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Lodestar Minerals (ASX:LSR) has today expanded its Virgin Mountain heavy rare earth project landholding by 40%, to 661 acres, following high-grade heavy rare earth rock chip assay results that came in up to 14.68% TREO.
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Working in Arizona, the Oz company staked a further 186 acres, increasing the total tenement package by ~40% to 661 acres across some 32 mining claims. This strategic expansion has been designed to secure the full extent of the mapped HREE structural corridor and facilitate systematic drilling.
The acquisition follows recent field mapping and rock chip sampling programs that confirmed the continuity of the xenotime-hosted mineralised structure along a five-kilometre trend at the U.S. project.
Recent assays returned high-grade results, including:
- NGR051: 14.68% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO), containing 0.76% Dysprosium Oxide (Dy2O3) and 59% Heavy Rare Earth Oxide (HREO).
- NGR050: 1.48% TREO, containing 54% HREO.
- NGR048: 1.39% TREO, 57% HREO.
The company noted these chip samples are selective in nature and may not be representative of the overall mineralised zone. The mineralisation is enriched in dysprosium, terbium, and lutetium – elements frequently seen as “critically undersupplied” for magnet, defence, and clean-energy supply chains.
“These results are among the strongest we have returned from Virgin Mountain. This confirms the exceptional grade and tenor of our xenotime-related mineralised structure,” Lodestar CEO Coraline Blaud said.
“Grades of this quality, dominated by the high-value heavy rare earths the market urgently needs, underline why we have moved decisively to secure more ground.”
“By expanding our tenement package by around 40% to 661 acres, we have captured the targeted structural corridor, giving us the space required to systematically drill-test the structure along its fully mapped 5km trend.”
With the structural corridor secured, Lodestar’s focus has shifted to the next phase of tech evaluation. The company is preparing for a high-resolution airborne radiometric (U/Th/K) and magnetic survey over the expanded area. This aims to define the structural architecture of the shear system, improve understanding of xenotime-mineralised structures, and set up new drill-ready targets.
Following the survey, the company intends to proceed with ground-truthing to prioritise targets. Lodestar is also progressing permitting under Arizona regulatory requirements to prepare for inaugural drilling.
LSR opened at 0.9cps this morning.
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Disclaimer: This article is disseminated in partnership with Lodestar Minerals Ltd. It is intended to inform investors and should not be taken as financial advice.
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