Wednesday, March 25, 2009
US Dollar Crash Test: Failed. DXY, HUI, XAU, TNR.v, RMK.v, BTT.v, GBN.v, OK.v, SBB.v, KTN.v, AMM.to, CGH.to, ASM.v, FVI.v
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
TNR Gold TNR.v: Los Azules, Xstrata and Minera Andes MAI.to stakes are rising with Copper price. TNR.v, MAI.to, XTA.l
Canada Zinc Metals CZX.v: What Chinese know the others don't? CZX.v, LUN.to, HUD.to
There is some life outside the US Misery:
Tata Motors (TML) has announced the commercial launch of the Nano keenly awaited across India since it’s unveiling on 10 January 2008.
Inflation surprises and jumps to 3.2%
"UK inflation defied expectations to rise in February for the first time in five months, triggering another exchange of letters between Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, and Alistair Darling, chancellor.
Inflation as measured by the consumer price index rose to 3.2 per cent in the year to last month, up from 3 per cent in January, and still more than 1 percentage point above the Bank’s target rate"
23, 2009
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture Exchange: CZX) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated January 26, 2009, it has been advised by Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co. Ltd. (“Tongling”) that the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Anhui, China, has approved Tongling’s application to invest in Canada Zinc Metals. Tongling will now apply for final approval from the Development and Reform Commission.
Canada Zinc Metals has entered into a financing arrangement with Tongling pursuant to which Tongling will purchase units equal to a 13% equity position in Canada Zinc Metals. Tongling has subscribed, by way of a non-brokered private placement, for 11,500,000 units of Canada Zinc Metals at a price of $0.425 per unit for gross proceeds of $4,887,500. Each unit consists of one common share and one half of a common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant shall entitle the purchaser to purchase, at any time within 24 months from closing, one common share of the Company at a price of $0.60 during the first year and at a price of $0.80 during the second year.
“We are pleased to be acquiring this initial stake in Canada Zinc Metals,” said Mr. Li Dongqing, Chief Engineering Officer of Tongling. “Along with the Akie property, the significant prospective land package in the Kechika Trough represents a potential long-term district development opportunity. We look forward to continuing to build our relationship with the Company.”
Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co. Ltd., based in Tongling, Anhui, is a state-owned holding company, and one of China's largest copper smelting companies. Tongling’s principal activities are exploration, mining, ore processing, smelting & refining and products processing of copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver and other non-ferrous and rare metals.
The financing is subject to receiving the necessary approvals of the relevant Chinese regulatory departments and the TSX Venture Exchange.
About Canada Zinc Metals Corp.
Canada Zinc Metals is a mineral exploration company focused on unlocking the potential of a future long life mining district in British Columbia, Canada. The Company is the dominant land holder in a world class mineral belt called the Kechika Trough which hosts in excess of 80 million tonnes of base metal resources. Canada Zinc Metals owns a total of 78,526 hectares in 233 claims which extend northwestward from the Akie property for a distance of 125 km.
About the Akie Property
The Akie zinc-lead property is situated within the southern-most part (Kechika Trough) of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.
Drilling on the Akie property by Inmet Mining Corporation during the period 1994 to 1996 and by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead SEDEX mineralization (Cardiac Creek deposit). The deposit is hosted by variably siliceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian ‘Gunsteel’ formation. The Company has filed a NI 43-101 report supporting the estimated inferred resource of 23.6 million tonnes grading 7.6% Zn, 1.5% Pb and 13.0 g/t Ag (at a 5% Zn cut off grade). The complete NI 43-101 technical report, titled “Geology, Diamond Drilling and Preliminary Resource Estimation, Akie Zinc-Lead-Silver Property, Northeast British Columbia, Canada” and dated May 30, 2008, can be viewed on SEDAR.
Two similar deposits, Cirque and South Cirque, located some 20 km northwest of Akie and owned under a joint venture by Teck Cominco and Korea Zinc, are also hosted by Gunsteel rocks and have a combined geologic inventory in excess of 50 million tonnes.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
US Dollar Collapse, Inflation monitor, Casino is Broken. DXY, HUI, XAU, TNR.v, ASM.v, RMK.v, SBB.v, OK.v, BTT.v, GBN.v, KTN.v, FVI.v, CGH.to, SAX.to,
This is a Double Top Bearish Reversal on US Dollar weekly chart.
