REE staking rush yields early promise

More and more explorers are buying up and/or staking claims in an elongated area of central British Columbia that is emerging as a significant rare earth metals play, while juniors line up to mobilize exploration crews to begin searching the area for economic concentrations of rare earths.

All of this attention is focused on a major continental geologic feature known as the Rocky Mountain trench, a southeast-northwest trending swath of mountainous ground that could host numerous potentially economic concentrations of rare metals.

Much of the terrain in the area has seen very little exploration that incorporates current models and modern technology. But thanks to a 2008 REE discovery in the region, that is rapidly changing.

Canadian International Minerals Corp. and Commerce Resources Corp. Oct. 20 reported the start of a minimum 1000-meter diamond drill program at their Carbo Project located about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, northeast of Prince George, B.C.

The Carbo property comprises seven claims totaling an area of about 2,779 hectares, or 6,863-acres, and is accessible via all-weather gravel roads. It is located in the so-called Wicheeda REE carbonatite camp adjacent to the Rocky Mountain trench.

The juniors said their exploration plan for Carbo includes at least 12 short diamond drill holes designed to test up to six sites on the property. Targets were selected using data from a high resolution Aeroquest Radiometric-Mag survey with 50-meter line spacing and closely spaced augur soil geochemical sampling in a 25-meter grid. In picking the drill sites, the juniors used criteria that incorporated anomalous values up to 2,061 parts-per-million cerium together with elevated values of other light and heavy rare earth elements.

The airborne survey confirmed apparent continuity of lithology and depositional environment from the 2008 Wicheeda rare metals discovery by Spectrum Mining Corp. on adjacent claims.

The Wicheeda claim group consists of six cell claims that cover about 1,708 hectares, or 4,219 acres, in the Cariboo Mining Division of northeast British Columbia. All of the claims are 100-percent-owned by Spectrum, a private mineral exploration company based in Wardner, BC.

The Wicheeda property is located about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, northeast of Prince George and 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, east of Bear Lake in central British Columbia.

Spectrum reported drill hole intersections of 48.64 meters of 3.55 percent combined REEs, 144 meters of 2.2 percent combined REEs and 72 meters of 2.92 percent REEs. All intersections were collared in mineralization and assays were given in total elemental REEs, which understate actual REE oxide content.

The Carbo drill targets are within 900 meters of Spectrum's 2008 drilling results.

The goal of the drill program at Carbo is to identify carbonatite-hosted rare earth element and rare metal mineralization. Carbonatites and carbonatite related deposits are a major host for known and producing rare earth element deposits. Several of the world's largest rare earth element deposits and mines, including Lynas Corp.'s Mt. Weld deposit in Australia, and Molycorp Inc.'s Mountain Pass deposit in the United States, are hosted by carbonatites.

Canadian International holds an option to earn up to a 75 percent interest in the Carbo Project by paying Commerce Resources C$30,000 cash, issuing 1.5 million common shares and spending C$198,000 on exploration over a three-year period. Commerce also retained a 2 percent net smelter return royalty on the claims.

The juniors also reported encouraging results in their 2009 rock, silt and soil sampling program, including a new anomaly that exceeded the detection limit of greater than 1 percent cerium, indicative of light rare earth content, and 309 ppm gadolinium, indicating the presence of heavy rare earths.

The companies said expansion of their exploration program will depend on weather conditions, which were favorable Oct. 20, with temperatures well above freezing.

A rare discovery

One catalyst for the REE exploration rush in British is the growing importance of rare metals in national security and high technology applications and the dominance of China in controlling most of the world's known REE production.

Another important factor in the B.C. exploration play is Spectrum Mining's Wicheeda carbonatite-syenite breccia intrusive complex rare earth discovery. The Wicheeda property is located in the Foreland Belt and is underlain mainly by limestone, marble, siltstone, argillite and calcareous sedimentary rocks that have been assigned to the upper Cambrian to lower Ordovician Kechika Group.

