SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Gold/Mining/Energy : Mining News of Note -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: LoneClone who wrote (72421)12/14/2010 11:34:54 AM
From: LoneClone  Respond to of 193231
 
Rio, Xstrata Dig for Deals as M&A Moves to Emerging Markets
By Rebecca Keenan and Shani Raja - Dec 14, 2010 5:03 AM PT

bloomberg.com

Mining takeovers, heading for the second best year on record, are shifting to emerging markets of Africa and Asia as BHP Billiton Ltd., Rio Tinto Group and Xstrata Plc look to seal cheaper deals in less-explored areas.

As prices for most commodities rise, global mining acquisitions have more than doubled in value this year to $132 billion, boosting advisory fees for banks such as Credit Suisse Group AG, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For those deals, buyers paid an average 23 percent premium, more than twice as high as margins in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

BHP and Rio lead a list of possible buyers as the top eight mining companies generate an estimated $132 billion in earnings next year, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Coal, copper and gold are favored, with Africa among the “hotspots,” said Mark Carlile, head of resources investment banking in Australia at Credit Suisse, this year’s top ranked adviser on emerging market mining deals.

“Larger-cap miners are cash-rich and looking for new revenue pipelines,” said James Holt, who helps manage about A$40 billion ($40 billion) at BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Ltd., including BHP and Rio shares. Africa could be a focus, he said.

Acquisitions by mining companies is showing the shifting trend, with the industry’s capital flows to the Middle East and Africa more than doubling to $7.7 billion this year, according to Bloomberg data.

Companies such as Nathaniel Rothschild’s Vallar Plc, Xstrata and Aluminum Corp. of China are investing from Indonesia to Mauritania to lock in supply. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., with projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mongolia are potential takeover targets, according to UBS AG.

Far Flung

“If you aren’t looking further afield you are just constraining yourself,” Credit Suisse’s Carlile said. Some clients “have the capacity to take on more risk in far flung places, others don’t,” he said.

Rio Tinto, the world’s third-largest mining company, and Mozambique coal developer Riversdale Mining Ltd. have held talks about a A$3.5 billion takeover, Sydney-based Riversdale said Dec. 6.

Xstrata, the fourth biggest mining company by sales, is paying A$514 million for Sphere Resources Ltd. to gain three iron ore projects in West Africa.

“Almost by definition there are more resources that can be found in less developed countries than developed countries,” because of less exploration, said billionaire Ken Fisher, who oversees more than $38 billion at Woodside, California-based Fisher Investments Inc.

Getting Value

Xstrata is paying 15 Australian cents a ton for Sphere’s iron ore, based on the takeover price and stated ore resources. That compares with A$2.55 a ton BHP paid in the A$204 million purchase of Australian explorer United Minerals Corp. in October last year.

Equinox Minerals Ltd., based in Perth and with mines in Zambia, paid two times earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization when it offered A$1.2 billion last month for Citadel Resource Group, developing Saudi Arabia’s biggest copper deposit.

That compares with the 22 times Quadra Mining Ltd. paid this year for FNX Mining Co.’s copper and nickel mines in Canada.

Bankers and Buyers

Producers can pick up assets more cheaply in developing nations based on lower reserve and resource cost multiples, Greg Fournier, head of Asia Pacific metals and mining investment banking at Merrill Lynch, the number three adviser, said in an interview.

Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch are the top three banks in global mining deals this year, advising on 42 transactions worth $81 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Morgan Stanley led with 22 percent of global deals, followed by Credit Suisse with 20 percent, though it ranked first in deals in emerging Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Merrill Lynch, a Bank of America Corp. unit, was third with 19 percent.

Rio is “actively reviewing opportunities” for small- to-medium sized acquisitions, Chief Financial Officer Guy Elliot said on Nov. 29. BHP Chairman Jac Nasser said last month the board wanted the company to continue to look for acquisitions.

Investment Risk

Mining companies remain aware of the risks of doing business in Africa, said Paul Galloway, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in London. Rio has been involved in a dispute with Guinea since 2008 when the government ordered the company to hand over part of the Simandou iron ore deposit. First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is trying to recover mining rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the government withdrew its permit.

“If commodity prices are low and the values of these assets are low there is not too much of an incentive to go off to deepest, darkest Africa,” said Gavin Wendt, a senior resources analyst at Mine Life Pty in Sydney. “You need a higher return on your investment to offset the potential risks in investing in a place like Africa.”

Faster Route

Mergers and acquisitions are a faster, cheaper route to production, Standard Chartered Plc said in an August report. The cost of building a copper mine has more than doubled in the past five years, the report said.

