St George Mining has landed another set of jaw-dropping rare earths and niobium results at its wholly owned Araxá project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with diamond-drill assays confirming thick, high-grade intercepts from surface, beyond the current world-class resource outline.
The current resource stands at 40.6 million tonnes grading 4.13 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) using a 2 per cent cut-off. St George says Araxa now stands as the largest and highest-grade carbonatite-hosted rare earth element (REE) deposit in South America and the second highest-grade deposit in the Western world.
The niobium resource, as part of the overall inventory, is 41.2 million tonnes grading 0.68 per cent niobium pentoxide at a cut-off of 0.2 per cent niobium pentoxide.
Among the standout results was a hefty 99.1-metre intersection grading 5.62 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) from surface, complete with niobium credits. Underlining just how rich parts of this system really are, the hit was also threaded with individual intervals reaching a staggering 22.42 per cent TREO,
Another equally impressive hole delivered a hefty 100.6-metre hit running at 4.82 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 0.64 per cent niobium pentoxide from surface.
That hole included a 25.5m section grading an eye-catching 6.55 per cent TREO and 1.17 per cent niobium pentoxide from 15m, capped off by an even richer 11.9-metre slice going at 9.19 per cent TREO and 0.9 per cent niobium pentoxide from 50.1m. Drilling assays confirmed the mineralisation remains open in all directions and at depth.
Other drill holes followed a similar script. One hole returned more than 120 metres at better than 3 per cent TREO from surface, while another punched out almost 70 metres at more than 6 per cent TREO, again starting at the top of the hole.
The company, which acquired the project only 12 months ago, says there is potential for a substantial resource upgrade, with most holes intersecting high-grade mineralisation at or near the bottom of the hole.
As the current resource is only modelled to a depth of 100 metres from surface, mineralisation at the bottom of the hole suggests that Araxá still has plenty of room to grow.
St George Mining’s executive chairman John Prineas said: “Our latest assay results are consistent with the exceptional drill results delivered by our drill campaign to date and stand to support a substantial increase to the upgraded resource planned for release this quarter – and to also contribute favourably to the economic studies for Araxá that are underway. This style of deposit, we believe, will be very likely to support a low-cost open pit mine which can quickly access high-value mineralisation.”
The mineralisation is also rich in lucrative magnet rare earths, with a key neodymium-praseodymium-to-TREO ratio of 20 per cent across the existing resource.
A key mineralogical breakthrough has revealed primary pyrochlore as the host mineral for niobium. It is characteristically found in carbonatites and is often associated with columbite, a niobium-tantalum mineral. St George says that pyrochlore’s presence confirms that a potentially valuable and robust primary mineral source may lurk beneath the supergene-enriched zones at Araxá, waiting to be discovered.
Araxá’s 10,000-metre expansion and resource definition drilling program is powering ahead around the clock, with three diamond rigs chewing through targets on site. Assays are pending for 32 drill holes at the laboratory, with the drill campaign now extended indefinitely into 2026 to further test the limits of the growing footprint of the mineral system.
The project sits alongside rare earths powerhouse CBMM's established niobium operation, which hosts 896 million tonnes grading 1.49 per cent niobium pentoxide within the 5-kilometre-wide Barreiro carbonatite complex. That enviable location gives St George access to proven infrastructure, reliable hydropower and a deeply mining-savvy region in Minas Gerais.
St George’s project is only 6km from Araxa city, providing the company with easy access to an experienced workforce and mining services. The company has also lined up strong government backing to fast-track approvals, while building a seasoned in-country team and forging key relationships with regulators and industry players across Brazil.
By securing ground in true elephant country, St George has planted its flag in one of the world’s premier addresses for rare earths and niobium. With Araxá sitting inside a globally renowned carbonatite belt that has delivered decades of commercial niobium production, the company now finds itself playing in the dress circle of critical minerals.
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