Limited surface work in the claim area by Teck Exploration in the mid-1980s outlined several REE-enriched intrusive carbonatite bodies hosted by limestones and calcareous sedimentary rocks of the upper Cambrian to lower Ordovician Kechika Group, but Spectrum four-hole diamond drilling program near Wicheeda Lake, B.C. in 2008 was the first exploration drilling to occur on the property.

Four heli-supported diamond drill holes, with an aggregate length of 866 meters, were drilled from a single platform to evaluate the rare-earth element content of the 'George' carbonatite and to ascertain some information on its geometry and minimum dimensions, according to a May 2009 drilling report on the Wicheeda discovery authored by British Columbia Geological Survey geologist Bob Lane.

Lane said the well-mineralized intrusive carbonatite was encountered from surface to variable depths in all four drill holes and the intrusive carbonatite contains impressive concentrations of the light rare earth elements cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium and gadolinium as well as anomalous concentrations of molybdenum, barium, antimony, manganese, arsenic, phosphorus and thorium, and elevated levels of yttrium and several of the other heavy rare earth elements.

Spectrum followed up by drilling 11 NTW (5.71-centimeter diameter) diamond drill holes totaling 1,835 meters in the "Main Zone" from two new platforms on the Wicheeda property. All 11 drill holes intersected significant rare earth mineralization, and the deposit remains open in all directions.

World-recognized carbonatite-rare earth mineralization specialist Anthony Mariano visited the Wicheeda project during the 2009 drilling program and subsequently examined drill core samples as well as rock samples that he collected on the site.

His analytical work including scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescense indicates that the Wicheeda mineralization is mainly quite coarse grained (0.2-millimeter to 0.5 mm) monazite and a bastnaesite-synchisite mineral.

Mariano also conducted a bench-scale heavy liquid and magnetic separation study on a composite sample of Wicheeda drill core and was able to produce a high-grade REE concentrate that contained 56.09 wt. percent REE. This test indicates that the Wicheeda rare earth mineralization is simple and would easily produce a marketable concentrate compared to most other world rare earth deposits, including the dormant world-class rare earth mine at Mountain Pass in California. For over 40 years, that REE mine was the main North American supplier of rare earth products to the world.

By also applying a flotation circuit, researchers say it should be easy to produce a 60 percent LREE concentrate from the Wicheeda deposit, which would exceed the concentrate grade from the Mountain Pass mine.

At the 2010 Kamloops Exploration Group Conference last spring, Spectrum said it planned to undertake extensive work this year at Wicheeda, including continued drilling and mapping of the Main zone as well as further testing of two separate cerium-niobium anomalies within the carbonatite-syenite breccia complex north of the Main zone.

The junior recently reported a drill intersection of 2.2 percent TREEs over 144 meters.

A 2010 REE discovery

Paget Minerals Corp. reported results in August of a program of rock chip sampling at the Mt. Bisson Property that it acquired in June, including an assay of 8.64 percent total rare earth elements from a newly discovered mineralized zone.

Paget said high-grade rare earth mineralization in the discovery zone occurs in association with magnetite-rich zones within an 800-meter-diameter radiometric high.

The new zone is located 3.5 kilometers, or about 2 miles northwest of the junior's Laura Rare Earth Element showing, where previous sampling returned 13.5 percent TREE in pegmatite bodies and syenite intrusive rocks associated with a similar-size radiometric high.

Logging roads provide access to within 1.3 kilometers, or 0.8 mile, of the new showing and additional follow-up fieldwork is planned at all showings.

The Mt. Bisson REE Project is located 160 kilometers northwest of the Wicheeda-Carbo Area. Radiometric anomalies, carbonatites, diatreme breccia complexes and pegmatites are current targets on the property with total REE grades between anomalous and 2.2 percent with 1.5 percent yttrium, the junior said.

Buying up claims

Bolero Resources Corp. is an explorer that is reporting encouraging results and rapidly expanding its claims in the Wicheeda REE carbonatite camp. The junior Oct. 13 said it acquired 13 mineral claims that cover more than 11,620 acres, or about 4,705 hectares, of land prospective for rare earth elements. The acquisition brings to Bolero's REE-prospective holdings in the area to 70 mineral claims covering about 67,601 acres, or 27,369 hectares. Spectrum Mining previously owned the newly acquired claims as part of its Wicheeda property.

