Hi guys,
I don’t think that GPP’s anns “AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE UP TO A 74% INTEREST IN GUYANESE LITHIUM AND TANTALUM PROJECT” on Sept.20 is understood well by the market because the anns was very technical and Guyana was not known by our market. That has been quite a good opportunity by some knowledgeable people to buy in after the anns. Including me (to buy a lot more).
GPP’s claims on the anns was great;
“ District scale Lithium, Tantalum + Rare Earth Elements within LCT type Pegmatites
- Over 40 km of pegmatite vein/dyke network identified
- Widespread Ta/Nb alluvial deposits identified historically”
But I needed to find a way of confirming these claims to get close to the idea.
Then I have made a comprehensive research about GPP’s Morabisi Lithium/Tantalum project in Guyana in last two weeks. I have learned a lot about the geological occurrences of lithium and tantalum deposits around the world and compared them with Guyana, I got the documents and maps form the Mining department of Guyana web site, compared and evaluated them with the information in hand.
As a result this project is very exciting. This could be a mother of all lithium plays in ASX IMO. Time will tell that in deed.
Because of the strong
“district scale” tantalum (and niobium) occurrences in this
greenstone belt area (alike Pilbara and Greenbushes),
it is highly probable that LCT pegmatites may come up as complex type and contains spodumene.
Due diligence is under process by the company. If they chose to exercise the option and make a rock chip sampling and then a drilling campaign that would let us know a lot. If the mapped LCT type pegmatites are lithium bearing, the area is so big, that would be a world class lithium and tantalum niobium mine then.
The spodumene is already identified on one of those pegmatites according to GPP’s anns.
And the current widespread artisanal coltan (tantalum-niobium) mining in the area means we have a great chance.
See the road map to find the lithium as spodumene on the classification table below.
-Find the granite; greenstone belt is the best and it’s there in the Morabisi project.
-Finding the LCT type pegmatites are the main step. It’s there in the Morabisi project.
-Then it should be a complex type pegmatite. Yes, it looks like quite a complex one in the Morabisi project.
-If it’s a complex type then we will be able to find the spodumene. It is already identified in one of the dyke/outcrops but needs more investigation.
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I have bought enough GPP shares and now I want to share my research with you now.
Let’s start with its size, because…
THE SIZE MATTERS
The project is in Guyana and the permit area (not awarded yet) 950,000 acres = 3,840 km2.
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IT’S AS BIG AS THE EASTERN PILBARA REGION
See the GPP Morabisi Project vs Pilbara region graphic below. GPP’s Morabisi project is as big as the whole of Eastern Pilbara which all of the main lithium projects are located including Pilbara Minerals, Altura Mining, Dakota Minerals, Metalcity, Fortescue Metals, Lithium Australia, Lithium Power, Venus Metals, etc.
I have also overlaid the terrain map on Pilbara region to show how big the prospective area could be.
View attachment 281837
THERE IS ALREADY COLTAN (TANTALUM-NIOBIUM) IN THE AREA WHICH MATTERS A LOT FOR FINDING LITHIUM…
We have given only the map below (Fig.2) by the company. You can see all the geology is briefly explained on it.
The base geology is Greenstone belt. Two mean shear zones of Guiana shield (which is a structure of northern south America’s Guiana Shield) goes from NW to SE. There are a lot of fault lines crossing the shear zone from NE to SE (tat can’t be seen on this map). This could be the main reason for evaluation of complex LCT pegmatites.
You can see there is widespread artisanal coltan (tantalum-niobium) mining in the area (in 5 workings area). The existence of widespread tantalum mineral is strengthening the existence of high grade lithium mineralisation in deed.
The mapped LCT pegmatites are also marked in
Fig.2 map of GPP.
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It was not easy to see those LCT pegmatite dyke structures on the Google Earth because the area is Amazon like green, then I have got the terrain map of the area from Google Maps and
highlighted the mapped LCT pegmatites.
Now we can see the
LCT pegmatite dyke structures easily and clearly below.
They are huge and they have an interesting
distinctive circular structure (dyke rings).
View attachment 281843
WHERE THERE IS A LOTS OF TANTALUM,
THEN YOU CAN LOOK FOR LITHIUM
Because it is well know that
LCT pegmatite Lithium deposits are strongly associated mainly with tantalum (and Niobium) deposits.
GPP’s anns and maps say that the permit area is at the hearth of tantalum and niobium district. To confirm this I downloaded
“Mineral Occurrence Map of Guyana” from
Guyana Geology and Mines Commission –GGMC. (I precisely marked the project area on it).
And yes, I was able to see that the specifically the Morabisi project area is prospective for tantalum and niobium and there are already widespread coltan mining activities (tantalum and niobium) in the area.
There is strong evidence that the Morabisi project permit area could have the potential to be a “district scale” Tantalum Niobium (Coltan) area.
You can download the larger version of map with full features from here.
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WHAT IS COLTAN?
Coltan' was an abbreviation for 'columbo-tantalite'. Columbite contains the element columbium, another name for niobium; tantalite contains tantalum.
Tantalum is a rare metal with unique properties. Chief among these is that with a melting point of 2996 degrees Celsius it's a superlative thermal conductor.
Almost two-thirds of the world's tantalum production ends up in high quality capacitors that are used in devices such as mobile phones and other electronic gadgets.
Only trace quantities are used in each device with a typical Nokia mobile phone, for instance, containing about 40 milligrams of the stuff. But being the golden age of gadgetry, tantalum should be in high demand.
The tantalum market is boutique in size with around 1000-1,300t required each year. The real market size is not known exactly because there is no open and established tantalum market around the world. However, it’s obvious that it is growing rapidly due to its use in the manufacture of capacitors used in wireless and hand-held devices.
