Mining News: Full Metal finds high-tech metal deposit

Tag : zinc coat
Mining News: Full Metal finds high-tech metal deposit
Junior reports high grades of zinc, lead and silver along withshowings of indium in samples from nine holes in LWM deposit

Mining News
Full Metal Minerals reported assay results July 16 showing indiumamong metals present in the LWM deposit at its Fortymile propertyin East-Interior Alaska.
The Vancouver, B.C.-based junior mining company also releasedresults from another nine holes drilled at the high-gradezinc-silver-lead-copper deposit.
Among highlights of the assay results:
LWM08-28: 1.6 meters true width averaging 26.2 percent Zinc, 14.3percent Lead and 246.0 g/t Silver
LWM08-32: 19.9 meters true width averaging12.5 percent Zinc, 8.1percent Lead and 158.7 g/t Silver
LWM08-33: 7.7 meters true width averaging12.7 percent Zinc, 15.6percent Lead and 259.6 g/t Silver
LWM08-34: 3.7 meters true width averaging17.3 percent Zinc, 9.5percent Lead and 158.3 g/t Silver
LWM08-41: 3.6 meters true width averaging 4.7 percent Zinc, 33.5percent lead and 459.4 g/t silver
Two subparallel zones of massive carbonate-replacementmineralization have been traced over 550 meters of strike lengthand over 300 meters below surface. LWM is open for expansion in alldirections.
Drill hole LWM08-41 is the farthest southwestern step-out holecompleted to date on the property. It encountered multiplehigh-grade zones of both zinc-dominant and lead-dominantmineralization.
Mineralization occurs within dolomitized marble host rock, with theprimary zone located adjacent to a fault zone. In the southwesternarea of drilling , surface oxidation is locally variable in the upper zone. In someareas, the oxidation extends to over 200 meters below surface; thelower zone is typically less oxidized, with primary sulphidecommonly located at surface. In the northeast, surface oxidation ismuch shallower. The thickness of mineralization can varydramatically in CRD systems, with this variability common at LWM.
Rare metal often mined with zinc Nine individual samples collected from three holes also wereanalyzed for indium, averaging 16.1 g/t.
Indium is a rare, soft, malleable and easily fusible metal that ischemically similar to aluminum or gallium but more closelyresembles zinc.
Indium is about three times as abundant as silver and Canada is aleading producer. It currently trades for about $745 per kilogramand is generally mined with zinc ore.
Indium is used in many high-tech applications, primarily to formtransparent electrodes from indium tin oxide in liquid crystaldisplays of LCD screens and solar panels. The metal is also widelyused in thin-films to form lubricated layers (during World War IIit was widely used to coat bearings in high-performance aircraft).It is also used for making particularly low melting point alloys,and is a component in some lead-free solders.
One unusual property of indium is that its most common isotope isslightly radioactive; it very slowly decays by beta emission totin. This radioactivity is not considered hazardous, mainly becauseindium has such a long half-life, 50,000 times that of naturalthorium.
China is the worlds leading producer of indium (550,000 pounds in2007), though the Teck Cominco Ltd. refinery in Trail, B.C. is the worlds largest single source.The Trail refinery, which processes indium-laced zinc concentratesfrom Alaska, produced the lions share of Canadas indium output of110,000 pounds last year.
Full Metal said it will conduct more tests for indium at theFortymile property.
The LWM discovery, the Fish oxide zinc-silver discovery, and itsOscar, Eva and Drumstick regional targets occur within an extensivetrend of CRD-style prospects, the majority of which have never beendrill-tested.
Also, surface exploration crews have identified new target areas and prospects during the2008 exploration program, the company said.
Full Metal has options to earn numerous 100 percent leaseholdinterests within 235,376 acres of lands selected by Doyon Ltd ., the Alaska Native regional corporation for the northern Interior. Subscribe to Petroleum News