St George Mining has advanced exploration at its 100%-owned Araxá niobium and rare earths project in Brazil, with drilling, environmental studies, and geophysical surveys all progressing. A 40-hole auger drilling program has been completed, targeting areas beyond the current resource zone, with RC drilling underway and a diamond drilling program set to begin shortly. Environmental studies, including flora, cave, noise, and air quality assessments, are well advanced and aim to support expedited permitting. Additionally, a drone-based magnetic survey has been finalized, with results expected soon to assist in refining drill targets. These activities support the development of Araxá’s high-grade rare earths and niobium deposit, which boasts a maiden JORC resource of 40.64 Mt @ 4.13% TREO.
Globally, momentum is building to diversify rare earths supply chains away from China, following new export controls from its Ministry of Commerce. The US has responded with a landmark deal with MP Materials to secure domestic rare earth supply and build new processing facilities. In Brazil, strong federal and state support is backing the development of internal supply chains through initiatives like MAGBRAS. St George has been chosen to participate in this program and has signed a cooperation agreement with the State of Minas Gerais to fast-track approvals. The strategic positioning of the Araxá Project within this supportive geopolitical and economic environment strengthens its potential to become a major supplier of rare earths for clean energy and defence sectors.
St George Mining’s Executive Chairman John Prineas said:
“We are excited to kick off these advanced geophysical programs at Araxá. The tight line spacing and innovative techniques being deployed are a step-change in the resolution quality of our datasets.
“The new surveys are designed to provide details on the lateral and depth potential of the mineralized system. With less than 10% of the project area effectively tested by drilling and very limited drilling beyond 100 m from the surface, the new geophysical dataset will give invaluable information for exploration targeting and resource definition drilling.
“With JORC defined resources for rare earths and niobium at Araxá that are already globally significant in terms of volume and grade, this modern geophysical program promises to provide the basis to further unlock substantial value at the project by identifying additional high-grade zones of mineralization.
“The new geophysics data will allow us to refine drill planning in the major drill campaign underway as we continue to unlock value in this world-class project.
“We are also looking forward to starting to announce the assay results from the current drilling program.”