Niobium and tantalum are currently being discussed in LondonCan...

Niobium and tantalum are currently being discussed in London

Can some of the more "knowledgeable" posters expand on the subject and perhaps Daicos in particular

Have a look at this from 2007 re Uranium and Rare Earths in particular:

http://www.thormining.com/docs/PDFs/Thor%20Mining%20Oct_07%20(2)Hardman.pdf

This bit was interesting:

However the samples from Daicos don?t just contain uranium minerals at almost 20% in some samples, they also contain niobium (Nb) at up to 28% and tantalum (Ta) at up to 25%. Both metals are highly saleable and are used in micro-electronic devices. On top of that potential, the combined REE (Rare Earth Element) content of the chip samples taken so far is up to an average of 3.5%. ?Typical? REE mines operate at concentrations of 2-4% combined REE

Firstly with reference to the Rare Earths:

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2010/8/Pages/Rare-Earths-Are-Becoming-a-Lot-More-Rare.aspx

And this article is relevant:

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2010/9/Pages/Chinese-Institutional-Investors-Look-at-Rare-Metals-Overseas.aspx

Secondly with reference to the Niobium and Tantalum:

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2010/6/Pages/EU-foresees-shortages-of-14-critical-minerals.aspx?k=niobium