Latest news with #StGeorgeMining
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's rare earth dominance faces global pushback but Beijing has ‘strong hand': analysts
Beijing's recent export controls on rare earths have spurred a flurry of international efforts to diversify supply chains and reduce China's long-standing dominance in critical minerals. Advertisement In June, the Ministry of Commerce announced that it would approve qualified export applications and was open to discussions with other countries regarding the restrictions. But as rare earths emerge as a new front in the US-China rivalry, companies worldwide have announced plans for a string of projects designed to break dependence on Chinese supplies. On July 2, the Australia-listed St George Mining announced in an email that it had begun identifying enriched mineral zones at its fully-owned Araxá niobium-rare earth elements project in Brazil. Two weeks earlier, US companies Kaz Resources and Cove Kaz Capital issued a statement about their partnership with Kazakhstan's national geological company to explore and hold metallurgical tests at the Akbulak rare earth project. To fund a rare earth project in southern Greenland, the Nasdaq-listed Critical Metals Corp said in June that it had secured a loan of up to US$120 million from the US Export-Import Bank. Advertisement
West Australian
02-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
St George flies geophysics to unlock world-class Brazilian niobium play
St George Mining has launched into advanced geophysics surveys at its Araxá niobium-rare earths project in Brazil's mining heartland of Minas Gerais. The company is flying its high-tech surveys in a quest to expand its project to become a globally significant niobium resource. St George has deployed a high-resolution magnetics drone alongside passive seismic surveys to confirm the extent of its mammoth resource potential at Araxá, as an ongoing 10,000-metre drilling blitz winds up. First assay results from the massive drilling program are expected imminently as the rare earths hopeful pushes to ignite Araxá as a globally significant niobium player in the world-class Barreiro carbonatite complex. The company's geophysics program is designed to pinpoint high-grade mineralised zones and map structural controls at Araxá to build on a recent 41.2-million-tonne maiden resource grading 0.68 per cent niobium oxide and 40.6Mt at a large 4.13 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO). The starter resource already positions Araxá as a standout in the critical minerals space, with less than 10 per cent of the project area drilled and mineralisation open in all directions. St George says it is confident it will unlock substantial additional value as results flow in. Historical drilling at Araxá has already delivered some juicy, thick intercepts, including a thick 60-metre section running an impressive 11.1 per cent TREO from surface alongside niobium hits such as 20m at 2.4 per cent from surface. High-grade zones at Araxá have reached as high as 8 per cent niobium and a staggering 33 per cent TREO, underscoring the project's potential to rival global peers such as its neighbour at Barreiro, the CBMM niobium mine, which has a massive 896Mt resource running at 1.49 per cent niobium. The company has already kicked off a high-resolution drone-based magnetic survey, focussed on tightly spaced 25m lines, to deliver detailed maps of the project's basement rocks. St George says the mapping will help delineate lithological boundaries, structural corridors and high-grade mineralised zones at the world-class carbonatite. A parallel LiDAR survey will generate a precise digital elevation model, enhancing geological interpretation and logistical planning for the next round of step-out drilling. Araxá's standout features include its free-dig near-surface resource, which sits almost entirely within 100m depth. With mineralisation starting largely at surface and more than 500 historic high-grade niobium intercepts, the deposit looks primed for low-cost, open-pit mining potential, akin to that of its world-class neighbour. St George's robust local infrastructure and access to a skilled workforce enabled it to secure government backing for expedited approvals and assemble a top-tier in-country team, including several former CBMM executives. The company remains confident it can upgrade the resource to higher confidence categories while simultaneously expanding its resource footprint as management looks to put its foot to the floor to quickly develop the project. With assay results on the horizon and geophysical data set to refine exploration targeting, St George Mining is working flat out in its mission to transform Araxá into a cornerstone of Brazil's critical minerals supply chain. A plethora of activity means a strong flow of news to the market, which remains niobium-hungry despite broader rare earths price weakness. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
24-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Local support helps St George put Brazil mine on critical minerals map
