St George Mining's Brazilian Rare Earths Project Continues to Impress with Exceptional Drill Results
For a project that already demonstrates significant scale, the latest round of assays from St George Mining's Araxá rare earths and niobium project in Brazil has potentially elevated the play to an even higher level. The company has released another batch of diamond drill results that read more like a wish list than routine step-out holes, with thick mineralised zones from surface to depth now appearing to be the norm rather than the exception.
Outstanding Drill Intercepts Reveal High-Grade Mineralisation
Of the six holes reported, standout results included:
- A 135.2-metre strike grading 3.37 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 0.58 per cent niobium pentoxide from surface, featuring a 38.8-metre section running at an even richer 4.40 per cent TREO and 0.82 per cent niobium.
- The next hole returned 99.2 metres at 4.63 per cent TREO and 0.61 per cent niobium from surface, with multiple higher-grade internal zones.
- A third drillhole delivered 85.8 metres at a scorching 5.16 per cent TREO and 0.72 per cent niobium from surface, including a red-hot 22-metre slice grading 7.48 per cent TREO and 1.05 per cent niobium pentoxide.
The remaining assays all followed a similar theme of high grades and substantial runs, including another impressive interval of 100.6 metres at 3.9 per cent TREO. Additionally, the best individual 1-metre intercept was 15.12 per cent TREO, supported by numerous assays in the range between 6 and 12 per cent TREO.
Consistent Mineralisation Points to Substantial Resource Potential
Together, these broad, coherent runs point to a large, continuous mineral system. The latest drilling program has been designed to tighten the drill spacing in areas considered lightly tested. Crucially, it appears to confirm that the high-grade mineralisation remains remarkably consistent across the system—a characteristic that is highly valuable for resource modelling, boosting confidence that tonnes and grades can be reliably projected between holes.
St George Mining is currently drilling around the clock at its Araxá project, with exceptional results continuing to roll in. Significantly, with mineralisation open in all directions, the company has not yet found the limits of the system. The ongoing drill campaign is expected to deliver more tremendous intercepts that could have a very positive impact on the volume of the resource.
Depth Expansion and Rare Earths Mix Add Further Promise
St George's current 41 million tonne combined niobium and rare earths mineral resource estimate only extends to about 100 metres depth from surface. However, several of the new holes are already probing well below that depth and are still finishing in mineralisation. Additionally, little drilling has been carried through to the interpreted base of oxidation, with most holes terminating about 20 metres above that significant boundary. The few holes that have been pushed closer to the base of oxidation are still carrying grades to about 5 per cent TREO.
This suggests there are plenty more tonnes to be captured when the existing resource model is updated, and the extensive ground still open at depth points to a significant deeper resource expansion opportunity to be followed up on in due course.
Another positive aspect for Araxá is its rare earths mix. The deposit continues to show a healthy proportion of the high-value magnet rare earths, neodymium and praseodymium, with ratios in line with, or better than, those of the existing resource. These are the critical elements that end up in electric vehicle motors and wind turbines, tending to attract the most persistent demand and the best prices over the long term.
Ongoing Drilling Campaign and Market Implications
With three diamond rigs and a reverse circulation (RC) drill rig chewing through the metres around the clock, St George isn't slowing down. Dozens of samples are already in the lab awaiting assays, and a strong news flow can be expected soon. If the latest results are any indication, Araxá is evolving from a large, high-grade resource into something potentially much more substantial—and in a world scrambling for secure supplies of critical minerals, St George is a story the market is likely to keep a very close eye on.
