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Gold/Mining/Energy : Houston Lake Mining [HLM-ASE] -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DRT who wrote (231)	10/1/1999 9:34:00 PM
From: DRT	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 364

While it may be taking a bit longer than anticipated to finance the planned exploration program re. Pakeagama Lake, its critical to not loose sight of the potential. I have spent a considerable amount of time lately reviewing the geological results to date - looking for some reason to doubt why I am so committed to seeing this through to its only possible conclusion - a discovery of some order of magnitude (that can only be defined by drilling). I have also seen the commitment and sacrifice of those close to the company and the confidence (as to its potential) and support of those that have worked and studied the property. After all I have seen, read, researched and discussed with those involved in these metals, I can only add a couple of facts (in addition to those from the website): 1. The presence of wodginite is highly significant in that it is the chief ore mineral for tantalum at the Tanco mine. 2. Of the 10 locations globally with indications of stibiotantalite (including Pakeagama Lake), half are producers. I guess the odds are in our favour given the suite of Ta-bearing minerals that have been discovered in addition to Sb-tantalite, the zonation and the size of the pegmatite. From the website the results to date are worth repeating: "The potential for economic tantalum and cesium mineralization in the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite arises out of three main factors: the presence of evolved minerals indicating potential for economic concentration of rare metals, zonation which acts to increase the grade of mineralization by focussing rare metals into specific areas, and significant pegmatite size to justify economic exploitation." Rare Metal Minerals 1."Tantalum oxide assays range from 300 to 700 g/t in large and unbiased grab samples. The Wodgina mine in Australia produces tantalum oxide only and contains 2.07 million tonnes grading 525 g/t tantalum oxide." (1) 2.The evolutionary trend from manganocolumbite into manganotantalite is similar to that expressed by the Tanco pegmatite (Tanco deposit). "Such evolutionary trends indicate a high potential for tantalum-rich zones in the pegmatite system." (2) 3."An absence of relatively primitive ferrocolumbite compositions in the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite is also notable and supports the high exploration potential for tantalum." (2) 4."It can be seen that the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite has a omparable K/Rb ratio but has higher Cs values than the Big Whopper pegmatite and overlaps the lower ranges for Rb, Cs and K/Rb with the Bernic Lake (Tanco) pegmatite group". (2) 5."In the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite, the presence of tantalum-rich minerals such as manganotantalite, ferrotantalite, microlite and ferrotapiolite coupled with pollucite and rubidium concentrations that exceed 1% in potassium feldspar, indicate a high potential for zones rich in tantalum, cesium and rubidium-rich feldspar". (2) 6."Pakeagama Lake pegmatite has several mineralogical and chemical characteristics that suggest the presence of a Tanco-type pegmatite system." (3) 7."This includes a highly evolved tantalum-rich oxide mineralogy and the presence of the rare and valuable cesium mineral pollucite and widespread phosphate phase montebrasite." (3) 8.The Pakeagama Lake pegmatite "contains the rare mineral stibiotantalite known elsewhere at only 10 localities on a global scale; stibiotantalite is indicative of extremely-fractionated, Ta-rich rare metal pegmatite systems." (3) Zonation 1. The Pakeagama Lake pegmatite has a "strong internal zonation marked by an impressive spodumene+quartz core zone that represents replacement of original petalite." (3) 2."Zonation could result in cesium-, rubidium- and tantalum-rich units on surface or at depth." (3) 3."The wall zone contains highest Ta and Rb values encountered to date; 1% Rb is the highest bulk content for that mineral yet found in NW Ontario." (3) Size 1."Second largest complex-type pegmatite system in Ontario: 250 m strike-length; open to SE and NW". (3) 2."Width = 10 to 70 m: pegmatite widens at its NW and SE outcrop limits" (3) 3.An "extensive Li-Cs anomaly occurs in the granite host-rocks adjacent to the SW contact of the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite and is marked by holmquistite, a key exploration indicator mineral of Li-rich pegmatites. Distribution of the holmquistite was traced for a minimum distance of 120 meters normal to the pegmatite which is the most significant variation yet described in the literature; in granitic host-rocks holmquistite is typically quite rare and usually developed only within a few cms of a Li-rich rare metal pegmatite. " (3) 4."The occurrence of this aplite unit with such evolved tantalum-rich oxide minerals, suggests a continuation of the rare-metal pegmatite system at least 400 m to the southeast beyond the outcrop containing the spodumene-quartz core unit." (2) Sources: (1) Dr. Fred Breaks, Ontario Geological Survey, personal communication. (2) Breaks, F. W., Tindle, A. G., and Smith, S. R., 1999. Rare-metal Mineralization Associated with the Berens River-Sachigo Subprovincial Boundary, Northwestern Ontario: Discovery of a New Zone of Complex-Type, Petalite Subtype Pegmatite and Implications for Future Exploration, Ontario Misc. Paper 169, pp. 168-182. (3) Breaks, F. W., 1999. Summary of Geology, Mineralogy and Geochemical Work on Pakeagama Lake Rare-metal Pegmatite, North Spirit Lake Area, NW Ontario. Unpublished Handout, 13 pages. ________ DRT