St George Mining will start a reverse circulation drilling program within days at its Araxa niobium-rare earths project in Brazil, as the company builds local community and government support to develop Araxa into a globally significant project. It expects to follow the reverse circulation program with a 10,000-metre, 16-week diamond drilling campaign in July. The company has launched a major auger, reverse circulation and diamond drilling program for the Araxa project. The upcoming work will focus on resource expansion and upgrading the project's inferred resource to at least the indicated category. Scout augur drilling is already underway, with 16 holes drilled for about 211m. St George has negotiated government support for expedited project approvals and has assembled an experienced in-country team and established relationships with key parties and authorities in Brazil to drive the Araxa project through exploration work and development. The company says it has been buoyed by the significant support it has received from the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais and the local Araxa community. St George executives met last week with local council representatives and community leaders in Araxa to deepen their relationship and understand community requirements. The company announced at the meeting that it will fund a range of health and wellbeing, education, environmental and other local projects. St George signed a co-operation agreement in October last year, which recognises that the company proposes to make a significant investment in Minas Gerais. The recognition opened the way for the state to help the company develop the project through expedited permitting approvals and other initiatives. The agreement also recognises St George's contribution to establishing domestic supply chains for the critical minerals required for Brazil's clean energy transition. Minas Gerais is Brazil's fourth biggest state, and its capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte , is a major urban and financial centre. Most of the state's GDP comes from mining and related activities. The broader region around St George's project has a long history of mining multiple commodities, including commercial niobium production, and provides ready access to infrastructure and a skilled workforce. The world-leading Araxa niobium mining operation, owned and operated by privately held Brazilian company Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), also sits close to Araxa city and shares the name with St George's Araxa project. CBMM's giant niobium project contains 896 million tonnes at 1.49 per cent niobium pentoxide. Its main open pit is centred within the Barreiro carbonatite complex, about 2.7 kilometres south of St George's Araxa project, which is nestled in the northern arc of the complex. St George has also established partnerships with leading Brazilian government-funded scientific and industry agencies to research innovative production processes and technologies that could be applied to its proposed Araxa mining operation. And the company has embraced the MAGBRAS Initiative that aims to establish Brazil's first manufacturing facility to produce permanent magnets, which are a vital component in electric motors and power-generating systems. St George believes these relationships underpin its integration with government, the local community and the business sector in Brazil, which will ultimately deliver the smooth development of the Araxa project. St George acquired 100 per cent of its Araxa project in February. The largely de-risked project has world-class potential and extensive high-grade niobium and rare earths mineralisation already confirmed by extensive previous drilling. The company announced a globally significant inaugural mineral resource estimate for Araxa in April of a combined 41.2 million tonnes of measured, indicated and inferred niobium mineralisation averaging 0.68 per cent niobium pentoxide. It also delivered a combined measured, indicated and inferred resource of 40.64Mt at 4.13 per cent total rare earths oxides (TREO). Mineralisation at Araxa extends from surface, with more than 500 intercepts of high-grade niobium at better than 1 per cent niobium pentoxide, the principal ore mineral of niobium metal. The pentoxide content has reached grades of up to 8 per cent. The deposit also contains rare earths grading as high as 33 per cent TREO. Importantly, while historical drilling was assayed predominantly for niobium and rare earths, it was not analysed for a full suite of metals, least of all for critical metals. Accordingly, St George proposes resampling and assaying some historical drill holes to determine their potential critical elements content. The company has an in-country team led by regional specialists Thiago Amaral and Adriano Rios, who have a longstanding relationship with the communities in and around Araxá. Management's vision is that the development of its Araxa project will put the city and Minas Gerais state on the world map as a globally significant source of strategic minerals essential for the world's energy transition. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
St George Mining fires up drill rigs for first time at Araxa niobium-rare earth elements project in Brazil
