Ann: High grade Niobium results from Equador - Brazil, page-1139

Interesting read on WA1's ann yesterday of met work results from Luni ore.

The 4 deposits mentioned in the graphic below, are weathered carbonatite deposits - and other than WA1 these 3 are the main ones producing and supply ~90% of the worlds Nb. (not sure about the Ta because quite a bit of it comes as a by-product on other ores)

SUM's Nb and Ta projects are in pegmatites, where we could expect the grade to be higher in the mineralised sections, but that remains to be seen because of the need for bulk mining which would bring up quite a bit of gangue.
It could be that the pegs are associated with a carbonatite intrusion which presents a different picture going forward, otherwise the better analogy might be with Li pegs.
However Nb minerals are much heavier than Li minerals (Columbite ~~ 8 tonnes/m3 - I will check figures and post for reference) so as the pegs cool there might be significant separation and concentration.

All very interesting - and WA1 reclaimed a sharp SP fall on that news.



For further interest - Li Pegs were mined in The Black Hills of Dakota over a century ago - gems stones were a main attraction (from my memory) - the Li bearing spod. came in huge crystals (tens of feet long) and the question for metallurgists and mineralogists was 'why did they not settle, because they were heavier than the remaining melt' - I cant see any problem with our Coltan settling, but maybe Sandro Knows !!

Cheers - GL all, DYOR