$US 240,000 per tonne @ 30% Concentrate! (Do you Guys know what you throw away?)

Yes I have spent many years exploring for and small mining this rare and intriguing mineral.

Firstly, does anybody know what it is, the first correct answer I shall post a nice sample to.

Majindi

Gday majindi, is it nickel??

Goodaye Billy,
Finally somebody had a shot, No its not, I will if you don't mind wait a day or so before I post a good size description of this little secret.
Somebody has mentioned a sister element in another posting so I know they would have thrown away some of this as well

Regards Majindi

Unobtanium !


Phil

Hi Phil,

Now why do I think you are taking the micky?

Warm .

Regards Majindi

Hi, could it be what they call rare earth, like the stuff that the japs use in all the electronic gear and are running out of.
The other mineral that is worth much more than gold is platinum(i think that is how it is spelt) An uncle has found a bit and I have been trying to research it but not much reference to it being found in australia, not in any quantities anyway. Worth much more than gold.
Cheers travelergold

Beryllium

Gooaye Twobees,

Thanks for taking a shot at it but no, although beryl is associated with contact zones and pegmatites and muscovite, it doesn't have that greater value.

Majindi

Hi Travelergold,

Platinum is worth a lot more than gold thats for sure.

This mineral is not that valuable, but your first guess was warm if you had told the exact mineral!

Majindi

palladium ? surly not

Murachu,

Nope not that either, but a hint, I think it was you that mentioned a mineral that is frequently associated with it.

Majindi

Rhodium

neodymium




Pete in WA

lanthanum



pete in Wa

Is it Unobtainium.

Tributer

Rare earths are worth that much a tonne (depending on the minerals present) Yttrium and Scandium.

ilmenite !!!

an absolute pest in the gold pan!!!

Tnanks everyone for giving it a go.
As we have had quite a few shots at it, a few pretty close thought I would give just one last hint,

Below is a bowl of the mineral in its natural form, it does not usually come as large crystals, ( this deposit is very rich ) came from a primary ore body, out cropping at the top of a small hill. It is volcanic hydrothermal, mostly occurring as fine grains and usually tied in with pegmatites and muscovites.

Gold prospectors would find these (usually smaller crystals) in creek beds and general wash, when panning.
It is very often associated with Cassiterite, and as you can see it is very similar in appearance, that being the main reason it is so often missed.

Majindi

Tin oxide

Murachu

No, its Tantalum Ta205 and Nb205 Niobium,

Commonly found as Columbite, the ore in the pic is Columbite, varies in composition but this is about 18% Ta 65% Nb the rest is all sorts of exotics.

Used for the manufacture of electronic capacitors , super metals, has a metal melting point of 3016 degrees c
Is sold by the lb currently at 110 - 150 usd lb.

Has an sg of 8.3 I think and is gravity separated, the desert sluice does it well.

every piece of electronics we use has a small niobium or tantalum capacitor.

Very easy to mix up with Ti02, Fe304, Tourmaline and others.

You have substantial deposits in NE Vic, currently under snow, and we have 30-40 enquiries per month for the best grades. China of course.

Biggest miner in the world was Sons of Gwalia, at Green bushes Tin operation and Wogina NW wa.

You would have this in your pans for sure.

Majindi

Radysprosium oxide, used for neodymium-iron-boron magnets found in wind turbines and computer hard drives, has doubled from about $720 a kilogram to $1,470 in just a few months
Rare Earth elements are going through the roof at the moment. Good investment possabillities

Goodaye Adrian

Yes that IS all the future, DY comes indirectly from erbium which comes from Monazite sands, which come from carbonates, no wonder they are so valuable.

Liquid /liquid extraction , as used to separate thorium and uranium, is used, ie boiling sulphuric acid at over 150c, a distilling process and thats just a small part of it. Dangerous and smelly process.
Studied the extraction process many years back, had a U308 deposit running at 3.5%, near the place we had the primary deposit of Columbite acquired the original Los Alamos process details from SCIRO library, for obvious reasons those documents have now disappeared.

Majindi

If I remember correct, an old guy I knew used to dig for Tantalum in the N.T. before W.W. 2. I think it was alluvial.

Just had a quick check, the N.T. Gov. says there are 178 known deposits of Tantalum in the N.T.