Our recent Crash Alert is signaling the tectonic shift in intrinsic value of US Dollar. More and more voices are rising about New Reserve Currency as the main agenda of coming G20 meeting in London. First in Davos Putin openly spoke about it, everybody pretends not listening. Then Chinese Premier talked about it privately in Europe on Tour.
Now we have a few developments and world better listen, this Open Letter Europe 2020 is published today in FT as advertisement:
London G20 Summit: Last chance before global geopolitical dislocation Open letter to the G20 leaders
"...1. The key to solving the crisis lies in creating a new international reserve currency!
The first recommendation is a very simple idea: reform the international monetary system inherited post-WWII and create a new international reserve currency.The US Dollar and economy are no longer capable of supporting the current global economic, financial and monetary order. As long as this strategic problem is not directly addressed and solved, the crisis will grow. Indeed it is at the heart of the crises of derivative financial products, banks, energy prices ... and of their consequences in terms of mass unemployment and collapsing living standards. It is therefore of vital importance that this issue should be the main subject of London's G20 summit, and that the first steps towards a solution are initiated..."
At G20, Kremlin to Pitch New Currency
"The Kremlin published its priorities Monday for an upcoming meeting of the G20, calling for the creation of a supranational reserve currency to be issued by international institutions as part of a reform of the global financial system..."
Nobody cares? Wait a moment one...very important voice:
"China calls for the creation of a new currency to eventually replace the dollar as the world's standard, reflecting a growing unhappiness with the U.S. role in the world economy.
The Wall Street Journal.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Lithium: The question is not whether the world can cope with three billion cars—but how. TNR.v, SQM, WLC.v, CLQ.v, GM, F, FXI, TMT, GOOG, AAPL, RIMM,
...But if that yearning is to be satisfied without destroying the planet, the cars themselves will have to change a great deal. Mr Ghosn of Renault-Nissan reckons that the industry has to develop vehicles with very low or zero emissions as quickly as resources and technology will allow. It is widely believed that the market for such cars for the foreseeable future will be confined to rich countries with well-organised environmental lobbies and politicians who want to establish green credentials—and indeed much of the pressure on the carmakers to reduce carbon emissions is coming from legislators in Europe and California. But two powerful forces are at work to ensure that emerging markets will get the new clean technologies sooner rather than later.
The first is the global nature of the car industry and its need for scale. Cars made by the big foreign-brand car firms in the BRICs are often tweaked for those markets, but they are no longer discontinued cast-offs from Europe, Japan, South Korea and America. Even those low-cost Renault Logans usually come with airbags, anti-lock brakes and air-conditioning because customers want them and because they are fairly cheap to provide. The well-equipped Hyundai i10s being made in Chennai for Indians differ only very slightly from those destined for export.
The second is that emerging markets often leapfrog old technologies. Many parts of the world that never got round to building a traditional fixed-line telecoms infrastructure now have mobile networks offering widespread coverage and high-speed data transmission; and places that never had analogue television now enjoy multichannel digital satellite television.
Even though the internal combustion engine still has a lot of life left in it, the big carmakers around the world now broadly agree that the move away from mineral energy is unstoppable. Having long derided the hybrid Toyota Prius for its complexity and expense, just about every manufacturer is now planning to launch vehicles with hybrid powertrains within the next few years, taking advantage of rapidly improving battery technology. In particular, car companies think that the lightweight, fast-charging lithium-ion batteries used to power laptop computers and mobile phones are now robust enough to be fitted to road vehicles too.
One of the first of the next-generation hybrids will be Chevrolet’s Volt, which is propelled by an electric motor that can be recharged from the mains. The Volt also has a small petrol engine that acts as a generator to extend the car’s range. Such cars are now seen as essential to the industry’s future; indeed for GM itself the Volt could prove to be a lifesaver. At first they will be more expensive than their conventional equivalents, but as production rises, helped along by favourable tax treatment, their price will quickly fall.
Mr Ghosn thinks that the hybrids themselves may be only a bridging technology on the way to cars powered by batteries alone. His Renault-Nissan alliance, in partnership with NEC, an electronics giant, is pushing ahead with plans to launch all-electric vehicles that look and feel like conventional cars by 2010. Only fully electric cars, Mr Ghosn reckons, will allow the expected growth in car ownership without disastrous consequences for the planet. Governments of developing countries have every interest in combating air pollution and substituting locally generated electric power for expensive imported oil. Alex Molinaroli of Johnson Controls, a big car-parts firm that specialises in battery technology, thinks that electric vehicles might be introduced on a large scale in China ahead of western Europe and America. He says China is well placed to introduce a new electric-car infrastructure partly because it still has relatively few petrol stations. “They don’t have a legacy cost chasing them around,” he explains.
