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Idaho Strategic Resources Locates Greater than 4% TREO's - Including Over 2.5% Neodymium - From Exploration at Lemhi Pass
COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2023 / Idaho Strategic Resources (NYSE American:IDR) ("IDR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the locating o
About this update from Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":" COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2023 / Idaho Strategic Resources (NYSE American:IDR) (\"IDR\" or the \"Company\") is pleased to announce the locating of surface outcrops with greater than 4% Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO's) during its 2022 exploration program at Lemhi Pass. In the well-studied Lemhi Pass District, previous state and federal agency work have shown maximum REE assay values as high as 2%. These new IDR sample results are significant because they essentially double the previously known upper end of assay values as published in the USGS, IGS and other references. These latest assays lend validation to our company belief that the Lemhi Pass District is largely underexplored for REE's; since their discovery in the district was ancillary, to the government's search for nuclear related fuels in the 1950's. IDR's Vice President of Exploration, Rob Morgan commented, \"Lemhi Pass continues to impress us. It is very encouraging to see samples having half of their total rare earth element content coming from neodymium; located in similar geological settings and covering 1.5 miles in length. Many of our prospects in the area lie on or near the Lemhi Pass Fault, which suggests the district may have some REE mineral zonation associated with this regionally significant fault.\" The listed samples were gathered from four different prospects within IDR land holdings; and are from the northern part of the Lemhi Pass District. One sample from Prospect #2 assayed 4.26% TREO; with 2.5% of that value contributed from neodymium alone. Likewise, another sample (Prospect #3) contained 2.35% REE; with 1.21% coming from neodymium. In Table 1 below, individual amounts of the REE elements are shown. Note the strong neodymium, praseodymiumand samarium. Table 1: Lemhi Pass samples showing rare earth elements plus yttrium and scandium for TREO. The dominant REE mineral is monazite. Monazite is a phosphate mineral and most of our strongest REE values are associated with phosphorus. This mineral occurs as opaque, subhedral, yellow-green to reddish-brown crystals which are mostly microscopic in size, making it hard to detect with the naked eye. Gangue minerals associated with REE mineralization include quartz, pink microcline, and iron oxides; such as specularite and limonite. Lemhi Pass is at the southern end of the 70-mile REE-Th Bel...