Liberty Star Uranium & Metals Corp. (“Liberty Star†or the “Companyâ€) (OTCQB: LBSR) is pleased to announce that three technical breakthroughs have occurred at the Hay Mountain Project over the last three months. These are:
1. Additional targets
2. The potential for leachable oxide copper bodies
3. The ability to separate diamond core drill cuttings using a centrifuge so that cuttings can be separated into samples corresponding to drill core intervals or fractions of those intervals at any depth desired as the drill turns without waiting for the core to be removed from the hole. Then x-ray fluoresce analyzers will be used to analyze these samples for an approximate assay in the field as the drill turns.
Liberty Star’s CEO/Chief Geologist elaborates point by point:
1. “Working with geologist Dr. S. Skirvin using geologic information systems (GIS) mapping tools, we clarified the geophysical relationships so that the geophysical data (ZTEM- electromagnetics and magnetics) for the Hay Mountain Project area could be related to culture on topographic maps, and recently produced high resolution space imagery, leading to the detection of significant number of additional targets
2. “We have also evaluated the surrounding copper and precious metal mines including Arizona’s Tombstone, Bisbee (historic and future Cochise ore body), Johnson Camp, I-10 Porphyry Gunnison- Excelsior, Safford, Morenci, Rosemont, Florence, Twin Buttes: New Mexico’s Tyrone mine, Mexico’s La Caridad, and Cananea, and many others, which all have oxide copper recovery units (Solvent Extraction-Electrowinning plants (SX-EW plants)). Most porphyry copper deposits in the southwest USA, Mexico, Latin America and other geologically similar areas have a green and black copper oxide cap or periphery as a result of their oxidizing history details dependent on rock type and other factors. Hay Mountain is easily compared to Bisbee, Nord Resources Corporation’s Johnson Camp and the Gunnison Copper Project (Excelsior Mining Corp), nearby where the same package of layered altered and mineralized rocks exists, as does a profound magnetic anomaly (Gunnison and Hay Mountain and others). Gunnison has disseminated oxides that can be treated by in situ (Latin: in place) leaching. Excelsior has done extensive testing and design of a proposed in situ leach operation that suggests an internal rate of return of about 45% and a payback in 2.5 years using a projected $2.75 copper price. (Pg. 246 Gunnison Copper Project: NI 43-101 Technical Report Prefeasibility Study). We have encountered more shallow outcrops containing green and what appears to be black copper oxide at Hay Mountain. Also, the horizontal tops of the recorded magnetic signals suggest the top of an oxide zone that compels us to consider that a large, near surface body of oxide copper may be located above the large sulfide targets which are more easily detected by ZTEM (electromagnetic, and magnetic) geophysics. The same host rock sediments are present at Johnson Camp, Gunnison, Bisbee and Hay Mountain. These rocks can be selectively mined using a Vermeer Terrain Leveler, resulting in lower cost mining and ore grade selection than standard methods of open pit mining. I have already had tests run at the Vermeer laboratories on ore material of each of the various sedimentary copper bearing units at Johnson Camp to see if the Vermeer can cut these altered and mineralized sediments. The results demonstrate that the Vermeer machinery can readily cut these units. Contacts between low and high grade can be followed to within 6 inches horizontal and a couple of inches vertically. Fragmentation achieved by the Vermeer concentrates on the ore bearing interstices of the host rock, thus maximizing the proportion of exposed surface area of the fragmented material that is ore bearing. This feature yields materials that may be much more available for solvent dissolution than conventionally crushed ore. The cut can be adjusted to get the optimum fragment size for heap leaching: all of this without using drilling or blasting. Thus, if we intersect significant amounts of leachable oxide copper mineralization at a shallow depth, which, as stated above, all surrounding porphyry copper mines have, we will immediately go into an evaluation mode. Nothing is definite until drills define such an oxide mineral body, but these types of deposits could go into production at a low cost, and quickly: in the range of 4 years (See pg. 249 Excelsior’s 43-101). The mining method at Hay Mountain could be open pit, heap leach or in situ like that planned at the Gunnison Copper Project.
3. “We will be using some advanced equipment in the drilling program which will make Phase 1 drilling proceed faster, more controlled, accomplished more accurately, and data gathered very quickly. This will be a Solids Removal Unit (SRU), developed by an Australian company and sold in the USA (see http://www.amcmud.com/en/products-range/equipment-rental/product-data-sheets.html).
i. This device uses a centrifuge to remove drill cuttings from the mud circulation that cools the diamond bit and carries cuttings to the surface.
ii. The SRU removes +99% of drill cuttings from the mud and then circulates the cleaned mud back down the hole.
iii. The cuttings are ejected from the SRU where they can be bagged and disposed of.
iv. This give us the opportunity to sample the drill cuttings at any interval we choose – say 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10 feet – or all of those intervals through the length of the drill hole or whatever intervals are desired to determine what the diamond drill is cutting even before the core is extracted, by “assaying†using a modern XRF (X-Ray fluorescence) unit:www.niton.com either a hand held “gun†or a more powerful bench or pick-up tail gate style unit. While an XRF is not a true “assay†used for exact grade determination for ore calculations it is sufficient for the onsite geologist to determine whether the gross metals content is going up, down or remaining the same. This information can be transmitted by computer to the Internet so all senior management personnel can review the data if it is critical. Standard drill core assays by a certified lab will still be undertaken following standard procedures which can only be done that involve a carefully monitored and controlled half sample split of the drill core, prepared in a very clean sample prep lab, and sent under chain of custody control to a certified lab, which we will also do. However XRF is sufficient for the onsite geologist to determine whether the gross metals content is going up, down or remaining the same. This droll mud sampling methodology (but without the use of the SRU) was reported by D.K.F. McLachlan, in Mckinstry,H.E. – Mining Geology 1948 in the days when diamond drilling was young and the diamond drill core bit tended to grind up core that was soft, where the mineralized intervals were encountered. It is still a valid technique when combined with the SRU.
“The SRU also meets the requirements of the Arizona State Land Department permits that require collection of drill cuttings and disposal in permitted land fill.
All of this new data and our innovative techniques, as well many other details will be used in the presentation in Manila, Philippines March 2-3, 2015 by Director Brett Gross and myself during a full day presentation to potential investors and mining professionals.â€
“James A. Briscoe†James A. Briscoe, Professional Geologist, AZ CA
CEO/Chief Geologist
Liberty Star Uranium & Metals Corp.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this news release that are not historical are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include all our planned drilling program, planned methodology and our planned use of equipment, partners or funding sources, including without limitation our plan to commence Phase 1 drilling at Hay Mountain and define an economic body of mineralization there; that geological conditions may allow for an in situ leaching operation, or open pit heap leaching; that discovery of such a leachable ore body, similar those enumerated above, could result in a 4 year time line to production. Factors which may delay or prevent these forward-looking statements from being realized include: the failure of our proposals to be accepted; we may not attract any partners or funding sources; we may not be able to raise sufficient funds to complete our intended exploration, keep our properties or carry on operations; and we may encounter an inability to continue exploration due to weather, logistical problems, labor or equipment problems or hazards even if funds are available. Even if we find a partner, we may not be able to reach agreement or carry out the development program as contemplated. Despite encouraging data there may be no commercially exploitable mineralization on our properties. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures in the Company’s recent 10-K and the Company’s other periodic reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