“Is it cheaper to put in new stuff today or buy stuff? Where is there less risk?” said Fisher Investment’s Fisher, who added he’s overweight in emerging markets and mining stocks. “My view is there is less risk in buying.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rebecca Keenan in Melbourne at rkeenan5@bloomberg.net Shani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Hobbs at ahobbs4@bloomberg.net



To: LoneClone who wrote (72421)12/14/2010 11:48:00 AM
From: LoneClone  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 193231
 
First Gold Exploration Inc./Indicated Resources at the Rose Deposit: 11,436,000 Tonnes, 1.34% Li2O, 165 ppm Ta2O5, 2,668 ppm Rb, 377 ppm BeO and 71 ppm Ga

finance.yahoo.com

Press Release Source: First Gold Exploration Inc. On Tuesday December 14, 2010, 10:17 am EST

LAVAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Dec. 14, 2010) - First Gold Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE:EFG - News; FRANKFURT:F12 - News; OTCQX:FGEXF) is pleased to report the results of an independent resource estimate for its Rose deposit at Lac Pivert/Rose project, James Bay, Quebec.

The Rose deposit contains 11,436,000 tonnes of indicated resources containing 1.34% Li2O (337,133,280 pounds of Li2O), 165 ppm of Ta2O5 (4,156,255 pounds of Ta2O5), 377 ppm of BeO (9,496,414 pounds of BeO) and 2,170,000 tonnes of inferred resources containing 1.27% Li2O (60,629,800 pounds of Li2O), 138 ppm Ta2O5 (659,604 pounds of Ta2O5), 311 ppm BeO (1,486,498 pounds of BeO). The Resources were compiled using a cut-off grade of 0.75% Li2O based on the current estimation of the resource and market conditions. The 43-101 technical report will be available on Sedar within the next 45 calendar days.

This first resource estimate was performed taking into account the lithium content exclusively. It has now become evident that the presence of other elements, particularly tantalum, warrants a re- evaluation of the resources, given that sections of the pegmatites estimated as well as other zones with lower lithium but higher tantalum have been identified and were left out of the present estimate.

The current resource estimate already demonstrates that the Rose deposit is a large well defined lithium, tantalum and beryllium-bearing structure despite the limited drilling completed so far. The resources are contained in five subhorizontal pegmatites, at and near surface. The thickness of the pegmatites varies from 2m to 15m. There is an excellent potential to increase considerably and quickly the size of the deposit at Rose itself and at the nearby additional showings on the Lac Pivert/Rose property.

"This is the first step in becoming a major player in the critical elements industries." stated Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, President of First Gold Exploration.

Highlights of the 43-101 property report, prepared by InnovExplo Inc., independent consulting firm.

MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE - DECEMBER 14, 2010 First Gold Exploration Inc. - Rose Project

Tonnes Li2O Ta2O5 Rb Cs BeO Ga
(x 1,000) (%) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm)
Indicated
--------------
Peg-1 10,089 1.37 165 2,690 103 380 71
Peg-2 575 1.14 200 2,702 137 347 81
Peg-3 109 1.19 223 3,524 167 314 68
Peg-4 135 1.02 154 2,953 129 350 68
Peg-5 528 1.15 128 1,963 101 405 72
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Indicated 11,436 1.34 165 2,668 106 377 71

Inferred
--------------
Peg-1 1,662 1.31 140 1,528 97 322 68
Peg-2 186 1.20 177 981 149 266 82
Peg-3 - - - - - - -
Peg-4 154 0.95 104 2,653 116 264 70
Peg-5 168 1.21 104 1,113 67 286 74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Inferred 2,170 1.27 138 1,529 100 311 70

1. The Qualified People for the Mineral Resource Estimates as defined by
National Instrument 43-101 were Pierre-Luc Richard, B.Sc., P.Geo. and
Carl Pelletier, B.Sc., P.Geo. (InnovExplo Inc.), and the effective date
of the estimate is December 6, 2010. National Regulation 43-101 and CIM
definitions were followed.

2. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves having demonstrated economic
viability.

3. Results are presented undiluted and in situ, and some resource blocks
may be locked in pillars. The estimate includes five (5) zones (Peg-1,
Peg-2, Peg-3, Peg-4 and Peg-5) and covers the Rose drilled area. Totals
may not sum correctly due to rounding.

4. The resource modeling used data from surface NQ core drilling samples
collected by First Gold Exploration in 2009 (10 DDH) and 2010 (129 DDH)
totalling 3,083 assay intervals from 16,322 metres of drilling. A fixed
density of 2.72 g/cm3 was used based on the average density measured in
mineralized lithologies. A minimum width of 2.0 m was applied, using the
grade of the adjacent material when assayed or value of zero when not
assayed. Based on appropriate statistics, a capping of 15,000 was fixed
for lithium, 1,000 for tantalum, 10,000 for rubidium, 850 for cesium,
600 for beryllium, and 150 for gallium. Raw assays were composited
(after being capped) using 1.00 m drill hole intervals.

