Pancontinental Uranium Corporation (TSX VENTURE: PUC) ("Pancon")
and its joint venture partner Crossland Uranium Mines Limited
("Crossland") (ASX: CUX) are pleased to provide the following
update on the latest results from their expanding (REE) exploration
program at their Charley Creek project, 100 kilometres North West
of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, Australia.
As well as continuing high value returns from stream sediment
sampling at the project, Crossland, the operator, has discovered a
new promising REE drill intersection in unweathered bedrock. The
hard rock drill intersection points to a total area of over 40
square kilometres prospective for REE deposits.
The outstanding assay results to date from the stream sediment
sampling, along with awaited auger drill results, have the
companies on track to complete a resource evaluation later this
year on an initial alluvial volume.
Pancon and Crossland believe that these results present
opportunities for low cost production of a heavy mineral
concentrate with high REE values from the large volumes of alluvial
sediment deposits at Charley Creek.
Highlights:
New hard rock REE target identified
-- The re-assay of a 2008 air core hole CCA121 has returned a 5 metre
interval averaging 1.03% Total Rare Earth Oxides(i) (TREO), from values
in excess of 0.5% TREO, commencing at 37m down hole, with Heavy REO
representing 8.3% of TREO.
-- Also near Cattle Creek, four heavy mineral stream sediment samples have
returned values of 6.3%, 2.6%, 6.8%, and 8.0% TREO, reflecting a
consistent anomalous drainage source which may be related to the bedrock
intersection. This indicates an area of over 40 square kilometres which
Pancon and Crossland now believe is prospective for REE deposits.
-- A new air core drilling program will commence next week on the hard rock
REE target identified at Cattle Creek, were the drill intersection
occurred.
(i) Crossland will adopt a convention, from this release, of separating
Yttrium from the Lanthanide Rare Earth Elements (REE). Therefore, TREO
represents the sum of oxides of La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho,Er,Tm,Yb
and Lu, while Heavy REE (HREE) are Eu,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho,Er,Tm,Yb and Lu.
(TRE+Y)O is occasionally used in our statements, and represents Total
oxides of REE as defined here plus Y2O3.
REE Stream Sediment Sample Results
-- Of 195 stream sediment sample concentrates so far assayed, three
returned over 32% TREO, with a peak value of 38.4% TREO; 12 returned
over 16% TREO; 25 returned over 8% TREO, 45 returned over 4% TREO and 74
returned over 2% TREO. Only four samples had insufficient non-magnetic
heavy mineral content to produce an assay result. Each of the sample
sites reported represents between 2 and 4 square kilometres of drainage
basin.
-- A further approximately 200 stream sediment samples are currently being
processed and assayed.
Auger Drilling Progress
-- Crossland has also conducted auger drilling of alluvium proximal to some
of the known REO source areas in the Cockroach Dam prospect area of the
Charley Creek project. Over 700 samples have been taken and are at
various stages in the preparation process.
-- This first-pass auger drilling program is sampling a total area of
around 42 square kilometres on a 400m X 100m grid in two drainages.
Both the stream sediment sample concentrates and the drill pulps
have REE distributions with relatively high proportions of heavy
REE, those REE above europium on the Periodic Table (Heavy REE, or
HREE).
Immediate Program
-- Further assays are awaited from the stream sediment sampling and auger
drilling programs.
-- A new air core drilling campaign at the Cattle Creek hard rock REE
discovery will commence on March 17, and auger drilling and stream
sediment sampling are continuing.
To view Figure 1 please click on the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/PUCFigure1.pdf
Background - Crossland's NT REE discovery
On November 1, 2010, Pancon and Crossland announced that a
sample of alluvial heavy minerals from their Charley Creek Project
in the NT, contained rare earth elements (REE) with a total REO
(TREO) content of over 39%.
These REE are present in phosphate minerals that should be
readily processed using available REE extraction technology.
This value from the REE sample compares favourably with the
average grades of other rare earth developments currently being
contemplated, including the concentrate grades predicted from these
proposed developments. The concentrate contains relatively high
concentrations of all of all the heavy REE, those REE above
europium on the Periodic Table (Heavy REE, or HREE).
This result has been followed up since December 2010 with:
-- A program of stream sediment sampling to characterize the nature and
variability of alluvial heavy minerals throughout the more than 4,000
square kilometres of tenements held by the Joint Venture at Charley
Creek
-- Auger drilling of alluvium proximal to some of the known source areas in
the Cockroach Dam prospect area on a 400m by 100m grid to establish
resource potential.
-- Re-analysis of drill pulps from the 2008 uranium drilling program that
had shown elevated response to some REE in the original assays
To view Figure 2 please click on the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/PUCFigure2.pdf
Results
Stream Sediment Sampling Concentrates
The results of the initial round of 194 (195 with the original
sample) stream sediment concentrate samples collected prior to the
Christmas break have been processed according to the method
outlined in Pancon's and Crossland's news releases of December 21,
2010. These have now been analyzed in the laboratory of ALS Global
in Vancouver, Canada by ALS method ME-MS81h, with over limits (over
5% for the more common REE (Ce,La,Nd,Y), and over 0.5% for the
other REE) by method ME-OGREE. Both of these methods involve
lithium metaborate fusion, followed by nitric acid digestion. These
are followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, or
ICP-AES (ME-OGREE).
