July 31, 2015 (Source:
The Australian) - A lozenge-shaped lump of *Jurassic-aged lava is set to give Dubbo in central-west NSW something other than Yowie sightings and the Plains Zoo to crow about.
The ancient lava flow, 600m wide and 1km long, is something of a geological oddity. Sitting virtually on the modern surface, it is enriched with a suite of so-called future - critical metals, which ASX-listed Alkane Resources is planning to take to world markets in a $1 billion development.
Zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, yttrium and rare earth elements: Alkane intends to produce all of them, plugging it in to the forecast rapid growth in high-end applications in industries *ranging from renewable energy, aerospace, emissions control, *defence, health, electronics and energy efficient lighting, among many others.