News Releases

July 21, 2011
EMC Metals Receives Initial Surface Assays With Up to 217 ppm Scandium at Tørdal Property in Norway

Vancouver, British Columbia - July 21, 2011 - EMC Metals Corp. (the "Company" or "EMC") (TSX:EMC) is pleased to announce encouraging assay results from a surface soil sampling program conducted in June on a 3.75 sq km portion of its Tørdal property, a scandium, REE, and specialty metals pegmatite project in Telemark county, southern Norway.

Highlights of Initial Surface Soil Sample Program:
 

  • The best sample assay returned a 217 ppm scandium value,
  • Eleven soil samples contained +50 ppm scandium, of which five samples exceeded 85 ppm and three exceeded 150 ppm,
  • The eleven soil samples were clustered within an area measuring 700 x 100 metres, or approximately 35% of the total sample area,
  • A total of 131 soil samples were collected at 100-metre spacing intervals, in more accessible areas that avoided steep terrain,
  • The total sample area represented a zone of about 1,500 x 2,500 metres within the Heftetjern pegmatite field, and
  • Many previously unmapped pegmatite dykes were noted in the areas traversed, some traceable on surface for several hundred metres.


The results of this initial soil sampling program are, by their nature, preliminary, and not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral resource.

Property Description

EMC's acquisition of 100% of the Tørdal property option rights was announced in April 2011. The property, originally encompassing a 40 sq km area in southern Norway, has since been increased to 140 sq km. The region can be described as a soil and glacial moraine covered area of concentrated and intersecting pegmatite dykes and lenses, 900 million years in age, within Precambrian amphibolite rocks. Within the pegmatite fields, individual dykes measure up to 50 metres in width and some can be traced for several hundred metres along strike. In some places where it can be observed, pegmatite composes up to 45% of the rock mass. 
 

Map of Tørdal Property Soil Sample Program - July 2011


The soil sampling program focused on a 3.75 sq km area, northwest of the town of Bø, in an area between the communities of Høydalen and Skardsfjell. Known as the Heftetjern region, this location exhibits numerous known pegmatite occurrences, including a locally famous pegmatite quarry associated with several unique scandium, tin, and beryllium mineral types. Steep slopes were generally avoided and sampling was carried out in the most accessible locations. The sampling program of 131 samples was based on soil sampling of 100 x 100 metre grids and covered somewhat less than half of the target area due to terrain impediments. 

The most promising scandium-bearing zone was observed at the north end of the tested area, and remains open to the north. The highest sample values were associated with previously unmapped pegmatite bodies up to 20 metres wide. Based on ICP multi-element correlations, one of the scandium bearing minerals has been tentatively indicated as the beryllium silicate bazzite (Be3(Sc,Al)2Si6O18). Elevated levels of tin, tantalum, gallium and yttrium were also identified in the assay test results.

Certain pegmatite dykes to the southeast of the sample area were previously identified as molybdenum targets and one of the soil samples taken in this area showed an appreciable molybdenum content (0.88% MoS2). 

The 140 sq km Tørdal property is one of two pegmatite areas in southern Norway being explored by EMC. The other property, Evje-Iveland, located in Aust-Agder county (see announcement dated April 7, 2011) originally encompassed an 80 sq km area, but has been increased in size to 150 sq km. Evje-Iveland is also prospective for scandium and REE's plus certain base metals, notably nickel.

Qualified Person and Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Sampling methods followed industry quality control standards. Mr. Kjell Nilsen, an independent geologist consultant currently employed by EMC, conducted the reconnaissance and sampling on the property. Individual surface grab samples were collected by hand shovel, on or in close proximity to visible pegmatite outcrops corresponding to the 100 metre locating grids. The generally sandy grab samples were individually bagged, sealed, logged on the grid map as to location, boxed in a container suitable for mailing, and sent by express mail to the OMAC Laboratories Limited in Galway, Ireland for testing. Assay testing on the samples utilized an ICP-MS spectrometer to test for numerous elements, specifically scandium. Mr. Willem Duyvesteyn, CTO of EMC, is the Qualified Person who is responsible for the design and conduct of the exploration program, and reviewed the program results.

Mr. Willem Duyvesteyn, Chief Technology Officer of EMC commented:

"We are highly encouraged by these initial surface sample results showing potential scandium values of over 200 ppm at Tørdal. In addition to scandium, the Kleppe-Heftetjern pegmatites also offer potential for associated specialty and rare metals such as tin, beryllium, gallium, and tantalum. A similar surface sampling exploration program for the Evje-Iveland project has begun, and follow up work on Tørdal is continuing."

Mr. George Putnam, CEO of EMC commented:

"EMC is at the forefront of exploration for scandium Norway and other regions. We have engaged SNC Lavalin to prepare an independent report on the economic feasibility of the Nyngan project. Fieldwork in Norway and elsewhere is designed to rapidly develop new targets for drilling and development of a multi-source supply of scandium to world markets."

About EMC Metals

EMC's high priority development opportunity is the Nyngan Scandium joint venture with Jervois Mining Limited of Melbourne, Australia. The Nyngan Scandium Project has a National Instrument ("NI") 43-101 measured and indicated resource estimate of 12 million tonnes, grading 261 ppm Sc, based on a cut-off grade of 100 ppm Sc ("NI 43-101 Technical Report on Nyngan Scandium, Jervois Mining Limited, Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia", March 25, 2010). 

EMC also holds the Springer Tungsten property in Nevada, USA, and the Carlin Vanadium property near Carlin, Nevada. Both properties have current NI 43-101 compliant resource estimates, available on the Company website and on SEDAR. 

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed by Willem Duyvesteyn, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duyvesteyn is employed by EMC Metals.

For additional information please contact:

EMC Metals Corp.
Investor Relations: (604) 648-4653 or info@emcmetals.com , or

George Putnam: (925-208-1775)
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. 

This press release contains forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Specifically, while we are in the process of obtaining an independent feasibility study on our Nyngan project, until such report is available and demonstrates positive feasibility of the project, readers should not assume that the project is economically feasible. In addition, a production decision involves numerous risks, including financing of the project, market demand and market price fluctuations for scandium produced and/or processed by us and other standard and usual risks of a mining operation. In regards to our exploration activities described in this press release, there is no guarantee that we will identify suitable targets for drilling, or that results of drilling will merit further exploration. In addition, our exploration activities are subject to available funding, which may require that we raise capital by equity based financing, the success of which we cannot predict. Accordingly, forward-looking information in this press release is based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice, and by other risk factors disclosed in our public filings. Except as required by law, EMC assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Certain terms used in this news release are used in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Canadian requirements differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and resource information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not recognize information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. In addition, resources that are classified as "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not generally form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information presented by companies using only U.S. standards in their public disclosure.

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