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Message: Deep Drilling at Dotson Trend, Heavy Rare Earth Mineralization Persists to Depth
| December 14, 2009 | |
| Ucore Uranium Inc.: Deep Drilling at Dotson Trend Shows Heavy Rare Earth Mineralization Persists to Depth | |
|
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 14, 2009) - Ucore Uranium Inc. (TSX VENTURE:UCU) is pleased to announce additional assay results from the 2009 drill program at Bokan-Dotson Ridge in southeast Alaska. The 2009 program, administered under Ucore's wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary, Rare Earth One, completed a total of 2,840 metres of core from 27 diamond drill holes. The 2009 drilling focused primarily on the road-accessible Dotson Trend, with additional drilling at the Geoduck, Cheri and Sunday Lake areas. The drill hole assays summarized in this release, all collared along the centrally located Dotson Trend, represent the balance of outstanding holes from the 2009 program. The following table summarizes significant values for the remaining holes: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
%
From To Width LREO HREO TREO HREO
Hole ID Zone (m) (m) (m) % % % (i)
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LM09-68 Dotson 85.65 87.33 1.68 1.57 0.61 2.18 28
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LM09-70 Dotson 30.48 31.57 1.09 0.83 0.69 1.51 45
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And 38.48 39.40 0.92 0.35 0.36 0.71 51
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And 48.91 50.50 1.59 0.85 0.42 1.27 33
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And 78.19 79.46 1.27 0.41 0.19 0.60 32
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LM09-71 Dotson 46.22 47.69 1.47 1.11 1.02 2.13 48
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And 77.17 78.76 1.59 1.75 1.37 3.12 44
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LM09-72 Dotson 108.50 111.02 2.52 0.66 0.28 0.93 30
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And 113.51 114.78 1.27 0.52 0.25 0.77 32
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And 133.39 134.26 0.87 0.57 0.19 0.76 25
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LM09-73 Dotson 76.79 80.53 3.74 0.81 0.27 1.08 25
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And 136.89 138.56 1.67 0.21 0.25 0.46 55
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LREO = Light rare earth elements: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm as oxide
HREO = Heavy rare earth elements: Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and
Y as oxide
TREO = Total rare earth oxides; LREO + HREO
(i) % HREO = HREO as percent of TREO
Note: All widths are apparent widths; totals may not equal due to rounding.
The geological model for Bokan-Dotson Ridge, first set out by the USBM in 1989, called for persistent rare earth mineralization across the system, both along strike and at depth (Warner & Barker; USBM OFR 33-89). The USBM studies were the basis for a substantial non NI 43-101 compliant resource calculation described in the Ucore press release of November 17, 2009. The USBM also predicted an unusually high ratio of heavy rare earths (or HREE's), estimating that approximately one half of the total rare earth content in the known mineralized bodies would consist of the more valuable HREE's. Significantly, Ucore's 2009 drill results have been consistent with the conclusions of the historical USBM studies. The 2009 exploration program encountered mineralization in 22 of 27 holes, with five holes returning non-significant values (holes 62-64, 67 and 69). Factoring in the 2009 season, Ucore's exploration programs at Bokan over three successive seasons have identified mineralization from approximately 85% of the total holes drilled. A high priority objective in 2010 will be the generation of a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate for the centrally located Dotson Trend. Ucore intends to conduct additional infill and deep drilling in this area of sufficient density to allow the preparation of a resource estimate compliant with the modern standards of NI 43-101 and to provide further confirmation of the historical USBM model. As previously reported, the Dotson Trend now has an established strike length of three kilometres, not including the nearby I&L, Cheri, and Geoduck zones which are all located on the southeast side of Bokan Mountain. Additional field studies directed toward an increased understanding of the structural controls of these HREE-enriched zones are planned for 2010. Please see the company website for maps showing the locations of the mineralized zones and drill holes. In addition to the primary objective of generating a resource at the Dotson Trend in 2010, Ucore also intends to aggressively advance a new target area at the Sunday Trend, to the northwest of Bokan Mountain. This trend has a prospective strike length of three kilometres, commencing at the Sunday Lake Zone and extending northwards to the Boots and Geiger Zones. As reported in Ucore's press release of Nov. 30, 2009, Sunday Lake is the site of a recent highly prospective heavy rare earth discovery, which rendered assays comprised almost completely of heavy rare earths (95% HREO content over total REO content of 1.8% across 4.8 meters). Beyond the Dotson and Sunday Trends, the overall Bokan-Dotson Ridge project area, with more than 30 known REE-U prospects, is located central to a substantially larger rare earth macro trend, which Ucore geologists now believe may span in excess of 30 kilometres on southern Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. While Ucore's focus for the near term will be exploring the Dotson, Geoduck, Cheri, and Sunday Lake zones, intermediate work will proceed on the greater area to the north and south of the central exploration zones. Bokan-Dotson Ridge is one of a very few known and readily accessible rare earth prospects which are enriched in the heavy lanthanoids, or HREE's, in North America. The project has excellent geopolitical features. It is located in a jurisdiction known for proven mine permitting legislation and infrastructural support, with no local populations. The Bokan area is within a mineral prescription of the Tongass National Forest land use designation system to encourage exploration and development of mineral resources. Logistically, Bokan-Dotson Ridge is situated on immediate deep water access with an existing road network, 140 kilometres from large scale port-to-rail facilities at Prince Rupert, B.C., and with direct ocean access to the western seaboard and the Pacific Rim. The climate is temperate, facilitating the possibility of exploration and mining on a year-round basis. As one of the largest estimated HREE deposits in the United States, the project offers secure domestic access to technology metals of critical importance to the US military and industrial complex. Currently, HREE's consumed in the US for high technology applications originate almost entirely from China, and are widely believed to be entering an indeterminate period of supply shortfall as China marshals its domestic reserves for internal use. NI 43-101 Compliance Diamond drill core was split on site, with half the core transported by commercial freight carriers to the EcoTech Laboratories analytical facility in Kamloops, B.C., Canada, and check assay samples submitted to Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. As part of a rigorous QA/QC program, blanks, standards, and duplicates were inserted into the sample train in the field and in the laboratory. Analyses were by a combination of inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence with lithium metaborate fusion. Reported values are length-weighted averages from multiple samples. All widths reported are core intercepts; insufficient structural information is available to make a conclusive statement on the relationship between true width and core intercept. Harmen Keyser, P.Geol. (NWT), Ucore's Vice President of Project Development and a qualified person in accordance with NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Background Ucore Uranium Inc. is a junior exploration company focused on establishing REE and uranium resources through exploration and property acquisition. With multiple projects, Ucore's primary focus is the Rare Earth One operated Bokan - Dotson Ridge rare earth element and uranium project. The project is located on the southern part of Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska, with excellent deep water access and proximity to major sea and rail shipping routes across North America and to Asia. Ucore Uranium Inc. Jim McKenzie, President and CEO |
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