Exploring New Frontiers
Projects
Our projects are always exploration for near surface mining opportunities for rare minerals. This type of mining is less less capital intensive. This criteria is mainly met in Africa in under developed regions. The advance of technology is enabling significant reduced cost for exploration. Examples of technology are renewable energy, mobile water purification and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. These increases mobility, reduces logistics requirements and reduces the time to map remote areas which all contribute to significant lower costs and reduced investment risk. The minerals we focus on are all high-value for low volume minerals that do not require extensive capital investments in transport logistics. In this regard we explore for Tantalum and Gold.
Maniema Project
Maniema Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo is well known for deposits of Gold and Tantalite. Most mining is done by artisanal miners and small scale mining operators.
Maniema Project
Maniema Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo is well known for deposits of Gold, Tantalite, Wolframite and Tin. Most mining is done by artisanal miners and small scale mining operators with a few formal established mining companies. Artisanal miners continuously discover new deposits of Gold and other minerals in dense forested areas. In many cases there are not sufficient local buyers.
Extensive evaluations were done in the northern and central areas of Maniema for Gold and Tantalite bearing properties as well as product sources from artisanal mining. As a result of the evaluation process our DRC subsidiairy, SR Tanmin, identified seven areas for further exploration for Gold and Tantalite. Four areas in Pangi and one in Kabambare were identified for Gold exploration. Two areas in Punia were identified for Tantalite exploration. All applications were approved and five year exploration rights were granted.
SR Tanmin applied for and was granted licences to establish a Gold trading operation and Tantalite treatment and trading facilities in Maniema province. This will allow SR Tanmin to generate revenue while exploration work is continuing. The main facility is based in Kindu, which is the capital of Maniema province.
Our project in Tanganyika is operated by our subsidiary SR Tanmin. This region is rich in Tantalite which is the ore containing Tantalum in the form of Ta2O5. Many of the Tantalite deposits in this area also contain Niobium which makes this type of ore in high demand with processors.
Tantalum has wide industrial applications including use is in the manufacture of parts for electronic devices including mobile phones, camera lenses, special steel alloys, medical equipment and more.
During prospection and evaluation activities in the Tanganyika several sites with substantial deposits of high Tantalum content Tantalite have been discovered. The occurrence of Tantalum starts from a couple of meters below the surface.
SR Tanmin acquired an exploration permit over an area of roughly 200 square kilometers north of Nyunzu. Next steps include geological surveys and desk studies to determine more specific exploration targets. The results will indicate the most viable positions for establishing small scale mines.
For the small scale mines the most crucial components are reliable extraction equipment and washing plants designed to separate Tantalum Concentrate from the soil. The washing plants are designed specifically for Tantalum Concentrate (Tantalite) separation utilising the density and thus gravity of the material to separate it from waste. Further processing includes crushing of the concentrate and removal of unwanted materials with magnetic separation equipment to enhance the quality of the Tantalum Concentrate.
