St George Mining Expands High-Grade Rare Earths Footprint in Brazil
St George Mining continues to demonstrate remarkable progress at its fully owned Araxá rare earths and niobium project in Brazil, with ongoing diamond drilling delivering a series of impressive assay results. The company's relentless drilling efforts are uncovering thick, high-grade mineralisation starting from the surface, reinforcing the substantial potential of this critical metals deposit.
Exceptional Drill Results Highlight Resource Strength
The latest findings from 16 diamond drill holes have confirmed strong grade continuity within the extensive carbonatite-hosted system at Araxá. Among the standout intercepts, all exceeded 90 metres in depth below the surface, underscoring the impressive thickness of the mineralised zones.
One particularly notable hole returned an intercept of 160.65 metres at 3.74 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 0.54 per cent niobium pentoxide. This included a high-grade section of 38.85 metres at 8.52 per cent TREO and 0.99 per cent niobium pentoxide from a depth of 77 metres. Additionally, a one-metre segment within this run assayed a massive 24.54 per cent TREO and 2.12 per cent niobium from 88 metres depth.
Significantly, this hole penetrated beyond the interpreted base of oxidation at 144 metres, continuing for another 15 metres with continuous, albeit lower-grade, rare earths and niobium mineralisation. The area to the east of this hole remains untested below 75 metres vertical depth, indicating further exploration potential.
Additional High-Grade Intercepts and Niobium Potential
A second drill hole intercepted 101 metres assaying 4.72 per cent TREO and 0.65 per cent niobium pentoxide, while a third hole returned 111.3 metres at 3.85 per cent TREO and 0.66 per cent niobium pentoxide from the surface. Niobium is also appearing in substantial, near-surface runs, which St George Mining believes could support future open-pit development strategies.
John Prineas, Executive Chairman of St George Mining, expressed enthusiasm about the ongoing drilling campaign. "We are excited that the drilling is continuing with more exceptional thick, high-grade hits from surface being reported. These results give confidence that another material resource upgrade will be delivered in due course. The latest results have again highlighted the dual commodity focus at Araxá – rare earths and niobium, two of the most sought-after critical metals."
Strategic Location and Recent Resource Upgrades
The Araxá project is strategically located near Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração's (CBMM) world-leading niobium operation, providing St George Mining with a prime position in the global niobium industry. This proximity offers advantages such as established infrastructure and local mining expertise.
Just two weeks prior to these latest results, the company announced a major resource upgrade at Araxá. The total inventory now stands at 70.91 million tonnes grading 4.06 per cent TREO, using a two per cent cutoff grade, and 0.62 per cent niobium pentoxide. An additional 24.56 million tonnes, averaging 0.52 per cent niobium pentoxide and 1.2 per cent TREO, were reported outside the main TREO resource, bringing the global niobium pentoxide resource to 95.47 million tonnes.
Ongoing Operations and Market Momentum
Drilling operations at Araxá are proceeding around the clock, with three diamond core rigs and one reverse circulation rig actively turning. The laboratory is currently processing assays for a further 23 holes, indicating that more results are imminent.
As St George Mining advances development studies and enjoys recent inclusion in the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index, momentum is clearly building around the rapidly emerging Araxá project. If the drill rigs continue to deliver thick, high-grade intercepts like those recently reported, Araxá could soon establish itself as one of the most closely watched critical minerals stories on the Australian Securities Exchange.
