Each semester, the faculty, staff, and students of the Georgia Museum of Natural History welcome undergraduates as Natural History Interns to enjoy a hands-on course with the Museum. Interns receive supervised experience working directly with the faculty, staff, and other students curating one of the natural history collections affiliated with the Georgia Museum of Natural History or with education and outreach programs.

The course objective is for Interns to learn about museums of natural history and natural history collections by working closely with collection staff collecting, accessioning, preparing, cataloging, and curating natural history collections or with education staff interpretating natural history to the public. Students will practice techniques and methods for curating materials in one or more collections under the direction of collection personnel. Routine curatorial practices such as identification and preparation of specimens and data management will be part of the Internship. In addition, Interns may participate in tours, outreach presentations at area schools, special events, preparation of displays, and occasional weekend field trips.

For further information please visit http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County seeks a Gem & Mineral Council Coordinator to work with our Research and Collections department. The Gem & Mineral Council Coordinator handles day-to-day operations of The Gem & Mineral Council including implementing, facilitating, and following-up on Council projects and activities prescribed by The Gem & Mineral Council Board of Directors and the Mineral Science Curator. Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to working on the planning and staging of all Council activities (meetings, events, programs, field trips, etc.) including tracking, scheduling and deadlines, preparing memos and work orders, reserving venues, arranging for catering equipment and support personnel, preparing and mailing program flyers, newsletter, roster, minutes, agendas, etc., and taking reservations.

For further information please visit http://www.nhm.org

Mr. Larry W. Reaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Manganese Inc.(“American Manganese” or the “Company”), (TSX.V:  AMY; Pink Sheets:  AMYZF), is pleased to announce the Company has received results from its on going Artillery Peak drilling program for drill hole numbers 49 – 53 located on the South Maggie zone of the Manganese Mesa from its on going Artillery Peak drilling program.  Results for drill holes 1 through 48 have been announced previously.

“The Artillery Peak manganese mineralization is located within basin filling alluvial fan/playa deposit which typically exhibit large thickness and lateral continuity” says Mr. Reaugh.  He goes on to say:  “According to the US Geological Survey, Bulletin 961, the bedded deposits of the Chapin Wash formation have the potential for hosting immense tonnage of prospective manganese mineralization.  The success of this drilling program demonstrates that character and continuity.”

For further information please visit http://www.americanmanganeseinc.com

The Summit Mine
Source of the finest hemimorphite specimens in the United States
© Copyright 2005-2010 Chris Tucker All rights reserved.
www.christuckerminerals.com
The Minerals

Descloizite
Descloizite occurs throughout the mine and is locally plentiful.  The crystals are generally sharp and vary in color from red to green to black, larger crystals tend to be distorted.
Sharp rosettes of blood-red descloizite make striking specimens.

Fluorite
Fluorite is rarely found and is one of the earliest minerals to have formed and is always massive.  In the back of one small stope several tons of massive purple fluorite occurs with secondary copper minerals.

Red Chris Exploration Program Continues to Expand Deep Deposit

Vancouver, BC – August 5, 2010 – Imperial Metals Corporation (TSX:III) reports assay results from ongoing exploration drilling at its Red Chris property. Results from drill hole RC10-393 include 317.5 metres grading 1.08% copper, 1.46 g/t gold and 4.28 g/t silver within a 1,112.5 metre mineralized section grading 0.54% copper, 0.61 g/t gold and 1.96 g/t silver. This is one of the longest mineralized intercepts obtained to date at Red Chris. RC10-388, one of the first holes in the deep Main zone since 2007, tested the western edge of the known Main zone and intersected five intervals of copper/gold mineralization including 380.0 metres grading 0.34% copper and 0.50 g/t gold.
Final results from RC10-360* have extended the length of the previously reported high grade interval to 671.2 metres grading 1.03% copper and 1.65 g/t gold. This intercept strengthens confidence in high grade mineralization observed to the west in RC07-338 and to the east in RC09-350. More drilling will be required to fully define the geometry of the high gold to copper ratio mineralization in this area. (*partial results were released April 12, 2010)

