GREAT WESTERN MINERALS GROUP LTD.
TSX Venture Symbol: GWG CUSIP: 39141Y 10 3
OTCQX: GWMGF
GREAT WESTERN MINERALS GROUP PROVIDES UPDATE ON
STEENKAMPSKRAAL RARE EARTH DRILL PROGRAM
November 29, 2011 - Saskatoon, Canada: Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. (“GWMG” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide a progress report on the Company’s drill program at its Steenkampskraal rare earth mine site in South Africa.
26 coreholes totaling 2,307 meters have been completed, including 19 holes dedicated to metallurgical mini-bulk sampling and 7 for geological resource delineation.
Jim Engdahl, President and Chief Executive Officer of GWMG stated, “Our drilling and sampling program will continue to mid-December, 2011. This moves us toward completion of two goals at Steenkampskraal – first, to provide information in support of a fully compliant National Instrument 43-101 resource estimate report and second, to expand the resources at Steenkampskraal through testing the down-dip extension of the main structure as well as investigation of the encasing host rock mineralization.”
For metallurgical testing, clusters of drillholes with a variety of bearings and inclinations were situated around a central resource definition corehole on selected locations to collect representative samples of monazite mineralization. Intersections of mineralization in metallurgical holes ranged from a few centimeters to 3.55 meters along core length. These holes will be logged in detail, measured for bulk density, and sampled for assay. In addition, a representative selection of the resource definition core has been identified and sampled for ongoing mineralogical and textural studies. Resource definition holes encountered a comparable range of true vein thicknesses,
The second major objective of the drill program is the step-out designed to test the on-strike and down-dip extension of rare earth mineralization of the Steenkampskraal deposit. Thus far, approximately 185 kilograms, out of a proposed 600 kilograms, of underground monazite sample has been collected by underground channel sampling. Upon completion, this material will be submitted for characterization studies.
Mintek of Johannesburg, South Africa has been selected to conduct the metallurgical characterization necessary for development of design criteria for ore beneficiation and rare earth extraction at Steenkampskraal. Approximately 630 kilograms of mini-bulk metallurgical sample from the surface tailings dam and 730 kilograms from the rock dump were submitted to Mintek earlier this month.
As well, a total of 276 samples were collected by shallow tube sampling on a 10 meter grid pattern covering the historic tailings dam onsite. Assay samples from the resource definition coreholes will continue to be collected through to mid-December. All assay results will be reported as they are received from the laboratory with the priority use of the data being for incorporation into the metallurgical characterization of the potential ore, as well as resource modeling report, which is contracted to SRK Consulting South Africa.
John Pearson, MSc, P.Geo, Vice-President Exploration for GWMG, is the Qualified Person responsible for reviewing the contents of this news release.
Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. is an integrated Rare Earths processor. Its specialty alloys are used in the battery, magnet and aerospace industries. Produced at the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries Less Common Metals Limited in Birkenhead, U.K. and Great Western Technologies Inc. in Troy, Michigan, these alloys contain aluminium, nickel, cobalt and Rare Earth Elements. As part of the Company's vertical integration strategy, GWMG also holds 100% equity ownership in Rare Earth Extraction Co. Limited, which owns a 74% equity interest in the Steenkampskraal Mine. In addition to an exploration program at Steenkampskraal, GWMG also holds interests in four active Rare Earth exploration and development properties in North America.
For further information, please contact Dwight Percy, Manager of Investor Relations at (306) 659-4500. Email inquiries should be made to info@gwmg.ca and the company website is located at www.gwmg.ca. Inquiries by direct mail should be addressed to Great Western Minerals Group Ltd., 219 Robin Crescent, Saskatoon, SK S7L 6M8.
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