Power Metals (TSXV: PWM; OTC: PWRMF) says it is "extremely thrilled" with the high-grade cesium discovery recently made at the West Joe dyke at the 100%-owned Case Lake property in Cochrane, Ont. The cesium mineralization was found with lithium and tantalum.
Power's ongoing drill program intersected 24.07% cesium oxide (Cs2O) over 1 metre and 7.65% Cs2O and 1.45% lithium oxide (Li2O) over 7.1 metres. Additionally, the lithium mineralization is the highest ever found at Case Lake with 4.75% Li2O, 2.71% Cs2O and 396 ppm tantalum over 2 metres in white to pink coarse-grained spodumene.
The West Joe zone has cesium grades similar to the Sinclair mine in Australia. The Canadian find also has the advantages of shallow depth (less than 50 metres from surface) and existing road access. All three of the project's commodities - cesium, lithium, and tantalum - have been listed by both Canada and the United States as critical minerals.
Cesium has been produced from only three mines in the world: the Tanco pegmatite mine in Manitoba, the Bikita pegmatite mine in Zimbabwe, and the aforementioned Sinclair mine. Sinomine Resources Group bought the Tanco project from Cabot Corp. in 2019. The deal includes the underground room and pillar mine, spodumene concentrator, and cesium chemical processing facility. Sinomine and Power Metals are also partners on the Case Lake project, with Sinomine investing $3 million in the junior earlier this year.
"Sinomine's involvement with Power Metals is very strategic to both parties, said chair and CEO of Power Johnathan More in a release. "There is a direct railway line from the town of Cochrane to the Tanco mine. Most importantly Sinomine has been involved in all areas of past cesium production around the world."