Dr. Roberta Flemming at the Department of Earth Sciences at University of Western Ontario has openings for M.Sc. or Ph.D. candidates interested in pursuing fundamental or applied studies of minerals in the following areas:

Canada Lithium Corp. Project Update; Drilling Intersects 66.3 Metres Grading 1.29% Li2O

Toronto, July 5, 2010 — Canada Lithium Corp. (TSX: CLQ; U.S. OTCQX: CLQMF) announced today that the major components of the definitive Feasibility Study (FS) for the re-development of the Quebec Lithium mine are now under way and on schedule for completion in the First Quarter 2011.

The major components of the FS are as follows:

Resource Drilling Program:
The program, aimed primarily at testing extensions of the known resource both at depth and along strike, also includes some infill drilling for increased resource definition within the initial pit design. The program was initiated in late April and 49 holes totalling 6,724 meters have been completed to date. The assay results for the program will be completed by August 2010 and an updated NI-43-101 resource report will be available in October 2010.

Some highlights of the assay results received to date are as follows: http://www.canadalithium.com/

The Summit Mine
Source of the finest hemimorphite specimens in the United States
© Copyright 2005-2010 Chris Tucker All rights reserved.
www.christuckerminerals.com
The Minerals
Aragonite
Colorless crystals of aragonite are fairly common and widespread throughout the mine.  The crystals rarely exceed 1cm in length.
Aurichalcite
Pale tufts of aurichalcite have been found with wulfenite and hemimorphite in a narrow fracture about half way to the bottom of the mine.  The aurichalcite crystals reach a few millimeters in size.

Barite
Massive white barite is locally present; the barite is coarsely crystalline and occasionally forms the matrix of specimens.

Sunridge Gold Corp. (SGC/TSX.V) (“Sunridge”) is pleased to report important new gold and copper assay results from the Company’s phase one diamond drill program at the Adi Rassi copper–gold prospect, part of the Asmara Project in Eritrea. These results indicate that a potentially large new copper and gold zone has been discovered at Adi Rassi. These assay results, combined with recently re-assayed core, now show a drilled strike length of over 500 metres (see maps and cross-section at the end of this news release).

These results from ongoing exploration programs further demonstrate that the Asmara Project remains wide open for additional discoveries. There are still many untested anomalies and drill targets within the Asmara Project.

Drill Highlights include:

• AR-002D: 84 metres grading 1.32 g/t gold and 0.84% copper
• AR-003D: 25 metres grading 0.75 g/t gold and 0.54% copper
• AR-004D: 78 metres grading 0.22 g/t gold and 1.0% copper

for further information, please visit http://www.sunridgegold.com

Thu Jul 29, 2010

Osiko Discovers new high-grade extensions in step-out drilling at hammond reef.

DDH 368 intersects 9 metres averaging 17.3 g/t Au included within 84 metres averaging 2.78 g/t Au

Osisko Mining Corporation (“Osisko”, OSK – TSX; EWX – Deutsche Boerse) and Brett Resources Inc. (“Brett”, BBR – TSX.V) are pleased to announce results from two exploratory step-out holes at the ongoing drilling program at Hammond Reef, located in western Ontario. Highlight drill hole BR-368 intersected 9 metres averaging 17.36 g/t Au, included in a larger intercept of 84 metres averaging 2.78 g/t Au. The Hammond Reef project is 100 percent owned by Brett, which is currently 77.2% held by Osisko and being fully acquired as a result of the recent all-stock bid.

Results from the two new holes are presented in the table below. These holes were designed to explore the down-dip extension of the deposit in an area formerly known as the Gap Zone between sections 2525E and 2725E.