Emerging-market manufacturers are also getting to work on the new cars. In September Tata Motors announced plans to launch an electric version of the Indica in Norway (where Tata has a technology partner) next year before bringing it back to India. In China DongFeng will start making a hybrid car under its own brand next year. Another Chinese carmaker, BYD, a subsidiary of one of the world’s biggest battery manufacturers, has developed a battery technology of its own that it claims has significant advantages over both lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride (the type of battery used in the current Prius). It says its ferrous batteries are not only much cheaper but can also be recharged to 50% of their capacity within ten minutes. The world’s canniest investor, Warren Buffett, recognises the technology’s potential: his Berkshire Hathaway group has taken a 10% stake in BYD.
US Dollar collapse: Inflation watch, Budget Deficit. DXY, HUI, XAU, TNR.v, RMK.v, SBB.v, OK.v, MGN, GBN.v, CGH.to, BTT.v, ASM.v, AMM.to
Budget deficit, Debt and Currency value explained in English.
Now for the real bad news: Both estimates are optimistic. If the economy continues to deteriorate faster than economists project, those numbers will balloon further.
Over the next decade, the CBO projects that the White House budget will run $9.3 trillion in deficits. The White House projection had been $7 trillion. The problem for Obama, as his budget moves to Congress: Lawmakers tend to trust CBO figures over all others. "CBO's word is the gospel," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement."
Friday, March 20, 2009
Lithium: Peak Oil, Obama, Electric Cars and Mobility. OIL, OIH, TNR.v, GOOG, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, GM, F, TMT, AAPL, RIMM, GDX, FCX
Newmont Mining Denies Interest in Merger With Barrick Gold. ABX, NEM, TNR.v, CGH.to, AMM.to, SAX.to, RMK.v, GBN.v, BTT.v
Roxmark Mines RMK.v: Premier PG.to Hardrock Drilling Returns best gold intersection to-date and defines strong gold mineralization at tenacity target.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Lukas Lundin's Suramina Resources SAX.to Signs Letter of Intent With Jogmec Over Jose Maria Copper/Gold Project in Argentina. SAX.to, CGH.to, TNR.v
The Jose Maria JEA provides for JOGMEC to acquire 40% of Suramina's interest in the project. In consideration, JOGMEC will expend a total of US $7 million in exploration expenditures over a period of three years which includes a US $1 million contribution to support past Suramina Jose Maria exploration investments. Upon JOGMEC earn-in being reached, the partners will fund ongoing expenditures on Jose Maria pro-rata to their ownership interest.
Jose Maria is a large copper/gold porphyry project near the Vicuna group of properties in the high Andes with the deposit located just east of the Chilean border in San Juan Province, Argentina. A portion of the Company's properties in this region straddling the Chilean/Argentine border are already under a joint exploration agreement with JOGMEC, whereby Suramina as Operator has a 60% interest and JOGMEC holds 40% of the original interest held by Suramina. Drilling is currently in progress at the nearby Los Helados and Cerro Blanco copper/gold porphyry projects directly across the border in Chile as part of this season's multi-target exploration program being jointly funded by the JOGMEC/Suramina partnership.
Jose Maria is one of the Company's more advanced projects with a NI 43-101 inferred resource of 460Mt @ 0.39% Cu and 0.30g/t Au at a 0.3% TCu cut-off (please see news release dated December 5, 2007 for complete details). The last phase of drilling at Jose Maria indicates that the deposit remains open to the northwest and at depth. Over 21,600 meters of primarily reverse circulation drilling have been conducted to date with each successive drill campaign adding significantly to the resource base. Next phases of Jose Maria exploration will focus on advanced geophysics and core drilling in pursuit of better defining high grade gold and copper zones as well as extending the resource size to the maximum extent.