5. The Resources were compiled using a cut-off grade of 0.75% Li2O based on
the current estimation of the resource and market conditions. This cut-
off must be re-evaluated in light of the present market conditions:
lithium price, exchange rate and mining cost as well as possible
recovery of other elements.

6. No Measured Resources were estimated. Indicated and Inferred Resources
were evaluated from drill holes results using a block model approach
(inverse distance squared interpolation) with 5m blocks within GEMS
software (version 6.2.4). The interpolation was constrained within five
(5) individual 3D solids (Peg-1, Peg-2, Peg-3, Peg-4 and Peg-5).

7. Calculations used metric units (meters, tonnes and ppm). Results were
rounded to reflect their estimate nature. Tonnes are rounded to 1,000.
Grades reported in percent were rounded to two decimals while grades
reported in part per million (ppm) were rounded to the closest integer.


EXTRACTS FROM THE NI 43-101 COMPLIANT REPORT:

"The mineralized pegmatitic dykes are oriented N296 and show a shallow dip to the northwest averaging 15 degrees (locally from 5 to 20 degrees). The main zone (Peg-1) was identified over a strike of 1,100 metres and remains open along strike at depth."

"The interpretation of the mineralized envelope was solely based on lithium grades and did not take into account other elements (Ta, Rb, Cs, Ga, Be). However, the other elements were interpolated within the lithium-mineralized envelopes. On several occasions, the pegmatitic dykes showed significant grades in one or more of the other elements but below cut-off lithium grades. These dikes extensions were excluded from the resource estimation. The authors believe that a re-evaluation of the deposit should be conducted in order to take into account tantalum-rich zones where lithium is absent. "

"Based on lithium grades, Peg-1 is, so far, only limited by topography. It is open along strike to the southeast and to the northwest as well as at depth. Peg-2 is open at depth and along strike to the northwest while the southeast strike needs more drilling to explore its potential. Peg-3 is constrained by topography and by negative drill holes in all other directions. Peg-4 is open along strike to the southeast and at depth. Peg-5 is open along strike to the northwest and at depth"

"The block model indicates that the entire reported resource extends to a depth of 210 metres, which limit is controlled by the existing drilling."

"There is considerable potential to increase tonnage with additional drilling of the known pegmatitic dykes at depth and along strike. In addition, the current geological setting suggests that there is reasonable potential to identify new zones in the immediate environment."

Different cut-offs were calculated. While the 0.75% Li2O cut-off is the official cut-off of this resource estimate, other cut-offs are presented here:

Indicated Resources

Cut-off Tonnes Li Li2O Ta2O5 Rb Cs BeO Ga
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
(% Li2O) (x
1,000) (ppm) (%) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm)
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.25% 12,783 5,881 1.27% 164 2,610 107 369 70
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.50% 12,426 5,992 1.29% 165 2,631 107 372 71
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.75% 11,453 6,251 1.34% 165 2,668 106 377 71
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.80% 11,133 6,327 1.36% 166 2,681 106 377 71
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.00% 10,023 6,561 1.41% 167 2,690 104 380 72
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.25% 7,264 7,041 1.52% 166 2,660 99 377 73
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.50% 3,302 7,795 1.68% 162 2,567 90 383 74
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.75% 894 8,802 1.90% 159 2,281 77 361 76
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
2.00% 155 9,835 2.12% 160 1,924 64 386 78
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inferred Resources

Cut-off Tonnes Li Li2O Ta2O5 Rb Cs BeO Ga
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
(% Li2O) (x
1,000) (ppm) (%) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm)
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.25% 2,801 5,070 1.09% 136 1,453 98 298 69
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.50% 2,411 5,589 1.20% 140 1,484 100 302 70
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.75% 2,170 5,878 1.27% 138 1,529 100 311 70
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
0.80% 2,049 6,013 1.29% 139 1,567 101 311 70
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.00% 1,614 6,511 1.40% 143 1,498 97 308 72
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.25% 1,232 6,890 1.48% 143 1,498 96 302 73
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.50% 587 7,282 1.57% 140 1,451 89 278 72
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
1.75% 3 8,634 1.86% 153 302 111 67 80
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
greater
than
2.00% 0 0 0.00% 0 0 0 0 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee (OGQ #773), geologist, shareholder and president and chief executive officer by interim of the Company and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.

Neither the 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.
Contact:

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, P.Geo
First Gold Exploration Inc.
Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
819-354-5146
president@firstgoldexploration.com
www.firstgoldexploration.com