Fur further information please visit www.osisko.com

The Summit Mine
Source of the finest hemimorphite specimens in the United States
© Copyright 2005-2010 Chris Tucker All rights reserved.
www.christuckerminerals.com

The Summit mine is located in the southern portion of the Radersburg mining district in Broadwater County, Montana.  The Summit is the source of the finest hemimorphite specimens in the United States as well as a number of other secondary minerals.  The mine lies several miles southwest of Radersburg on the southeast flank of a broad anticline that rises to the west over the Elkhorn Mountains.  For the most part, the early history of the Summit has been lost to time.  The mine is only briefly mentioned in the literature concerning the area and early county records are spotty at best.  Reportedly the mine was discovered  in 1887 and saw intermittent activity until recent years.  In its infancy, the Summit was a source of silver-lead ores; towards the end of its productive history the Summit also produced copper and zinc.  The mine has also been mistakenly called both the Blackhawk and the Montana Silver Star, these names should be discouraged.

The Summit mine as seen from the south.

The Department of Geology at Bryn Mawr College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin July 1, 2011 in the general areas of mineralogy/geochemistry/petrology. Applicants should demonstrate strong potential for excellent teaching and creative research, as well as interest in offering courses in mineralogy, geochemistry and petrology. The hire will be expected to participate in Bryn Mawr’s interdisciplinary environmental studies program. The candidate’s research specialty is open, but ideally will complement those of other faculty members at the College. Demonstrated teaching ability and a Ph.D. at the time of appointment are required, and a commitment to supporting women and underrepresented groups in the geosciences is desired.

Applicants should submit a CV, a statement of teaching and research goals, a list of possible courses that could be offered, and the names and contact information of three references to: Geology Search, Department of Geology, Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 (email contact: jjacoby@brynmawr.edu). Members of the Department will be available for preliminary interviews at the Geological Society of America meetings in October, and formal review of applications will begin on November 15, 2010. Details about the department are available at:http://www.brynmawr.edu/geology/

Written by Dave Forest

It’s been a hectic week of travel through Europe, on behalf of our gold-copper company.

I’m sitting in the Crowne Plaza in Bratislava, Slovakia, getting ready for some meetings in that capacity. The hotel is minutes from the old town, including the church where the monarchs of the Austro-Hungarian empire were crowned. It’s an interesting place to say the least.

Slovakia is also interesting for another reason. Uranium.

I’ll be spending a little bit of time today reviewing some ideas on that front. As I mentioned on Wednesday, I’ve been doing a lot of prep research ahead of this. And it’s convinced me that one area is incredibly important (and under-appreciated) when it comes to uranium deposits. Mineralogy.

We talk a lot about uranium deposits. But the importance of what form the uranium takes within a deposit seldom gets mentioned.

The majority of deposits hold uranium in the form of uraninite, a uranium oxide. This is the most chemically-stable form of uranium on the planet.

The processing of uraninite is well-understood. Generally, uranium-bearing ore is crushed and grinded, and then uranium is leached with either an acid or alkaline-carbonate solution. Uranium goes into solution and is then precipitated and recovered using ion exchange.

The last parts of this process (solid-liquid separation and solvent extraction) are fairly straight-forward and don’t tend to vary much across uranium deposits.

The initial process stage, however, can vary considerably. As with most ores, some rocks are easier (and thus cheaper) to crush and grind. At deposits that require a high degree of crushing, capital costs for the crush/grind circuits can make up 50% of total capex.

This is an especially important point for uranium. As we’ve discussed in the past, a large percentage of global uranium production comes from fairly low-grade deposits. Meaning that cost-containment becomes very important to running an economic operation.

Here’s a critical example. There are a lot of granites on Earth that contain a few hundred parts per million uranium oxide. But only one of them, Rossing in Namibia, produces a significant amount of yellowcake.

A number of factors historically led to the development of Rossing. Low labor costs, political sensitivities, etc.

But unbeknownst to many, mineralogy is a huge part of the Rossing story.
Ore at Rossing requires very little crushing. There’s a special reason for this. Mineral grains appear to have been quite brittle. The grains developed sizeable cracks, where uranium was deposited.