Crossland's strategy with the stream sediment program is to
cover drainages from the entire 4,000-plus square kilometres of the
Joint Venture's holdings. The average sample size is 25kg, all of
which is dried, weighed, and processed to produce a concentrate of
heavy minerals. Both a magnetic and non-magnetic fraction is
produced and the fractions weighed to enable calculation of a head
grade. Most valuable REE-bearing heavy minerals reports to the
non-magnetic fraction.
This fraction is sent to Vancouver for assay, while the magnetic
fraction is analysed in Perth. Of 195 heavy mineral samples so far
processed and assayed from Charley Creek, all but four had
sufficient non-magnetic heavy mineral content to produce an assay
result. Of these 195 samples, 74, or 38%, returned over 2% TREO, 45
samples returned over 4% TREO, 25 over 8%, 12 over 16%, and three
returned over 32% TREO, with a maximum of 38.4%. Each of these
samples represents between two and four square kilometres of
drainage basin.
Zirconium was above the upper detection limit of 5% in 84% of
samples. This is mostly present in the mineral zircon, which can be
physically separated from monazite using electrostatic equipment.
If the zircon is removed from the samples, it is expected that many
more samples will return higher values. A zircon product may also
be marketable. The magnetic fraction is dominated by iron and
titanium but these values have not yet been interpreted. The
quantity of magnetic minerals exceeds that of non-magnetic in all
cases.
Crossland makes no claim that these samples are representative
of the alluvial grades in the sampled drainage basins. They show
the nature of heavy mineral species present in the drainage basin,
as intended by the study. For reference purposes, calculated head
grades of non-magnetic heavy minerals (dominantly monazite and
zircon) range from negligible to 5.6 kg/T, with 9 values in excess
of 1 kg/T, 20 in excess of 0.5 kg/T, and 71 in excess of 0.2
kg/T
Another aim of the stream sediment sampling has been to identify
areas beyond the Cockroach Dam Prospect that are prospective for
alluvial accumulations. In particular, it was hoped that there were
areas of the extensive flats (illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 above)
that might show prospective results. Several areas have emerged
with promise for large alluvial deposits containing valuable
REE-bearing heavy minerals draining from the mountains into large
alluvial fans. It is these areas that hold the prospect of large
tonnages and production capacity, and several areas, particularly
those close to the sources of heavy minerals where higher grades
have either been encountered, or are expected, will be evaluated by
aircore drilling that will commence in coming weeks.
To view Figure 3 please click on the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/PUCFigure3.pdf
Auger Drill Program
The highest grades from the stream sediment sampling cluster on
drainages from certain phases of the Teapot Granite in the
Cockroach Dam Prospect. The immediate alluvial deposits from
weathering of these have been chosen as a target to see if
sufficient resource exists for a commercial alluvial heavy mineral
operation that would be of higher grade than that likely in the
large alluvial fans on the plains. Two drainage areas are being
tested, with sampling points on a 400m by 100m grid. In aggregate,
the two areas that are being sampled total around 42 square
kilometres. To date, over 700 samples have been collected from the
auger program, and these are at various stages in the preparation
process, as priority has been given to the stream sediment samples.
A total of 337 auger samples have been processed on site and
despatched to the preparation laboratory for further treatment
prior to analysis. Results are awaited from the first batch of
these which are now with the assay lab.
Hard Rock REE Discovery
Pancon and Crossland believe that they have identified a hard
rock source of REE at the Cattle Creek area, which straddles the
boundary of EL24281 and EL25230. Cattle Creek lies to the south of
the main Charley Creek drainage, between Charley Creek and the
foothills of the MacDonnell Ranges to the south. As illustrated in
Figure 4 below, a cluster of four heavy mineral samples has
returned values of 6.28%, 2.55%, 6.84%, and 7.97% TREO, suggesting
a consistent drainage source.
These samples lie adjacent to a 2008 Crossland aircore drill
line drilled to explore for uranium. Re-assay of 104 drill pulps
from this program that originally had elevated values of some REE,
by the more appropriate method, ME-MS81h, has demonstrated local
bedrock REE sources beneath the plains of the Charley Creek basin.
Hole CCA121 returned a 5m interval of values in excess of 0.5%
TREO, averaging 1.03% TREO, commencing at 37m down hole. The
average heavy rare earth oxide (HREO) content of the 5m interval is
8.33% of the TREO. The average Y2O3 content of the interval is
0.103%.
