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Re: Time2Drum post# 78187

Thursday, 02/25/2010 6:06:46 PM

Thursday, February 25, 2010 6:06:46 PM

Post# of 165854
Actually it's my understanding that Brazil is the largest source of niobium in the world, with the two largest mines there producing some 75% of what's produced currently, a Canadian mine is third at around 7%. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I hear repeated references to "REE's", which niobium is not, are there perhaps more elements found in SRSR's properties that i'm not aware of?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niobium

According to estimates, niobium is 33rd on the list of the most common elements in the Earth’s crust with 20 ppm.[38] The abundance on Earth should be much greater, but the “missing” niobium may be located in the Earth’s core due to the metal's high density.[20] The free element is not found in nature, but it does occur in minerals.[24] Minerals that contain niobium often also contain tantalum, for example, columbite ((Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6), columbite-tantalite (or coltan, (Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)2O6) and pyrochlore ((Na,Ca)2Nb2O6(OH,F)).[32] Columbite-tantalite minerals are most usually found as accessory minerals in pegmatite intrusions, and in alkaline intrusive rocks. Less common are the niobates of calcium, uranium, thorium and the rare earth elements such as pyrochlore and euxenite ((Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6). These large deposits of niobium have been found associated with carbonatites (carbonate-silicate igneous rocks) and as a constituent of pyrochlore.[39]

The two largest deposits of pyrochlore were found in the 1950s in Brazil and Canada, and both countries are still the major producers of niobium mineral concentrates.[9] The largest deposit is hosted within a carbonatite intrusion at Araxá, Minas Gerais Brazil, owned by CBMM (Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração); the other deposit is located at Catalão, Goiás owned by Anglo American plc (through its subsidiary Mineração Catalão), also hosted within a carbonatite intrusion.[40] Altogether these two Brazilian mines produce around 75% of world supply. The third largest producer of niobium is the carbonatite-hosted Niobec Mine, Saint-Honoré near Chicoutimi, Quebec owned by Iamgold Corporation Ltd, which produces around 7% of world supply.[40]

Extensive though unexploited resources are located in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Australia and Russia.