Aug. 2016, the collected data for tantalum production is around only 1100 tons. (See below)
And the prices are about $100-$120 (
http://metalsplace.com/board/?s=62&req=2)
80% of the tantalum production is coming mainly from artisanal miners of DRC and Rwanda which is very low cost labour is used. So it is hard to compete for the western country deposits like Australia.
1. Rwanda: Mine Production: 600 metric tons (mixed resource with DRC)
2. Congo (DRC) : Mine Production: 200 metric tons
3. Brazil: Mine Production: 150 metric tons
4. China: Mine Production: 60 metric tons.
5. Australia: Mine Production: 50 metric tons
WHY IS TANTALUM (IN COLTAN FORM) IMPORTANT FOR GPP’S PROJECT?
Primary Tantalum and Niobium deposits can be divided into three main types, on the basis of the igneous rocks with which they are associated;
1. Carbonatites and associated rocks (Niobium is preferentially enriched, low tantalum)
2. Alkaline to peralkaline granites and syenites (low niobium and tantalum)
3. Granites and pegmatites of the LCT family (enriched in lithium (Li), caesium (Cs), tantalum)
We can see from this classification that the first two types are already low in tantalum and niobium. Granites and pegmatites of the LCT family are typically peraluminous and enriched in lithium, rubidium, caesium, beryllium, tin (Sn), tantalum and niobium (tantalum greater than niobium). Granites and pegmatites of this type are the main hosts for tantalum deposits across the world.
These granites may contain disseminated tantalum ore minerals, particularly concentrated in the uppermost parts of the granitic body.
Many of the largest tantalum deposits occur in pegmatite swarms.
LCT pegmatites can be divided into five types and the most prospective type for lithium mineral is the complex type (spodumene-petalite-amblygonite).
WHAT DOES CIRCULAR SERIES OF LCT PEGMATITES (DYKE RINGS) IN THE PROJECT AREA MEAN?
The area is very interesting. It is both in the alluvial catchment area as well as having circular dykes (complex rings) which is stated as LCT pegmatites by the company.
Company said on the anns. ;
“ District scale Lithium, Tantalum + Rare Earth Elements within LCT type pegmatites
- Over 40 km of pegmatite vein/dyke network identified
- Widespread Ta/Nb alluvial deposits identified historically”
In the permit area there is a distinctive structure (dyke rings) as explained at the page 9 of anns.;
“In the southern part of the Project Area, the Younger Basic rocks occur as a roughly circular series of dykes enclosing part of the Morabisi Batholith. Rather than being a true ring dyke complex, it is thought that this shape is related to intrusion along faults with a number of different orientations.
This rock type is also closely associated with the presence of LCT Type Pegmatites that represents the primary source for the lithium, tantalum, niobium, REE and gemstones mineralization in the Project Area, representing the main focus of the project.”
Those circular rings can be seen on the
Regional Geology Map Guyana below;
You can download the larger version of map with full features from here.
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Please see the terrain maps from Google maps and physical 3D maps from Maphill.
It was hard to see the LCT type pegmatites in the form of distinctive circular structure (dyke rings) on the satellite map because everywhere was completely green (Amazons!).
Google Map - Terrain
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Maphill - Phsical 3D
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IT IS A GREENSTONE BELT LIKE PILBARA AND GREENBUSHES!
It’s not coincidental but a geological formation of younger granites surrounded by older greenstone belt. The Greenstone geological setting similar to other lithium occurrences in WA (e.g. Pilbara and Greenbushes).
You can download the larger version of map with full features from here.
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YOUNGER GRANITES OVER GREENSTONE BELT!
This part of GPP’s anns. Is interesting;
(Page 5)
“The most important recent geological information covering the Project Area refers to a project funded by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), named “Morabisi North-Kamawari Project: A Summary of Geochemistry, Geology and Structure”, dated June 2002. This project provided important information on the geology and geochemistry of the rocks present in the Project Area, which after careful analysis by GSM, led to the conclusion that the Morabisi area has a high probability.”
(page 8)
“Geological information about the Morabisi Batholith in this area is derived from the GGMC Morabisi North – Kamawari Project... Outcrops of this unit are generally small, and scattered, and topography is subdued, with large areas of swamp. Previous authors (e.g. Allen 1963), have attempted to separate the Morabisi batholith into separate rock types, but not enough outcrop is present to support this. However enough evidence is present to suggest that this is a composite intrusion.
This rock type, as well as the LCT Type Pegmatites that occur near its contacts with country rocks, are considered the primary source for the lithium, tantalum, niobium, REE and gemstones mineralization within the Project Area, representing the main focus of the project.”
WORLD CLASS?
The Morabisi project area is definitely in the major REE and tantalum areas of the world. We can see it from the world mineral maps below. Those areas are closely associated with the Lithium bearing LCT pegmatites and REE deposits.
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF REE MINES AND DEPOSITS
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GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF TANTALUM AND NIOBIUM MINES, DEPOSITS AND MAJOR OCCURENCES
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GLOBAL RESERVE MAP FOR TANTALUM
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GUYANA IS EXTREMELY MINING FRIENDLY COUNTRY
As far as I understand from the documents Guyana is very mining friendly nation with low sovereign risk. GGMC have documented everything as much as they could. Even how to make the mining roads.
GGMC Maps
GGMC Documents
Good luck and thanks for reading.
Some more maps;
MAJOR GREENSTONE BELT AND SHEAR ZONE
AND LOCATION OF WORLD CLASS GOLD MINES
View attachment 281951
The project location also works as an alluvial catchment area because the Mazarina River flows down from the Pakaramia Mountains which is the highest (1700m) and important part of North eastern South America (Guiana Shield). This works good for “Widespread Ta/Nb alluvial deposits identified historically” claim on GPP’s anns.
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GUIANA SHIELD
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