A miner at Waini in the North West District has found columbite- tantalite in his concession and will start to mine for the mineral on a larger scale shortly.
The mineral was mined here in the 1950s in the Upper Mazaruni area and has always attracted a high price. Com-missioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis-sion (GGMC) William Woolford said that the commission has since verified the miner’s find.
In appearance the mineral carries a dull metallic colour and when refined it becomes metallic “tantalum”, a heat-resistant powder that could hold a high electrical charge.
It is widely found in eastern Congo but the mineral is also extracted in Australia, Brazil, Canada and China.
Tantalum is used mainly in the manufacture of condensers and micro- technology, (chips and processors), cell phones and nuclear reactors. It is also used in the production of steel varieties having a high heat tolerance like those used in the engines of aircraft.
Woolford said other miners are also interested in the mineral which carries a high value. According to him people who would buy it would pay up to US$12 per pound of the raw mineral.
Sometime back, he noted, persons had approached the commission asking to buy columbite–tantalite for export purposes.