St George Mining has begun its first drilling campaign at the Araxa niobium-rare earth elements project in Brazil. On Wednesday the WA explorer said it had more than 10,000m of auger, reverse circulation and diamond drilling planned across 12-16 weeks. St George said mineralisation was open in all directions, with significant mineralisation below 100m from surface not yet included in the current mineral resource estimate. The company said this meant there was potential for a 'substantial increase in the already globally significant resource' of 41.2 million tonnes at 0.68 per cent niobium pentoxide and 40.64Mt at 4.13 per cent total rare earth oxide. St George secured ownership of Araxa in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais in February after announcing its intention at last year's Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Executive chairman John Prineas said the project had already delivered more than 500 intercepts of high-grade rare earths and niobium from past drilling, and St George was expecting to add significantly to this tally by the time the drilling campaign was completed. 'The Araxa project has many competitive advantages that make it a standout project in the rare earths and niobium space,' he said. 'Mineralisation starts from surface and is free-digging, supporting a potential low-cost open-pit mining operation. 'The project is in an established mining region with well-understood permitting and environmental management, providing an expedited pathway to potential development and strong ESG credentials. 'Araxa's key feature, of course, is the large, high-grade resource — an enviable development opportunity at a time when global economies are scrambling to establish new supply chains for critical metals, particularly magnet rare earths. 'One of the largest-producing hard-rock rare earths mines outside of China is the Mt Weld mine owned by the $8 billion Lynas Rare Earths, with a total resource of 106Mt at 4.1 per cent TREO. 'St George's Araxa project already has a total JORC resource of 40.64Mt at 4.13 per cent TREO, illustrating the potential value upside for St George as we progress through development studies and resource expansion drilling to demonstrate the potential for a commercial rare earth mining operation. 'At a time when investors are increasingly looking to Brazil for the next generation of quality hard-rock rare earths and niobium development opportunities, Araxa is in pole position to deliver sustained value for St George shareholders.'
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
St George kicks off drill assault on mammoth Brazil niobium play
St George Mining has launched a major drilling assault at its giant Araxá rare earths project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with the company deploying three drill rigs for a substantial 10,000-metre program over the next three or so months. St George's sizable undertaking follows a recently unveiled globally significant maiden resource at Araxá, comprising 40.64 million tonnes (Mt) at 4.13 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 41.2Mt at 0.68 per cent niobium pentoxide. The campaign will be carried out alongside a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey, which is set to kick off next week. The 10,000m drilling program aims to significantly expand this resource base by combining auger, reverse circulation and diamond drilling to target the Araxá mineralisation, which remains open in all directions. The company says untested high-grade zones below 100m depth were not included in the resource. Historical drilling intersected more than 500 high-grade intercepts, including standout results such as a massive 60m at 11.1 per cent TREO, a substantial 43m grading 1.5 per cent niobium and a higher-grade 20m running 2.4 per cent niobium. Impressively, all these hits started at surface. The company's imminent drone-based airborne magnetic survey will cover the entire project area to define the carbonatite-hosted deposit's geological model and pinpoint the extent of its niobium and rare earths targets. Araxá's standout features include its free-dig near-surface resource, which sits almost entirely within 100m depth and is ideal for low-cost open-pit mining. Located in Brazil's mining-friendly Minas Gerais state, the project sits adjacent to CBMM's world-class niobium mine, which has a massive 896Mt at 1.49 per cent niobium. St George's robust local infrastructure and access to a skilled workforce enabled it to secure government backing for expedited approvals and assemble a top-tier in-country team including several former CBMM executives. The project also stacks up well against global peers such as Lynas Rare Earths' Mt Weld mine, with its massive 106Mt at 4.1 per cent TREO, and MP Materials' Mountain Pass, which holds 40.6Mt at 5.9 per cent TREO. Araxá's 40.64Mt at 4.13 per cent TREO translates to a whopping 1.7Mt of contained TREO, including 320,000 tonnes of high-value neodymium and praseodymium and 280,000t niobium, which could be just the beginning. With auger drilling already underway, the company is hoping the latest drilling results will further uncover what looks to be the next world-class mine to emerge from the fabled Brazilian carbonatite complex. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