These cracks allow leaching fluids to access the uranium and effectively take it up into solution. At most other deposits, the uranium isn’t as easy to get at. Thus, more crushing is required, leading to higher costs.

Here’s an idea of the difference mineralogy makes in the Rossing case. Because of the fractured character of grains, Rossing ore was originally processed using crushing to “minus 6 mesh”. This means ore grains come out of the crushing circuit at a size of 3.36 millimeters.

At many other uranium operations, ore must be crushed to 250 mesh. Representing a size of 0.058 millimeters. This is a 100-factor difference in crushing. It takes a lot of power and equipment to do more crushing work, leading to higher capital and operating costs.

The “Rossing secret” is instructive. When examining low-grade ore deposits as potential development candidates, this kind of mineralogy could be a key. Doing a little bit of thin-section work at the beginning of an exploration program could identify which granites will succeed or fail.

This is not something that typically gets done as part of most exploration programs. It needs to happen more.

Dave Forest
dforest@piercepoints.com
www.piercepoints.com

Western Lithium is developing the Kings Valley, Nevada lithium deposit into potentially one of the world’s largest strategic, scalable and reliable sources of high quality lithium carbonate.  The Company is positioning itself as a major U.S.-based supplier to support the rising global demand for lithium carbonate that is expected from the increased use of mobile electronics and hybrid/electric vehicles.
One of the world’s largest knownlithium deposits
•Located in the U.S.
•Cost Competitive
•Excellent infrastructure
•Experienced team of mine builders
•Development stage project to coincide with rising demand
•Scalable project that can grow to meet market demand
•Focused lithium investment

Today, even though lithium products are widely used in households, factories and laboratories, lithium’s presence often goes unrecognized. Lithium may be as close to the average person as a medicine chest, a television, a swimming pool, or a calculator. Lithium is found in minerals, clays, and brines located in various parts of the world. High-grade lithium ores and brines are the present sources for all commercial lithium operations. Economical brine sources of lithium were rare until several salars in the Andes Mountains of South America were discovered to contain significant deposits of lithium salts.

The salars are large, dry lakebeds where the brines are located just under a layer of crusted salt deposits. The areas are remote and inhospitable. To make them productive requires a considerable investment in research, exploration, and transportation of personnel and materials. However, the concentrations of lithium in these brine deposits range from 200 to 2000 ppm and can be further concentrated using solar evaporation. Contributing to efficient solar evaporation and concentration of the brines are the low rainfall and humidity, high winds and elevations, and relatively warm days in the area of the salars. When such conditions are present, highly concentrated brines can be produced at reasonable cost and used as feed stock for a plant making lithium carbonate.

In 1995, two important breakthroughs took place in the development of a brine-based resource for lithium. While still mining spodumene from its North Carolina mine, FMC Lithium purchased the Salar del Hombre Muerto, an Argentine salar containing high uniform concentrations of lithium with low levels of other contaminants. Concurrently, FMC perfected and commercialized a selective purification process which extracts lithium chloride from the salar brine in a nearly pure form with minimal processing.

The Salar del Hombre Muerto is located in the high Andes at about 13,200 feet above sea level, about 850 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. The location is convenient to major rail lines and seaports. Covering a smaller area than most salars of the region, it contains lithium brines at depths much greater than its neighbors. Lithium reserves are sufficient for well over 75 years. The Salar del Hombre Muerto area also contains plentiful fresh water needed by the selective purification process.

Selective purification uses low-cost raw materials housed in modular units. FMC has installed production facilities for both lithium chloride and lithium carbonate from the Salar del Hombre Muerto.

For further information please visit http://www.fmc.com/ or http://www.fmclithium.com/

Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat exceptionally rich in lithium. This deposit contains 35% of the world’s lithium reserves, which has yet to be extracted. It is located in Bolivia. It will take around 100 years or more to extract the ore.  There are other deposits in Bolivia that could increase this figure to 50% of the world’s reserves but this figure still has to be confirmed.