Signing of the Jose Maria JEA follows a successful multi-year partnership that the Company has maintained with JOGMEC. This partnership has resulted in successful drill programs on several porphyry targets in the Vicuna property package, including drilling which led to the discovery of a new copper-gold porphyry deposit at Los Helados in Chile. Suramina's exploration programs are carried out under the direction and management of J. Patricio Jones (PhD). Dr. Jones and his team discovered the Veladero gold deposit in Argentina, were responsible for the initial development of the Bajo de Alumbrera copper-gold project and subsequently have led the discovery of the Jose Maria, Filo del Sol, Los Helados and Cerro Blanco copper/gold porphyries all in the Vicuna area. The technical contents of this release have been reviewed and verified by Mr. Paul K. Conibear, P.Eng., Director of Suramina Resources Inc., who is an appropriately qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Lukas Lundin, Chairman
US Dollar Collapse: Dollar fell out of bed - somebody has explained to the green fellow QE. DXY, HUI, XAU, GDL, SLV, TNR.v, RMK.v, SBB.v, MGN, SLW,
How to invest in Lithium leveraged plays, Electric cars and Green Obama Energy. Updated TNR.v, RM.v, LIT, LIT.v, LI.v, SQM, WLC.v, CLQ.v, GM, F, TMT, GOOG, AAPL, OIL, OIH, CS
Updated August 21st, 2010.
Next Bull: Lithium. May, 2010
James Dines on Gold, Rare Eraths and Uranium with Jim Paplava. Feb. 2010
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- Lithium Race: Richard Mills: Obama's Clean Energy Agenda on Track TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LIT, LIT.v, TSLA, BYDDY, NSANY, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, AVL.to, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Electric Cars, Batteries and Lithium: Next Big Thing in action TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, LI.v, RM.v, LIT.v, LAT.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, GM, F, NSANY, HEV (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Lithium and REE: Begining of the Bull: Jim Puplava with James Dines on Uranium, Gold and Rare Earths TNR.v, CZX.v, TSLA, RM.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Lithium M&A Watch: Salares Lithium is still Halted, other stocks to watch now. TNR.v, LIT.v, RM.v, LI.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LAT.v, ORE.ax, TSLA, GM (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Rare Earth Elements, Peak Oil and Lithium: James Dines with Jim Puplava. TNR.v, CZX.v, TSLA, LIT, AVL.to, RES.v, RM.v, LIT.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- China's Electric Car Revolution will drive Lithium market. TNR.v, CZX.v, LIT.v, TSLA, RM.v, LI.v, LAT.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, HEV, AONE, BYDDY, NSANY, F, GM, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- First Uranium, than Potash, Now Copper and Lithium: Friedland sees blue skies for copper on "phenomeon" of Electric Cars TNR.v, CZX.v, LIT, TSLA, LIT;v, RM.v, LI.V, WLC.v, CLQ.v (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- TNR Gold Corp.: $1 Million Drill Program Planned Mariana Lithium Brine Project, Argentina TNR.v, CZX.v, LIT, TSLA, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, LAT.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, HEV, AONE, GM, NSANY, BYDDY, F, DAI, RNO, BMW, GOOG, AAPL (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Lithium Therapy: Richard Mills: Dow/Gold & Summer Doldrums TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, AMM.to, SGC.v, GRC.to, NGQ.to, BVG.v, BVA.v, ALK.ax, BTT.v, VTR.v, MGN, CGP.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT, TSLA, LI.v, AVL.to, HAO.v, ABN.v, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
- Lithium Spark: Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in goes into production TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, TSLA, LIT, LIT.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, AVL.to, RES.v, BYDDY, GM, F, NSANY, FCX, RTP, BHP, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
Volta Resources VTR.to undertakes extensive auger drilling program to test potential between the Dienemera and Gongondy deposits at the Gaoua project.
On February 5, 2009, the Company announced an independent NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate for the Gongondy and Dienemera deposits on the Gaoua copper-gold porphyry project based on 26,661 metres of diamond drilling in 92 holes and 1,305 metres in 15 reverse circulation ("RC") holes (See Volta press release dated February 5 2009). The NI 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR on, or before, March 22 2009.
At a 0.45% copper equivalent cut-off grade, the Dienemera and Gongondy deposits host an initial Inferred Resource of 82,600,000 tonnes grading 0.40% copper and 0.40 g/t gold for a total of 724,880,000 lbs of copper and 1,072,900 ounces of gold. The individual resource estimate for each deposit is provided in the table below. Copper Equivalent (CuEQ) has been calculated from assumed revenues of USD 3,000 per tonne of copper and USD 700 per ounce of gold with metallurgical recovery assumed to be 85% and 70% respectively based on initial QEMSCAN results. Gold grade has been multiplied by 0.6 and added to the copper grade to provide CuEQ grade. The cut off grade further assumes typical costs of USD 2 per tonne for mining and USD 10 per tonne for processing and general administration costs.