To view Figure 4 please click on the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/PUCFigure4.pdf
Interpretation
Much of the lower country in the Charley Creek Project Area is
underlain by Tertiary sediment, or younger alluvium, in places up
to 150 m thick. In the vicinity of Cattle Creek, it appears from
our drilling that this cover is thin to non-existent. The
intersection in CCA121 is in basement gneissic rocks, and the
mineralization is in place, not transported in alluvium. It seems
likely that the nearby anomalous heavy mineral results in stream
sediments are derived from erosion of a local bedrock source. Since
three of the stream samples drain country upstream of the drill
hole, there is potential for the source to be quite extensive.
Early information suggests that mineralization at Cattle Creek
is also monazite. The REE profile (indicated by Chondrite Plots:
see example below) is quite flat, which means that heavy REE are
present in relatively higher amounts than in the alluvial monazite.
Also, unlike the detrital heavy minerals from the project, the
commonly observed depletion of europium characteristic of monazite
derived from granitoids is not pronounced. This indicates that the
bedrock mineralization has an even more attractive mix of REE than
has yet been observed in the alluvial heavy mineral samples.
Average rare earth oxide values for individual REE, along with
TREO, and the percentage of the TREO that is HREO, are shown in
Table 1 for two selected averages from our sample data.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CeO2 Pr6O11 Nd2O3 Sm2O3 Eu2O3 Gd2O3 Tb4O7 Dy2O3
SAMPLE La2O3% % % % % % % % %
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HM Conc.
greater
than 32%
TREO 8.49 18.5 1.95 6.15 0.92 0.03 0.64 0.08 0.36
37-42m,
CCA121 0.18 0.53 0.04 0.16 0.03 0.01 0.03 0.00 0.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HREO%
Ho2O3 Er2O3 Tm2O3 Yb2O3 Lu2O3 Y2O3 TREO of
SAMPLE % % % % % % % TREO
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HM Conc.
greater
than 32%
TREO 0.06 0.14 0.02 0.08 0.01 1.79 37.5 3.81
37-42m,
CCA121 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.10 1.03 8.33
Table 1: Average oxide content for each REE, TREO, and percentage of
TREO that is HREO for:
A. Three Alluvial heavy mineral concentrates greater than 32%TREO,
from Cockroach Dam area;
B. Interval 37-42m (5m) from air core hole CCA121.
To view Figure 5 please click on the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/PUCFigure5.pdf
Forward Plans
Work on stream sediment sampling and shallow auger drilling is
continuing, and this phase of the program is nearing completion.
Results will be received over the next few months.
An aircore rig will commence drilling next week on March 17 at
Cattle Creek, and is contracted for six weeks. First targets will
be to fill out the drill pattern around Hole CCA121, in the
direction of the potential source of stream sediment anomalies.
This rig will also evaluate the alluvial areas defined by shallow
drilling and this work should provide base data for Resource
estimation for the Cockroach drainages.
Evaluation will also commence of the more promising areas of the
vast alluvial fans indicated by sampling and radiometric surveys,
where the joint venturers hope to quickly assess the potential for
bulk low grade operations.
All technical information in this release has been reviewed by
Geoff Eupene, Qualified Person for Crossland and Pancon.
About Pancontinental Uranium Corporation
Pancontinental Uranium Corporation ("Pancon") is a
Canadian-based company focused on uranium discovery and
development. Through a 50:50 joint venture with Crossland Uranium
Mines Limited ("Crossland") of Australia, Pancon has established
one of the strongest management teams in the uranium industry. This
management and operating team has unparalleled experience from
exploration, through development to operations, and includes people
who were instrumental in the discovery of two of the largest
uranium deposits in the world. Pancon and Crossland hold an
impressive uranium exploration portfolio with projects in prolific,
mining friendly districts.
Active exploration is ongoing at three Australian projects which
include Chilling, Charley Creek, and Kalabity. The Chilling project
has the potential to host a mirror image of a portion of the
renowned Alligator Rivers Uranium Field containing the large
Jabiluka, Ranger and Koongarra deposits. Charley Creek has the
potential for large, lower-grade, Rossing-type, granite-hosted
uranium deposits and REE. The Kalabity project lies in a district
of historic uranium/radium mining that contains a variety of known
uranium deposit styles.
Pancon has earned a 50% interest in this significant uranium and
REE project portfolio through the joint venture with Crossland
through the expenditure of A$8 million. Pancon and Crossland are
also pursuing exploration beyond Australia through an international
subsidiary company, Crosscontinental Uranium Limited, and immediate
plans include formulating an exploration program in Burkina
Faso.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rick Mark, President & CEO
For additional information, please visit our website at
www.PanconU.com.
Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements",
which are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results and future events to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such statements. Investors are
cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future
performance and results. Risks and uncertainties about the
Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's
disclosure documents filed from time to time with the Canadian
securities authorities.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Contacts: Pancontinental Uranium Corporation Richard Mark
President and CEO 604-986-2020 or 1-866-816-0118 Pancontinental
Uranium Corporation Keith Patey Director of Communications
604-986-2020 or 1-866-816-0118 604-986-2021 (FAX)
www.panconu.com
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