Pele Mountain Samples Up to 10.67-Percent Total Rare Earth Oxides, Discovers New Mineralized Zones at Mountain Pass
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 09/27/12 -- Pele Mountain Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: GEM) (OTCQX: GOLDF) ("Pele" or the "Company") announced today that it has sampled up to 10.67-percent total rare earth oxides ("REO") in carbonatite and has discovered new rare earth bearing mineralized zones during an initial sampling program at its Mountain Pass Project in southeastern California. Pele's Mountain Pass project is along strike and just 1,800 metres southeast of Molycorp's Mountain Pass Mine, the premier and most-advanced rare earth project in North America. Click here for a satellite photo of Pele's Mountain Pass Project.
Pele President and CEO Al Shefsky stated, "We are excited with our initial sampling results, which suggest the potential to outline high grade rare earth resources at Mountain Pass. We are planning a systematic exploration program at Mountain Pass to begin later this fall. Pele is now strategically positioned in the only two North American mining camps to ever achieve significant commercial rare earth production from hard rock mining: Mountain Pass, California and Elliot Lake, Ontario."
Sixty-five bedrock samples were collected and analyzed by Pele during due diligence site visits earlier this year. Results of the program include the following highlights:
-- Samples from the Grey Eagle and Avalanche occurrences returned high-
grade rare earth mineralization of up to 10.67-percent total REO. The
occurrences vary in width up to about 5 metres and appear to be part of
a mineralized carbonatite zone with a potential combined strike length
of up to 1,000 metres.
-- Samples from outside the defined Grey Eagle and Avalanche occurrences
demonstrate that lower-grade REO mineralization continues into the
adjacent host rocks suggesting the potential for the overall mineralized
zone to be up to tens of metres wide.
-- Significant REO mineralization was also discovered on two other claims
located to the east of the Avalanche Claim, (the Horn Toad and Helper
claims) in grab samples that returned up to 2.4-percent and 0.99-percent
total REO respectively. These sample results demonstrate the potential
for a more extensive rare earth mineralized system on Pele's claims at
Mountain Pass. Click here for a claim map of Pele's Mountain Pass
Project.
-- Significant concentrations of neodymium, europium and dysprosium oxides
are present in the higher-grade samples (up to 19,822 ppm, 708 ppm and
373 ppm respectively). Scandium oxide is also seen in significant
quantities in many of the samples ranging up to 100 ppm.
The 15 samples that returned REO values of 1.0-percent or greater are summarized in the table below. (Click here to view a chart with results from all samples.)
Pele's initial Mountain Pass Project Sampling Program Highlights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
La2O3 Ce2O3 Nd2O3 Eu2O3 Dy2O3 Sc2O3 Total REO
Occurrence Sample # ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm (%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grey Eagle 1090451 5,619 11,511 5,632 205 99 77 2.64
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090452 5,501 12,881 6,891 371 227 75 3.10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090453 4,352 10,059 5,387 281 168 28 2.41
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090454 25,806 49,650 19,356 631 288 54 10.67
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090461 13,607 28,338 13,059 501 264 35 6.37
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avalanche 1090458 22,991 44,615 19,822 580 262 97 9.90
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090459 4,364 8,595 3,999 126 70 54 1.95
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090470 2,827 5,691 2,320 73 46 37 1.24
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1090471 2,780 6,042 2,763 89 55 74 1.34
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1253156 19,941 39,931 19,006 708 373 100 9.13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1253204 3,308 7,787 4,314 206 89 25 1.85
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Horn Toad 1090463 2,733 6,394 3,335 174 85 29 1.50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1253162 4,762 10,586 4,757 237 150 32 2.40
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1253205 3,976 8,349 3,755 189 177 38 1.95
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helper 1253210 1,431 3,443 2,180 189 193 17 0.99
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All 65 samples were collected by Edward C. Walker, Ph.D., P.Geo., an independent qualified person according NI 43-101. The samples were securely shipped from the property and submitted to Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, Ontario, an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. Duplicate analysis for 22 samples was completed at ALS Minerals in Reno, Nevada. Correlation between the laboratories is considered excellent, with an average correlation coefficient equalling 0.996 (1.000 would be a perfect correlation).
REO-bearing Bastnasite was discovered at Mountain Pass in 1949 by a team of prospectors that included Peter "Pop" Simon. (Pele recently acquired its Mountain Pass property from the Simon family. See Pele press release dated September 26, 2012.) Molybdenum Corp of America (which later became known as Molycorp) acquired the majority of the claims surrounding the discovery and began REO production during the 1950s. By 1965, europium oxide from Mountain Pass supplied most global demand for use in color televisions. Mountain Pass supplied much of the world's rare earth needs through the 1980s and into the 1990s, before mining was suspended in 2002 due to poor market conditions. In 2008, Molycorp resumed REO production from stockpiled concentrates while launching Project Phoenix, the massive expansion and modernization effort now underway at its Mountain Pass mine and processing complex.
This press release has been reviewed and approved by Edward C. Walker, Ph.D., P.Geo., an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
About Pele
Pele Mountain Resources is exploring and developing rare earth projects in the only two North American mining camps to ever achieve significant commercial rare earth production from hard rock mining: Mountain Pass, California and Elliot Lake, Ontario. Mountain Pass is North America's premier rare earth mining camp and Elliot Lake was once the major source of heavy rare earth, yttrium and uranium production in North America. Both locations offer compelling competitive advantages compared to other emerging rare earth development projects, including extensive existing regional infrastructure, favourable mineralogy and metallurgy, and political stability. Pele's shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "GEM" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "GOLDF".
Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements, such as estimates and statements that describe Pele's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that Pele or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. The economic viability of the 43-101 mineral resource at Pele's Elliot Lake Project has not yet been demonstrated by a preliminary feasibility study.
Shares Outstanding: 153,151,246
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Pele Mountain Resources Inc.
Al Shefsky
President
(800) 315-7353
www.pelemountain.com