US Dollar collapse, Inflation watch: Dollar has slided below 84 in a Waterfall mode. DXY, GDX, HUI, XAU, RMK.v, TNR.v, BTT.v, GBN.v, OK.v, MGN, SLW,
Federal Reserve plan stuns investors
By Krishna Guha in Washington
Published: March 18 2009 18:17 Last updated: March 18 2009 23:40
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday stunned investors by announcing plans to buy $300bn of US government debt, triggering a plunge in bond yields and the dollar.
In a further display of aggression, the US central bank also said it was more than doubling its purchases of securities issued by housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $1,450bn. It said it now expected to keep interest rates near zero for an “extended period” of time.
The yield on 10-year US Treasuries plummeted 50 basis points to 2.50 per cent, while private borrowing rates fell by roughly half as much. Equities bounced with big gains in troubled banks such as Citigroup and Bank of America. But the dollar fell 3.2 per cent against the euro and 2.3 per cent against the yen.
Interactive feature
Quantitative easing explained
Goldman Sachs said the Fed was throwing the “kitchen sink” at the problem. The plan to buy Treasuries caught investors off guard. “It appears that they wanted to give the market a jolt,” said Peter Hooper, an economist at Deutsche Bank.
The last time the central bank attempted to bring down yields on long-term securities through direct intervention came during the ill-fated Operation Twist in the 1960s. Recent comments by Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve chairman, and William Dudley, New York Fed president, did not suggest that Treasury purchases were imminent.
But the deterioration in the US outlook, problems rolling out the US financial rescue plan and the Bank of England’s success in buying UK government gilts seem to have persuaded the Fed to act.
Alan Ruskin, a strategist at RBS, said it was a “flip-flop” that “could be cast as a sign of desperation” but “confirmed that Bernanke will do whatever it takes to get some hold of the problem”.
The Fed said it would concentrate on Treasuries with maturities of two to 10 years. It said its objective was to “improve conditions in private credit markets” – not to help the government finance its mounting deficits. The Bank of Japan said it was stepping up its purchases of Japanese government debt by about a third to Y1,800bn a month.
Wednesday’s Fed announcement will increase the size of its balance sheet by another $1,150bn to about $3,000bn even before the roll-out of a $1,000bn scheme to finance credit markets. Once this scheme is fully implemented, its balance sheet could approach $4,000bn – nearly a third the size of the US economy.
A swollen Fed balance sheet runs the risk that the US central bank may find it difficult to manage down the money supply when the economy turns, raising the possibility of inflation.
Gold surged in response to the Fed’s announcement, rocketing from a session low of $884.10 a troy ounce to a high of $942.90, a jump of 6.6 per cent.
Additional reporting by Michael Mackenzie, Kiran Stacey and Anuj Gangahar in New York
TNR Gold TNR.v: Alaska is heating up. US$59 Million Work Program to Prepare Pebble Project for Permitting. TNR.v, NG.to, NDM.to, HUI, XAU, GDX
Pending the outcome of engineering trade-off studies currently underway, the PLP Board is expected to meet in August 2009 to finalize the Prefeasibility Study schedule and authorize additional program expenditures this year.
"The primary focus of the Pebble Partnership team in 2009 will be to produce the optimal project design, from an environmental, social and economic perspective," said Northern Dynasty President & CEO Ron Thiessen. "Not only does PLP expect to finalize a Prefeasibility Study, it will also be preparing to enter the state and federal permitting process under NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) in 2010.
"These are significant project goals and milestones, and the PLP Board of Directors has approved an equally ambitious budget and work program for 2009."
Roxmark Mines RMK.v acquires remaining interest in Leitch gold property. RMK.v, PG.to, GDX, GDL, HUI, XAU
As consideration for the acquisition of the 37% interest in the Property (the "Acquisition"), Roxmark has paid AdvantEXCEL $103,000 and issued to AdvantEXCEL 1,150,000 common shares of Roxmark. The said common shares are subject to a hold period expiring on July 19, 2009. Pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition, the joint venture agreement relating to the Property previously in place between Roxmark and AdvantEXCEL has terminated.
