>World's Largest Pollucite-Hosted Caesium Pegmatite Mineral Resource Defined at Shaakichiuwaanaan
Interesting discoveries from Patriot Battery Metals resulted in the world's largest caesium resource. It's hosted in pollucite which is the same ore the world's past primary caesium mines have mined. There's also associated lithium pegmatite and tantalum in the resource. The cesium resource is located within the company's current lithium pegmatite resource. Looks like a potential world class discovery to me.
>Globally, it is estimated only three (3) primary caesium mines have historically operated and all were pollucite hosted – Tanco (Canada), Bikita (Zimbabwe), and Sinclair (Australia). At Bikita and Sinclair, the pollucite resources are reportedly to have been exhausted in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Tanco is understood to be approaching the end of its mine-life with extraction from existing tailings piles and/or mine remnants being explored. At Sinclair3, the mine produced 18,629 tonnes of pollucite pegmatite ore grading 8.3% Cs2O for a contained metal content of 1,551 tonnes Cs2O. In comparison to the size of the interpreted caesium zones at Vega (~800 m x 250 m) and Rigel (~200 m x 100 m), the primary ore body at Sinclair was relatively small and measured ~60 m long, up to 20 m wide, and up to 10 m thick, and was situated at a depth~40 m from surface.
>The market for caesium compounds and metals is largely opaque because it is not publicly traded like copper or gold, but rather through bi-lateral and term contracts. Further, prices vary depending on its contained caesium form, purity and end-product use. Caesium carbonate (Cs2CO3≥99%) currently trades at approximately US$120/kg, however in its refined form caesium metal (Cs >99.5%), is a high value commodity comparable to gold and currently trades around US$2,540/oz (or ~US$81 per gram4) (excluding VAT, Price Sourcing – Shanghai Metal Markets).
2% Cs2O = $2,400/t
10% Cs2O = $12,000/t
(pre-metallurgy)
