Major Rare Earths Discovery Expands in Brazil
Australian mining company St George has delivered spectacular new results from its maiden diamond drilling program at the company-defining Araxá project in Brazil, with the latest assays suggesting the deposit could be substantially larger than initially thought.
The fresh numbers from six drill holes reveal exceptional and consistent grades of rare earth oxides and niobium, with the mineralisation sitting outside the current resource estimate envelope.
Explosive Assay Results
The standout intercepts include 80.55 metres at 5.44% total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 0.60% niobium oxide from surface, with an even richer section of 32.3 metres grading a stellar 9.13% TREO and 0.75% niobium oxide.
Another impressive hit returned 80.45 metres at 5.19% TREO and 0.58% niobium oxide from surface, including 20.4 metres at 7.13% TREO and 0.77% niobium oxide.
Peak assays reached explosive levels of 22.5% TREO and 3.7% niobium oxide - grades that stand out on any global comparison.
Resource Expansion Potential
What makes these results particularly significant is their location outside the current mineral resource estimate. The Araxá project already boasts 40.6 million tonnes at 4.13% TREO and 0.68% niobium pentoxide, positioning it as one of the highest-grade and largest rare earth-niobium systems outside China.
St George executive chairman John Prineas expressed his confidence in the project's potential, stating: "These drilling results are exceptional and highlight the unrivalled quality of the thick, high-grade mineralisation at our Araxá Project. Significantly, the mineralisation remains open laterally in all directions and at depth."
The drilling follows the natural mineralised saprolite outline of the Barreiro carbonatite complex, where 95.8% of the existing resource sits above 100 metres depth. This geometry supports the potential for low-cost, open-pit mining - a valuable characteristic in the rare earths sector where deeper, hard-rock deposits are more common.
Aggressive Exploration Campaign
With three rigs operating continuously 24 hours a day, St George is conducting one of the most aggressive carbonatite drilling campaigns in the hemisphere. The company has another 40 diamond holes planned, with dozens of samples already awaiting laboratory analysis.
Prineas added that the ongoing program is expected to transform the scale of the mineral resource and redefine corporate value, further establishing St George as an emerging force in the global rare earth and niobium supply chain.
The Araxá geology mirrors the carbonatite systems behind the two major rare earth producers outside China - Mountain Pass in California and Mt Weld in Western Australia. Analysts are increasingly viewing the Brazilian system as a genuine peer to these established operations.
Strategic Mineral Mix
Beyond its impressive size, Araxá delivers a compelling magnet-rare-earth mix, particularly neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), which are critical components in high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence technologies.
Niobium provides a second strategic pillar, used in micro-alloyed steels for pipelines, structural beams and automotive components, plus superconducting alloys for MRI systems and advanced research.
The deposit also contains gallium, germanium, tungsten and other technology metals - a suite attracting international attention as supply chains diversify away from Chinese dominance.
St George secured the Araxá ground earlier this year, strategically positioning itself alongside global niobium heavyweight CBMM within the five-kilometre-wide Barreiro complex in Minas Gerais. The region offers established infrastructure including roads, ports, hydro-power and a ready labour force.
With 29 drill holes still awaiting assay results and more being completed daily, the company anticipates the next wave of data will build further confidence in a substantial near-term resource upgrade.
As drilling intensifies and assays continue to flow, the Araxá discovery is rapidly shaping as one of the most compelling new rare earths and niobium developments globally, offering potential supply chain diversification for Western nations.