The Leitch Mine, once one of Canada's richest, operated continuously from 1937 to 1965, processing 906,395 tons with a recovery of 0.92 oz. of gold per ton yielding 860,648 oz. gold at US$35/oz. It was serviced by a three-compartment shaft to 3,006', with a winze from the 19th or 2,875' level to the 30th or 4,525' level. The Property has historical resources which are not NI 43-101 compliant, are based on insufficient exploration work, and should not be relied upon.
Further information is available on the Company's website at http://www.roxmark.com/ and on SEDAR under the Company's profile at http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ah_yK.aRKXn1gbD2GMG0XtbOMaoB/SIG=10q41mvbm/**http%3A//www.sedar.com/.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Lithium: TNR Gold TNR.v Acquires Canadian Lithium Projects. TNR.v, FXI, SQM, GM, F, GOOG, RIMM, AMZN, CLQ.v, WLC.v
Wednesday March 18, 2009, 11:36 am EDT
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 18, 2009) - TNR Gold Corp. ("TNR" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:TNR - News) is pleased to announce the acquisition by staking of the Forgan Lake and Niemi properties in the province of Ontario, which host Lithium and Rare Earth Elements (REE).
"Given the rapid penetration of high-powered portable devices, efficient hybrid motor vehicles, and the increasing prominence of lithium ion batteries as green energy alternatives in our daily lives, lithium is emerging as the highly sought-after commodity of the 21st century." President Gary Schellenberg adds, "We are pleased to add these properties in order to diversify the TNR portfolio as it aligns with our philosophy to be at the forefront of developing resources for the incoming demand of sustainable energy solutions. These acquisitions are the first of many progressive steps in establishing ourselves as a prominent Lithium and REE explorer."
Forgan Lake Project
The Forgan Lake Project comprised of 16 contiguous claims located east of Forgan Lake within the Thunder Bay District of Ontario. The project area, which hosts four previously drilled spodumene-bearing pegmatites, is part of the Georgia Lake pegmatite field, an area of considerable lithium and REE exploration since its discovery in the mid-1950's.
The four pegmatites, known as the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, were part of a drilling campaign carried out in 1955 by Lun-Echo Gold Mines Limited. Of the 39 diamond drill holes, 33 holes were drilled on TNR's Forgan Lake property. Pegmatite is a coarse-grained igneous rock that can potentially host economic amounts of lithium amongst valuable REE such as tantalum, beryllium, niobium, and more.
The No. 1 pegmatite has been traced on surface for about 274.3 m at an average width of 9.1 m. It contains 30% medium to coarse-grained spodumene and sporadic black columbite ((Fe, Mn)2(Nb, Ta)2O6) crystals up to 3.8 cm long. Channel samples to note include: three samples averaging 2.57% Li2O over 6.4 m width; two samples, 24.4 m southwest of the first three, averaged 4.23% Li2O over 7.5 m width; and two samples 68.6 m farther southwest averaging 1.98% Li2O over 7.6 m width. The No. 2 pegmatite, which is similar in composition to No. 1, has been traced in outcrop for 45.7 m with an exposed width of 13.7 m.
The No. 3 pegmatite, located northwest of the No. 1 pegmatite, has been traced from Lucky Lake, a small body of water in the northeastern corner of the property, to southwest for 320.0 m with an averaged exposed width of 6.1 m. The No. 3 pegmatite contains approximately 25% spodumene. Lun-Echo explored this pegmatite with 10 diamond holes, totalling 832.1 m, at intervals of 30.5 to 61.0 m. The best intersection contained a 1.52 m section averaging 1.78% Li2O.
The No. 4 pegmatite has been traced on surface for approximately 243.8 m with an average surface width of 4.6 m. The pegmatite contains 10-15% fine to medium-grained spodumene.
In addition to historic drill confirmations, all identified pegmatites have not been delineated at Forgan Lake and thus the full extents of the deposits remain open.
Furthermore, the potential for other REE anomalies remains promising, as historic work by Lun-Echo Gold Mines Ltd. analyzed drill core exclusively for Li2O. Columbite has been noted in at least two of the four pegmatites on the Forgan Lake property is a further indication that an assessment of REE occurrences could also significantly increase the value of the Forgan Lake Property.