The recently acquired claims also are contiguous with Bolero's other claim blocks and extend to the airborne radiometric anomalies identified in the junior's recent Aeroquest airborne survey.

Bolero is also negotiating the purchase of additional claims previously held by Spectrum.

"Of this package, 1,873 hectares (or about 4,626 acres) comprises roughly 42 percent of Spectrum's original southern tenure," said Bolero Resources President and CEO R. Bruce Duncan. "Not only does Bolero now have the largest contiguous land package in the area, but the acquisition of these new claims brings Bolero's property border within 400 meters of known, mapped carbonatite structures containing highly anomalous REE, including cerium, niobium, barium, zinc and strontium."

In early 2010, Bolero retained Mackevoy Geosciences Ltd. to initiate an extensive field program which will include MAG and scintillometer surveys, silt sampling, prospecting, and outcrop drilling.

The junior reported assay results in October from soil samples taken from its Carbonatite Syndicate REE prospect about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, northeast of Prince George, B.C. that substantially increase previously reported REE values on the property.

New assays from recent soil grids have increased maximum concentrations of cerium and lanthanum to as high as 1,205 parts per million and 663 ppm, respectively, far exceeding previous numbers of up to 631 ppm and 377 ppm, respectively. Thirty of 228 soil samples returned total "REE+Y" contents higher than 1,000 ppm and show elevated levels of "pathfinder elements" such as niobium and barium.

One of the two primary anomalies identified correlates with the REE soil assays, while the other anomaly of equal magnitude remains to be fully assessed on the ground.

Preliminary airborne data will be correlated with positive soil samples and existing field radiometric anomalies to establish priority REE drill targets on the property.

Describing the results as encouraging, Duncan said the junior will conduct a drill program on the property, following the interpretation of preliminary data from recently completed airborne and radiometric surveys.

With drill permits now in place, Bolero anticipates the timely commencement of a multi-hole drill program designed to test existing and newly acquired anomalies on up to three separate drill sites," he said.

Project generator at work

Zimtu Capital Corp. is also seeking substantial REE deposits in the vicinity. The junior Sept. 23 reported completion of initial field programs over a number of rare earth element projects staked as part of its joint venture for project generation with private partners, Cathro Resources Corp. and Cazador Resources Ltd., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. and Dave Javorsky. All of the projects are located along a diagonal slash of ground called the Rocky Mountain Rare Metal Belt that roughly follows the REE-rich Rocky Mountain trench.

Zimtu said its C&C - Zimtu projects were initially selected by the joint venture after an assessment of geological environments prospective for rare earths and a detailed review of government stream and lake sediment geochemistry databases. Targets were then refined using geology, airborne magnetics, known mineral prospects, access and land use considerations. An initial field program was completed to conduct a preliminary economic assessment of the projects for rare earth elements and rare metals (tantalum and niobium) mineralization.

The 10-day field program was carried out by TerraLogic Exploration Inc. and included prospecting and silt sampling by two geologists and two technicians equipped with a handheld XRF unit capable of in situ elemental analysis. Of a total 12 properties, seven were visited and examined, while 21 rock samples and 77 silt samples were collected and submitted to test labs for analysis.

The results pending, but Zimtu said preliminary observations were encouraging, with several samples returning anomalous yttrium (an important indicator element for REEs) and niobium values as determined by handheld XRF.

The Dahrouge-Zimtu projects consist of four claims located in the Wicheeda rare earth carbonatite camp. Of the claims, three include magnetic high targets and one magnetic low target. Exploration results are pending. Zimtu said the properties will be re-assessed following the release of exploration results from the area.

The Javorsky-Zimtu claims consist of four properties located in the Rocky Mountain Rare Metal Belt. Three of the claims have undergone testing in which 20 soil and stream sediment samples were assayed, tested, and subsequently yielded indicative and encouraging results, Zimtu said.

