Vancouver, British Columbia - Artha Resources Corporation (TSX.V: AHC) is pleased to announce that the company continues to make significant progress on its 100% owned Cachi Rare Earth property in Salta Province, NW Argentina (Map 1).
- Reconnaissance work has been completed on 30,000 hectares, in the southern half of the 60,000 hectare property.
- A total of 129 stream sediment samples and 182 rock chip samples were collected and the area was mapped at a scale of 1:25 000.
- Three targets have been recommended for follow-up based on recent results, focusing on niobium-tantalum type mineralization with accessory REE.
The work programs recently completed by Artha are the first modern and systematic mineral exploration ever done in the area and as such Artha considers the prospectivity of the property to be very high based on the geology and results to date.
The stream sediment sampling has reported geochemical anomalies of tantalum, niobium, cesium, uranium, thorium, hafnium plus some REE anomalies to the south of the property and zinc and lead to the north of the property. Based on the spatial distribution of the anomalies we have identified three exploration targets (Map 2):
- Target 1: Located in the southernmost part of the property, with anomalous values of niobium (30-40ppm Nb), uranium (up to 13ppm U), thorium (20-25ppm Th), tantalum (3-5ppm Ta), hafnium (10-14ppm Hf) and total rare earths elements (207-432ppm TREE)
- Target 2: Located in the Northern part of the sampled area, with anomalous values of tantalum (3-11ppm Ta), niobium (up to 40ppm Nb), Zn (100-300ppm Zn), Lead (111-146ppm Pb), cesium (100-1000ppm Cs), rubidium (up to 212ppm Rb) and total rare earths elements (200-336ppm TREE).
- Target 3: Located in the northernmost part of the sampled area, with anomalous values of zinc (100-171ppm Zn), cesium (120-1215ppm Cs), lead (up to 184ppm Pb), hafnium (up to 10ppm Hf) and total rare earth elements (200-220ppm TREE).
Follow-up work is being planned and will begin in Q4.
The Cachi property covers over 550 square kilometres in Salta Province NW Argentina was staked based on large pegmatite intrusions extending for 40km in strike length. The metallogeny includes pegmatite-hosted niobium-tantalum mineralization in the Precambrian metamorphic basement; some polymetallic veins associated with Tertiary volcanics and Quaternary evaporite deposits.
Geology is prospective for pegmatite related rare earth mineralization based on extensive granitoid intrusions, extending for over 40km in strike, with large (up to 300m wide) Pegmatite dykes intruding neo-proterozoic gneiss. Many pegmatites have been economically valuable as sources of clays and feldspars, as well as bismuth, lithium, molybdenum, rare-earths, tantalum-niobium, thorium, tin, tungsten, and uranium minerals.
The Susques properties, cover more than 415 square kilometres in southern Jujuy Province, NW Argentina (Map 1). Susques is known to be prospective for a variety of rare earths elements, including yttrium, and thorium has been historically mined on a small scale. The local geology is dominated by Ordovician sediments and Tertiary intrusives and Carbonatites with little detailed exploration ever done. Rare earth mineralization observed to date is hosted in stockwork veins with the host structures up to 10 meters wide and over 6km in strike length.
Work programs are planned to restart, after the winter break, in late October. Programs will target detailed surface sampling and mineralogical studies to determine the concentrations, spatial distribution and continuity of the mineralization encountered to date. The combination of heavy rare earth elements with silver, copper and lead and zinc, coupled with a major paved highway to Chile passing through the property make it a very exciting target.
Charles Straw, B.Sc., is the qualified person under NI 43-101 responsible for the technical information in this news release.
Artha was founded by a team of mining industry professionals with a proven track record in project generation, exploration, mining and finance. The Company's principle exploration target adjoins Silver Standards Pirquitas Mine, one of the largest primary silver mines in the world located in the province of Jujuy in NW Argentina. Artha is one of the largest mineral explorers in this region with over 1500 square kilometers of properties prospective for silver, gold, base metals and rare earths.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
"Todd McMurray"
President
For Information Contact:
Todd McMurray
President, Director
Tel: 1 604 648 1530
Email:
Carey Lotz
BK Consulting
1-888-648-6242
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