Niemi Lithium Project
The Niemi Lithium property consists of four contiguous claims located 27 kilometres South East of the Forgan Lake property.
Drilling and surface mapping in the 1950's by Lun-Echo Gold Mines Ltd. traced the pegmatite for a length of 128 m striking parallel to the metasediments. The pegmatite was estimated to be up to 9.3 m thick and 30.5 m wide. In 1955, Lun-Echo Gold Mines Ltd. investigated the property with a 35 vertical x-ray diamond drill hole program totalling 405.4 m. The drilling results include 1.02% and 2.0% Li2O over 4.72 m and 1.52 m, respectively. As on the Forgan Lake property, Lun-Echo analyzed only for Li2O hence leaving tremendous discovery potential for REE.
The Georgia Lake pegmatite field is approximately 32 km by 105 km, hosting over 38 known REE occurrences and 10 known spodumene pegmatite deposits. There are other very significant spodumene-bearing pegmatite deposits, such as Georgia Lake, Point, Jackpot and Salo, which occur within 3 km of the Niemi occurrence.
"We are encouraged that the Lithium content from the historic sampling programs on our newly acquired projects are in line with other Canadian deposits, such as the Nama Creek around Georgia Lake, Ontario with 3.9 million tonnes grading at 1.06% Li2O and the Preissac-Lacorne in Quebec with 19 Million tonnes grading at 1.25% Li2O (Sinclair, 2001)," commented Schellenberg. "By focusing on all economic rare earth commodities within the pegmatite instead of just lithium, we believe the Niemi Lithium deposit holds tremendous potential."
This news release has been prepared under the supervision of Ike Osmani, PGeo, TNR's qualified person on this news release.
ABOUT TNR
TNR is a diversified base metals, precious metals, and energy exploration company focused on identifying new prospective projects internationally with a large portfolio of 15 properties in Argentina and well as overseeing the exploration and development of the Iliamna and Shotgun projects in Alaska through its new wholly owned US subsidiary, Bristol Exploration Co. Inc.
Even as a global slowdown grips the economy, a clear shift to energy efficient solutions and power conservation will reveal that TNR is well positioned to benefit our shareholders.
On behalf of the board,
Gary Schellenberg, President
Statements in this press release other than purely historical information, historical estimates should not be relied upon, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, are forward-looking statements. News release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business, including risks inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
US Dollar Crash Alert: level 87 is crucial! DXY, TYX, VIX, HUI, XAU, SLW, MGN
Decoupling: China relaxes rules for firms to invest overseas FXI, RTP, BHP, CZX.v, Mai.to, TNR.v
China, the world's No. 3 economy and the biggest foreign owner of U.S. Treasury bonds, is keen to diversify the investments made using its nearly $2 trillion pool of foreign-exchange reserves, the world's biggest.
Although China is also turning more cautious in overseas investment after the global financial crisis left some firms nursing heavy losses in overseas acquisitions, outbound mergers and acquisitions by Chinese companies still leapt 64 percent last year to $47.8 billion, Thomson Reuters data showed.
Now according to new rules that take effect on May 1, local authorities under the Ministry of Commerce will have the power to give approval for most corporate overseas investment projects, the ministry said in rules published late on Monday on its website, www.mofcom.gov.cn.
The ministry will only retain the power to give approval for corporate overseas investment worth $100 million and above for a single project or investment in a country that does not have diplomatic relations with China, the rules said.
The rules apply to the establishment, mergers and acquisitions of only non-financial companies, the ministry said.
The official Shanghai Securities News said on Tuesday the changes meant 85 percent of Chinese foreign investment projects would be approved by local commerce authorities when the new rules come into effect.
The newspaper also quoted the ministry's spokesman, Yao Jian, as saying that most corporate overseas investment projects would be approved within three days of their application.
On March 5, Beijing also promulgated new regulations to devolve some authority for approving more foreign investment projects to local authorities, making it easier for foreign investors to set up shop in China.
Under these regulations, merger deals involving foreign investment in China in most sectors with a price tag below $100 million only need approval from local commerce authorities, rather than the ministry. Sectors where foreign investment is "forbidden" or "restricted" are excluded from the changes.
The easing comes amid a slowdown in inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI). China drew $13.37 billion in FDI in the first two months of this year, 26.2 percent less than in the same period in 2008. (Reporting by Lu Jianxin; Editing by Ken Wills)