TNR Gold samples up to 1,349 ppm Ta2O5 at Mavis Lake

2009-12-09 17:40 ET - News Release

Mr. Gary Schellenberg reports

TNR GOLD / INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM REPORTS SIGNIFICANT TANTALUM MINERALIZATION AT THE RARE METALS MAVIS LAKE PROJECT, ONT

TNR Gold Corp. and wholly owned International Lithium Corp. (ILC) are have released the results of the 2009 fall field program demonstrating strong and widespread tantalum mineralization on the 100-per-cent-owned Mavis Lake property located 15 kilometres northeast of Dryden in Northwestern Ontario.

Key point summary

• Thirty-eight per cent or 78 of 204 grab and channel samples returned assay values greater than 150 parts per million Ta2O5;

• 1,349 ppm and 1,246 ppm Ta2O5 from two grab samples, amongst highest reported in Northwestern Ontario;

• Highly evolved lithium-tantalum zonation identified similar to producing Tanco mine;

• Underexplored tantalum zone is significant exploration target.

"We are observing both high-grade well-evolved lithium and tantalum zonation as well as significant levels of cesium and rubidium on the Mavis Lake property," states Gary Schellenberg, president and chief executive officer of TNR Gold. "The project is clearly emerging as a premier multielement rare metals project and warrants a major exploration program in 2010."

2009 sampling programs

Two field programs were undertaken in 2009 to assess the lithium (Li), tantalum (Ta) and other rare metals potential of the Mavis Lake property. The initial field program consisted of reconnaissance prospecting and sampling. Samples collected from pegmatite 18 returned strong results for both Ta and Li with peak assay values of 3.61 Wt per cent Li2O (lithium oxide) in a grab sample and 1.24 Wt per cent Li2O over 5.3 metres in a composite channel sample (see news in Stockwatch Oct. 5, 2009). The follow-up program consisted of detailed mapping and sampling of the known pegmatite occurrences that returned high-grade lithium values up to 2.1 wt per cent Li2O in grab sample and 1.4 wt per cent Li2O over a 4.7-metre composite channel sample. In addition, a lithogeochemical survey over a 1,200-metre by 900-metre grid extended the lithium dispersion anomaly (greater than 50 ppm Li) by 1.1 kilometres to 4.5 km in total length (see news in Stockwatch Nov. 19, 2009). Of special note, 38 per cent (78 of 204 samples) graded better than 150 ppm Ta2O5 (tantalum oxide) demonstrating strong and widespread highly anomalous tantalum mineralization.

The highest tantalum values came from pegmatites 13, 14 and 16 which occur within an area of 500 by 800 metres that represents the known southeastern exploration limit for rare metal mineralization on the property. This highly prospective area of elevated tantalum values is underexplored and completely open to the east and southeast, and will be the major subject of field investigation in 2010. Samples from this area returned peak Ta2O5 values of 1,349 ppm (0.135 per cent) and 1,246 ppm (0.125 per cent) from the No. 16 and No. 14 pegmatites, respectively.

Dr. Frederick Breaks, special adviser for TNR Gold, stated, "The peak tantalum values observed are amongst the highest reported in Northwestern Ontario and when taken in conjunction with the strong widespread nature of the mineralization, this indicates significant exploration potential at the Mavis Lake property."

                     HIGHLIGHTED GRAB SAMPLE RESULTS

           Sample                             Li2O   Cs2O   Rb2O   Ta2O
Sample No.   type  Pegmatite Lithology        (ppm)  (ppm)  (ppm)  (ppm)

H373049      Grab  No. 16    Aplite             24      4      7   1349
H373047      Grab  No. 14    Pegmatite          74     20     10   1246
H373046      Grab  No. 14    Pegmatite         109     80    755    796
H372758      Grab  No. 14    Pegmatite-aplite 1550   1537  10021    782
H373050      Grab  No. 16    Aplite            143      8     31    757
H373043      Grab  No. 16    Pegmatite-aplite  175     30     10    736
H372603      Grab  No. 13    Pegmatite          28     17     13    723
H372645      Grab  No. 17    Aplite             70      6     40    613
H372759      Grab  No. 19    Aplite            147    245   2812    593
H372710      Grab  No. 17    Pegmatite        8634    164   2604    328
H372628      Grab  No. 17    Pegmatite       17202    164   2166    275
H372761      Grab  No. 19    Pegmatite       20109    583   3752    223

         HIGHLIGHTED CHANNEL SAMPLE RESULTS

Pegmatite   Width     Li2O    Ta2O5    Cs2O    Rb2O
               (m)    (Wt%)    (ppm)   (ppm)   (ppm)
 
11              1     1.02     90.1     114    3370
11              1     1.74     60.6     121    2472
11              1     1.66     87.3     129    2297
11              1     1.50     82.5     157    2932
11            0.7     0.90    185.0     250    4223
Wt. avg.      4.7     1.39     95.6     148    2985
11              1    0.004      164     119    2779

Samples with very high tantalum values tend to have low lithium values as is typical of sodic aplite and albitite-rock units that represent important host rocks for tantalum mineralization as exemplified by the Tanco mine in Manitoba, and the Wodgina and Greenbushes mines of Western Australia. However, there are samples with very high lithium values that also carry strongly anomalous tantalum. Examples of this strong multielement signature can be found in both grab samples in table, Highlighted grab sample results, and channel samples in table, Highlighted channel samples results.

Tantalum mineralization occurs as fine-grained tantalite-columbite group minerals that are hosted primarily in sodic aplite and related albitite (greater than 8 wt per cent Na2O). Other tantalum-rich minerals may also be present as previous work confirmed wodginite associated with tantalite, columbite, lithium tourmaline and montebrasite at pegmatite 19 (Ontario Geological Survey, 2000 Miscellaneous Release Data 127).

Wodginite is the chief o