St George Mining has bolstered its Brazilian leadership ranks with the appointment of a highly experienced local geologist as it pushes ahead with development studies at its rapidly emerging Araxá rare earths and niobium project. The strategic hire comes hot on the heels of a major resource upgrade and signals the company is shifting its focus from exploration success towards mine planning and development.
St George Mining has bolstered its leadership ranks by hiring a seasoned in-country geologist as it accelerates planning and development of the company’s world-class Araxá rare earths-niobium project in Brazil.
Ms Carla Grasso is a highly credentialled senior resource geologist, with more than two decades of operational experience, including work in and around the Araxá district itself
Her resume includes senior roles with major mining houses Vale and The Mosaic Company, where she was heavily involved in resource modelling, mine planning and operational geology.
Notably, she worked for 15 years at Mosaic’s nearby Araxá phosphate mine, which sits immediately adjacent to St George’s project and lies within the same carbonatite geological complex.
St George says her familiarity with the local geology – particularly the Barreiro carbonatite that hosts Araxá – could prove invaluable as the company begins the detailed work required to convert its sizeable resource into mineable reserves.
In her new role, Grasso will oversee key technical components of the development studies, including resource modelling, reserve estimation, grade control strategies, pit optimisation and geometallurgical analysis.
St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas said: “Carla is an exceptional addition to our highly experienced Brazilian team. Her knowledge of carbonatite mineralisation, especially at the Barreiro Carbonatite, and vast experience in short and long-term mine planning will be invaluable as we unlock the huge potential of Araxá.”
St George recently delivered a whopping 75 per cent upgrade to its resource estimate at Araxá, reinforcing its credentials as a potential Tier 1 global rare earths asset. The company’s JORC-compliant resource now stands at 70.91 million tonnes grading 4.06 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO)
Notably, 0.77 per cent of the ore is made up of magnet rare earth oxides – the prized materials that power electric motors, wind turbines and high-tech electronics – while another 0.62 per cent is niobium pentoxide, a critical metal used to strengthen advanced steels and emerging battery technologies.
Equally encouraging is the sharp jump in confidence around the resource itself. The measured and indicated component has ballooned by 218 per cent to 29.49 million tonnes grading 4.56 per cent total rare earth oxides, including 0.84 per cent magnet rare earth oxides and 0.75 per cent niobium pentoxide – a major step forward for future mine planning.
Beyond that sits a sizeable inferred inventory of 41.42 million tonnes grading 3.71 per cent total rare earth oxides and 0.52 per cent niobium pentoxide, leaving plenty of room for the drill bit to firm up the resource further as development studies gather pace.
The resource remains open in all directions, including at depth, providing plenty of potential to add significant tonnes. With the flat-lying blanket of mineralisation starting at surface and extending to 160 metres depth, St George believes the resource is capable of supporting a long-life, low-cost, low-strip, open-pit mining operation.
The Araxá project sits right next door to Brazilian Metallurgy and Mining Company’s (CBMM) flagship operation, which produces about 75 per cent of the world’s niobium and benefits from well-established mining infrastructure.
St George is pushing ahead with an 8000 metre drilling program, with three diamond rigs operating to assess deeper extensions and interpreted potential resource extension targets.
The company also recently flagged a discovery at East Araxá, one kilometre east of the main deposit, but still within the same hosting carbonatite. It is particularly notable because of its enhanced grade profile compared to the existing resource.
Bets hits from maiden drilling included 48 metres grading 5.71 per cent TREOs from 2m depth, including 15 metres grading an exceptional 12.61 per cent TREOs from 4m.
With government support for expedited approvals and development studies now gathering pace, St George appears determined to move Araxá steadily up the value curve.
If the momentum keeps building, the latest hire could prove a watershed moment as Araxá begins its shift from a promising geological prize into a fully-fledged mine development story.
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