Once the analytical results are received and assessed, Zimtu and its partners plan to review the projects and, based on the results, seek partners to option and advance the prospects.

REE research funding

As part of the junior's business, Zimtu provides mineral property advisory services and helps to connect companies with mineral properties of interest. Under the terms of the partnerships, the properties are held on a 50-50 joint venture basis, and proceeds from the sale of any or all of the properties will be shared equally by the company and its partners.

Zimtu also reported that it is sponsoring funding for a University of British Columbia Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Leo Milloning, Ph.D., to undertake an overall scientific study of the mineralization and geochemistry of rare earth and rare metal-bearing deposits along the Rocky Mountain Rare Metal Belt during the next two years.

Milloning was born in Germany and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the Department of Geodynamics and Geomaterial Research at the University of Würzburg. He has authored several scientific reports and recently joined Professor Lee A. Groat's Mineralogical Research Group at UBC. He spent the past several months in the field studying rare earth and rare metal deposits throughout British Columbia alongside Zimtu geologists and consultants.

" Leo's research will bring benefits to our understanding of mineralization and exploration potential within the Rocky Mountain Rare Metal Belt. Supporting his research is important to us and will provide a permanent benefit to the geologic and scientific community," said Zimtu President Dave Hodge.

Other area claims

In early 2010, International Montoro Resources Inc. acquired the Chuchinka Property, which comprises five claims covering 2,268 hectares, or 5,602 acres, that are contiguous to and adjoining Spectrum's Wicheeda Property. In June, the junior optioned a 75 percent interest in the claims to Electric Metals Inc. in exchange for C$240,000 cash plus 700,000 in Electric Metals common shares and spending of C$425,000 on REE exploration over three years. The property is also subject to a 2 percent NSR royalty, 1 percent of which can be bought back for C$1 million.

The two companies also reported the completion in late September of an airborne geophysical survey over the Chuchinka REE property.

American Maganese Inc. Oct. 1 reported highlights of a geochemical prospecting program carried out on its Lonnie and Virgil Rare Earth Metals Project located about 140 km north of Fort St. James, B.C. A total of 8 rock chip and 106 soil samples where taken from two areas surrounding known mineralization.

The first was a 200-meter-by-150- meter area centered on the Virgil trenches and the second was 1.4-kilometer-by-500-meter area encompassing the Lonnie mineral occurrence.

Of the 8 rock chip samples, 7 consisted of angular shaped, sub-crop boulders and cobbles float.

The junior said trace elements of uranium, thorium, yttrium, barium, niobium, rubidium, strontium, tantalum, zirconium and titanium also analyzed.

One rock chip sample contains elevated values of rare earth elements, including 376 parts per million cerium, 253.2 ppm lanthanum, 79.5 ppm neodymium, 490.0 ppm niobium, 23.8 ppm thorium, 5.7 ppm zirconium and 1.2 ppm tantalum.

Thirteen of the soil samples contain elevated values of REES, and one contains more than 1 percent niobium. It is undergoing additional analysis.

The junior said additional follow-up work planned for Virgil and Lonnie will include detailed geological mapping, geochemical sampling, magnetometer geophysical surveys, and core drilling.

Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. and option partner Waterloo Resources Ltd. are assessing the Ice River Property near the southeastern edge of the Rocky Mountain Rare Metal Belt for its economic potential for base metals and REEs.

A successful 2009 exploration program targeting REE mineralization resulted in the following highlights including the expansion of the known extent of mineralized zones exposed in the alpine. Samples returned up to 1.44 percent total rare earth element oxides, with eight samples returning greater than 0.50 percent TREO. A total of 15 rock samples returned greater than 1,000 grams per ton Nb2O5, with the best grab sample returning 4,653 g/t Nb2O5. A 600-meter-by-600-meter soil geochemical anomaly was delineated.

Other notable projects in the REE belt include Taseko Mines Ltd.'s Aley Niobium Project, Alix Resources Corp.'s Mile 72 Project, Commerce Resources' Blue River Tantalum-Niobium Project, and Spectrum Mining's Rock Canyon Project.