex in Louisiana.
Ucore is a separation-technology company first and a mine developer second. Its chief executive, Pat Ryan, said in April 2026 that the company's focus remains rare earth refining technology in Louisiana, and that Bokan remains an important asset as the US builds an independent supply chain. See Ucore Rare Metals: what it does, projects, funding and status.
Ucore's own plan lists a near-term processing facility in Louisiana, then satellite processing centers in Canada and Alaska, and long-term development of the Bokan mine. The sources checked give no date for that mine.
What is the status and timeline of Bokan Mountain?
Bokan Mountain is in "Exploration": it has a published resource and a 2013 preliminary economic assessment but no feasibility study, permits or construction schedule. Ucore updated the resource on Apr 14, 2026, and no date for a mine decision has been published.
- 1955
Prospectors find uranium on Bokan Mountain; the Ross-Adams open pit follows in 1957 and closes in 1971.
- Mar 2011
The first rare earth resource estimate for the Dotson deposit is released.
- Jan 2013
A preliminary economic assessment outlines an underground mine and a roughly $221M capital cost.
- 2014
Alaska authorizes up to $145M of AIDEA bond financing for the project (SB 99).
- May 2015
An updated estimate shows 4.79 Mt indicated at 0.602% TREO and 1.05 Mt inferred at 0.603%.
- 2019 to 2020
Newmont and the Forest Service agree a $7M cleanup of the nearby Ross-Adams uranium site (reported Jul 2020).
- 2022
Ucore launches a program to advance Bokan; 2022 is the latest drilling year in the resource database.
- Apr 14, 2026
Ucore releases an upgraded estimate of 5.15 Mt at about 0.58% TREO, with 801,600 t newly measured.
Next milestones
- Long term
Ucore lists development of the Bokan mine after its Louisiana plant and satellite processing centers; no date is published.
How much rare earth is at Bokan Mountain?
Bokan Mountain holds 5.15 Mt of measured, indicated and inferred resource at about 0.58% TREO, or about 29,900 t of contained TREO, at a 0.4% TREO cut-off. Heavy rare earths are 35% to 40% of the TREO, an unusually high share.
The April 2026 update added 801,600 t of newly measured material at 0.60% TREO. It rests on 97 diamond drill holes totalling about 20,000 m and 85 surface channels totalling 280 m, drilled in 2008 to 2011, 2014 and 2022. The resource is open at depth and along strike, and the I&L Zone is excluded from the estimate and reserved for a possible Phase II program.
Bokan and Round Top in Texas are the two heavy-rare-earth-rich US projects in this directory. Bokan's grade is roughly ten times higher but its tonnage is far smaller.
| Category | Tonnes | TREO grade | Heavy REO grade | Contained TREO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measured | 801,600 | 0.60% | 0.22% | 4,826 t |
| Indicated | 3,369,800 | 0.58% | 0.23% | 19,545 t |
| Inferred | 980,300 | 0.57% | 0.22% | 5,568 t |
| Total | 5,151,700 | About 0.58% | About 0.23% | 29,939 t |
Source: Ucore release of Apr 14, 2026, with a technical report by Aurora Geosciences Alaska effective Apr 9, 2026. The totals are this directory's sums of the published rows. The 2015 estimate was 4.79 Mt indicated at 0.602% and 1.05 Mt inferred at 0.603%.
How would Bokan Mountain be mined and processed?
A 2013 preliminary economic assessment envisaged an underground mine reached by a 289 m decline, using blasthole stoping with cemented backfill at 1,500 t a day for 11 years. It projected about 2,250 t a year of rare earth oxide in the first five years, for about $221M of capital.
That assessment is more than 13 years old and predates the 2026 resource, so its numbers should be read as historical. The processing concept was physical beneficiation with X-ray sorting and magnetic separation, nitric acid leaching and separation with the SuperLig process, piloted at SepraMet in Houston, where tests produced heavy rare earth concentrates above 99% purity.
Ucore has since moved to its own RapidSX separation technology, which it is commercializing at the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex in Alexandria. Heavy mixed oxide feedstock from Bokan is one possible future source for that plant, but the sources checked name no supply agreement.
What permits and community issues affect Bokan Mountain?
Bokan Mountain has no mine permits in the sources checked, and the nearby Ross-Adams uranium site left a legacy of radioactive debris that shapes local views. Any development would need federal and state permits in a remote part of the Tongass region.
The sources checked do not give the claim count, the land manager for the Dotson Ridge claims or any application to a federal or state agency. Those facts should be confirmed before any permit timeline is assumed.
Local interest has historically focused on jobs and on the uranium cleanup. The Ross-Adams cleanup plan buries most radioactive debris under a plastic cover and includes three years of monitoring, and the same mountain hosts the rare earth claims.
What government support has Bokan Mountain received?
The sources checked show no federal award for the Bokan mine. Alaska authorized the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority in 2014 to issue up to $145M of bonds for the project, but the sources checked do not show that financing used.
| Agency and instrument | Amount | When | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (state)Authorized bond financing (SB 99). An authorization, not an award; no draw is reported in the sources checked | Up to $145M | 2014 | Non-binding |
Ucore's $22.4M Department of War award funds its Louisiana processing technology, not Bokan. See the government support tracker.
Questions about Bokan Mountain
Where is the Bokan Mountain rare earth project?
Bokan Mountain is on southern Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, about 60 km southwest of Ketchikan. The Dotson Ridge deposit is on its southeast flank, and the project area covers about 3,000 hectares.
Who owns the Bokan Mountain rare earth project?
Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV: UCU; OTCQX: UURAF) controls 100% of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge project, per its April 2026 release. The company is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
How much rare earth is at Bokan Mountain?
The April 2026 estimate is 5.15 Mt at about 0.58% TREO across measured, indicated and inferred categories, or about 29,900 t of contained TREO. Heavy rare earths are 35% to 40% of the oxide.
Is Bokan Mountain a producing mine?
No. Bokan Mountain is an exploration-stage project with no mine permits or construction schedule. Ucore is first building a processing complex in Louisiana and lists the mine as a long-term step.
Was Bokan Mountain mined for uranium?
Yes. The Ross-Adams uranium mine on the mountain's slopes operated as an open pit from 1957 to 1971. It is a separate site from the rare earth project, and Newmont agreed a $7M cleanup with the Forest Service, reported in July 2020.
Sources and verification
Each profile lists its sources, a confidence grade and a verification date. Order of authority: official records (SEC filings, agency documents), company documents and technical reports, research papers, then independent press. Syndicated copies and reference works are labeled and are never the only source for a number. Company-reported figures are labeled as such, and non-binding deals are labeled "letter of intent" or "conditional".
- OSTI review, Minerals Engineering 249 (Kashyap et al., 2026) Research paper
- Ucore: updated mineral resource estimate for Bokan Dotson-Ridge (Apr 14, 2026) Company document
- Engineering News: Ucore confirms Bokan resource skewed to heavy rare earths (Apr 2026) Independent press
- Mining Technology: Bokan-Dotson Ridge project profile Independent press
- Juneau Empire: $7M cleanup of the Ross-Adams mine (2020) Independent press
- Mining.com: Ucore wins Alaska SB 99 approval (2014) Independent press
- Ucore: Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex engineering report (May 2026) Company document
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