Lodestar Minerals (ASX:LSR) has commenced an on-ground technical review of its Virgin Mountain Rare Earths Project in Arizona, US, as the company prepares for the next phase of exploration.
CEO and Executive Director Coraline Blaud is currently on site with the company’s geological team to review the geology, structural setting, and recent ‘high-grade’ rock-chip results from the 100%‑owned project.
Rock-chip sampling from July returned results including 14.68% total rare earth oxides (TREO), with 0.76% dysprosium oxide and 59% heavy rare earth oxides (HREO). Additional samples returned 1.48% TREO with 54% HREO and 1.39% TREO with 57% HREO.
The company expanded its Virgin Mountain landholding by approximately 40% in July to 267 hectares across 32 mining claims, securing the xenotime‑bearing heavy rare earth (HRE) mineralised shear trend mapped over 3km.
“As a geologist, being on the ground with the technical team provides an important opportunity to review Virgin Mountain directly in the context of the latest results and the exploration work completed over the past year,” Blaud explains.
“Virgin Mountain has a strong technical foundation, and the next phase of work will focus on refining our geological understanding, particularly mapping the mineralised trend beneath cover and defining the highest-priority targets for follow-up exploration.”
The next phase will focus on better understanding the xenotime-bearing HRE system through high-resolution radiometric surveying and ground truthing to define and prioritise targets for potential maiden drilling.
Lodestar’s work comes amid significant US Government focus on critical mineral supply chain security. On 20 July, US President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14415, which includes measures to strengthen US defence supply chains and ensure critical materials are sourced domestically or from allied nations.
The company is also undertaking an early-stage review of additional US rare earth opportunities identified through a broader assessment of prospective rare earth element belts.
Following the current US review, Lodestar will focus on key workstreams. The company will complete its geological and strategic field review and progress the planned radiometric survey.
Results will then be integrated with mapping and geochemistry to ground‑truth priority targets and define targets for potential maiden drilling.
Lodestar Minerals is an Australian explorer advancing gold and copper assets in Western Australia, Chile, and the US.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Lodestar Minerals
