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Cache is a publicly traded mineral-resource company (TSX-V:CAY) with a focus on exploration for rare-earth elements (REE's), and other metals required by the new high tech industries and energy-saving technologies . Rare earths are essential raw materials used in nearly all sustainable energy technologies and a wide spectrum of defense applications.
Rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a collection of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, namely scandium, yttrium, and the fifteen lanthanides. Scandium and yttrium are considered rare earths since they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties.
The term "rare earth" arises from the rare earth minerals from which they were first isolated, which were uncommon oxide-type minerals (earths) found in Gadolinite extracted from one mine in the village of Ytterby, Sweden. However, with the exception of the highly-unstable promethium, rare earth elements are found in relatively high concentrations in the earth's crust, with cerium being the 25th most abundant element in the earth's crust at 68 parts per million.
Rare earth elements are incorporated into many modern technological devices, including superconductors, samarium-cobalt and neodymium-iron-boron high-flux rare-earth magnets, electronic polishers, refining catalysts and hybrid car components (primarily batteries and magnets). Rare earth ions are used as the active ions in luminescent materials used in optoelectronics applications, most notably the Nd:YAG laser. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are significant devices in optical-fiber communication systems. Phosphors with rare earth dopants are also widely used in cathode ray tube technology such as television sets. The earliest color television CRTs had a poor-quality red; europium as a phosphor dopant made good red phosphors possible. Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) spheres have been useful as tunable microwave resonators. Rare earth oxides are mixed with tungsten to improve its high temperature properties for welding, replacing thorium, which was mildly hazardous to work with.
As understanding, demand and public-awareness increase for these commodities, Cache is qualified and well positioned to take part in the exploration and potential development breakthroughs this sector has to offer. Cache's property acquisitions are:
- The Welsford REE Properties - one of North America's top REE prospects, located in southwestern New Brunswick, and is related to the Welsford Intrusive Complex. This peralkaline granite complex is intruded by the McKeel Lake pegmatite-aplite dyke swarm, which is host to significant Zr-Nb-Y-REE mineralization. The Welsford Intrusive Complex is similar to the Strange Lake Complex, an REE deposit located in Labrador and Quebec and the Thor Lake REE deposits in the Northwest Territories. Initial drill results announced show positive preliminary results for REE mineralization. The location of the Welsford REE Properties is supported by exceptional infrastructure, which includes accessible roads, water, and power.
- Cross Hills REE Property - Located in southeastern Newfoundland, where a series of gabbro to diabase, granodiorite, biotite and peralkaline granite and minor syenite occurs. Historical exploration and sampling have revealed numerous mineral occurrences, the most significant is the discovery of Zr-Nb-Y-REE mineralization in aplite veins that intrude the peralkaline granite. In June 2011 an additional 20,923 acres were added to the Cross Hills Property. These new Claims are 100% owned by Cache Exploration. These new claims contain Zirconium, Yttrium and Niobium mineralization along with Copper showings.
- Nunavut Rare Earth Project - Cache Exploration was granted 6 prospecting permits in December 2010 covering 3 targets on 208,000 acres in southeastern Nunavut that are known to have Th-U occurrences associated with them; these occurrences may have anomalous REE associated with them, based on analogies with other systems.
- Yukon White Gold District Project - Cache Exploration has 100% ownership of 4,680 acres in the Tintina Gold area. The Claims are in the vicinity of the Underworld gold discovery of 2009 which was acquired by Kinross in 2010 in a friendly takeover.
- The Stewart District Gold-Silver-Copper Claims - Cache Exploration has 100% ownership of 8,428 acres in the Eskay Creek/Stewart region of B.C. in 3 sections - 3,360 acre Stewart South Property, the 4,349 acre Quinn Eskay Creek Property and the 719 acre GSM Property.
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