Jun. 16, 2011 (Canada NewsWire Group) --
HALIFAX, June 16, 2011 /CNW/ - Namibia Rare Earths Inc. ("Namibia Rare Earths" or the "Company") (TSX: NRE) announced today that the 7,500 meter drilling program on its Lofdal Rare Earth Project in Namibia (see press release May 18, 2011) is progressing on schedule. The field team has already completed 957 meters of diamond drilling in 14 holes on the first four of eighteen drill targets within the 200 km2 Lofdal Carbonatite Complex (Figure 1). Sampling is progressing well with the first two shipments of core samples delivered to the Activation Laboratories preparation facility in Windhoek, Namibia. First results are expected to be released by end of July, 2011.
The first drill targets at Lofdal are testing areas of significant heavy rare earth (HREE) enrichment1 (Table 1) based on surface sampling of outcrops in Area 4 and in Area 5 (Figure 2) with two diamond drills. One drill has been deployed to the 800 meter long east-west trending structure in Area 4 where HREE enrichment of 96% carrying up to 4,400 ppm dysprosium has been sampled at surface. The second rig is drilling in Area 5 along a 1.6 kilometer long northeast trending structure where HREE enrichment of 72% carrying up to 3,540 ppm dysprosium has been sampled. Geologists report zones of interest from drilling based on alteration over widths of 1-10 meters, similar to what was documented by geological mapping at surface.
Don Burton, President stated, "We are very pleased with the successful launch of the 2011 drilling program at Lofdal. The initial indications are that we are hitting the target zones as anticipated. Our drilling and geological teams are performing extremely well and we look forward to receiving the analytical results from these first holes to see how they mesh with the indications of HREE enrichment from surface sampling. These are early days and many targets remain to be evaluated. We are definitely off to a good start."
Namibia Rare Earths completed an initial public offering and listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange in April 2011. The Company raised $28,750,000 and is well funded to aggressively pursue exploration of the Lofdal Rare Earth Project with an objective of defining a 43-101 compliant resource within the next 12 months. An additional 15,000 meters of diamond drilling is budgeted for this task.
Overview of the Lofdal Rare Earth Project
The Lofdal Carbonatite Complex is an untested district scale opportunity with the potential for the discovery of rare earth deposits, some of which may have exceptional HREE enrichment. Rare earth mineralization at Lofdal is hosted in carbonatite dykes and plugs, with the dykes typically grading between 0.5 - 3% total rare earths including yttrium ("TREE"). Dyke thicknesses are variable from less than one meter to 15 meters at surface and can be traced in some cases, up to three kilometers in strike length. The more significant mineralized structures have associated alteration haloes which can carry anomalous concentrations of rare earth elements.
As previously reported, the initial 7,500 meter drill program will also test three additional dyke-related targets that have been identified elsewhere in Area 5 and two targets in Area 1. Deeper drilling is also planned in Area 2 where drilling last year intersected narrow, HREE enriched structures over a strike length of 600 meters in the 2B Zone. The large, lower grade light rare earth target at the Emanya intrusion in Area 8 will also be tested. Emanya forms a prominent hill of carbonatite and is exposed over a surface area of approximately 300 meters in diameter with 218 grab samples from surface averaging 0.6% TREE+Y. Interpretation of airborne geophysical data (versatile time domain electromagnetic "VTEM") over Emanya suggest that intrusion may be more than twice that size. Rare earth mineralization has also been documented in gneissic rocks in Area 6 associated with a radiometric anomaly which measures 400 meters long by 175 meters wide. A single rock sampling traverse across this feature returned TREE values in the range of 0.3 - 4.9% with HREE enrichment of 10-30%. Further investigations in Area 6 have been completed including systematic soil and rock sampling to develop more specific drill targets. Soil and rock results from Area 6 are pending.
Program Management
Geological management of the Lofdal drilling program is being undertaken by Remote Exploration Services Namibia (Pty) Ltd. (corporate offices South Africa) which has established a complete field camp at Lofdal including full core logging and sampling facilities with a dedicated geological team on each drill. Drilling is being carried out by JGM Drilling and Exploration of Windhoek, Namibia which is operating two diamond drill rigs on a 24/6 schedule and completing on average, 2 holes every 48 hours.
Sample preparation and analytical work for the drilling program is being provided by Activation Laboratories (Windhoek, Namibia and Ancaster, Ontario), and for exploration rock and soil sampling by Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories (Swakopmund) employing ICP-MS techniques suitable for rare earth element analyses and following strict internal QAQC procedures inserting blanks, standards and duplicates. Samples are systematically delivered to Activation Labs preparation facility in Windhoek weekly to allow for shipment of pulps for analysis to their laboratory in Ancaster, Ontario on a regular basis.
Dr. Scott Swinden of Swinden Geoscience Consultants Ltd. is on site acting as an independent geological advisor to Namibia Rare Earths. Dr. Swinden was the principal author of the 43-101 Technical Report dated April 4, 2011 titled "Amended 43-101 Technical Report on the Rare Earth Element Occurrences in the Lofdal Carbonatite Complex, Kunene Region, Khorixas District, Namibia" (available on SEDAR). Donald M. Burton, P.Geo. and President of Namibia Rare Earths is the Company's Qualified Person responsible for exploration in Namibia and he has reviewed and approved this press release.
About Namibia Rare Earths Inc.
Namibia Rare Earths Inc. is developing a portfolio of mineral exploration projects in Namibia and is currently focused on the accelerated development of the Lofdal Rare Earths Project. The Company completed a CDN$28.75 million initial public offering and Toronto Stock Exchange listing in April, 2011 and is now well funded to carry out its development program. The common shares of Namibia Rare Earths Inc. trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "NRE".
Please click here for table and figures: http://files.newswire.ca/961/Lofdal.doc
NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED
THE CONTENT OF THIS RELEASE
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1 As per industry norms heavy rare earths ("HREE") comprise europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu) and yttrium (Y). Light rare earths ("LREE") comprise lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm). Total rare earths ("TREE") comprise HREE+LREE. "Heavy rare earth enrichment" is the ratio of HREE:TREE expressed as a percentage.
Namibia Rare Earths Inc.
Don Burton, President
Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760/ Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761
Email: Info@NamibiaREE.com
Web site: www.NamibiaRareEarths.com