Gallium
Life Blood of the Modern World
WHAT IS GALLIUM?
GALLIUM (Ga)
Element Ga and is a soft, silvery metal, and Elemental gallium is a liquid at temperatures greater than 29.76C (85.57F) (slightly above room temperature)
GALLIUM NITRIDE (GaN)
Gallium Nitride (GaN) is an important semiconductor material with high critical field strength and electron mobility.
- Advantages: Higher switching speed and lower ON-resistance.
- GaN contributes to lower power consumption, higher output and reduction in size of equipment
- Applications in light-emitting diodes(LEDs), laser diodes, power amplifiers, data centres and solar cells.
GALLIUM USES
Solid gallium alloys are used in optics, electronics, and nuclear engineering because of their non-toxicity and resistance to neutron radiation and beta decay
GALLIUM EXPORT CONTROLS
Effective 1 August 2023 – Gallium and Germanium, along with their chemical compounds, are now subject to China export controls
Unique critical mineral used in daily applications
Gallium Supply
A US Perspective
- Imports of Gallium metal and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) wafers were valued at about $5 million and $220 million, respectively
- Circa 77% of the Gallium consumed in the United States was in GaAs, GaN and Gallium Phosphide wafers
- Uses of Integrated Circuit’s included defense applications, high-performance computers and telecommunications equipment
- No US Govt. Stockpiles
World Primary Low-purity Gallium Production
- China is the leading global producer of low-purity Gallium
- Globally, most of primary Gallium is recovered as a byproduct of processing Bauxite and the remainder produced from Zinc processing residues
- No domestic primary (low-purity, unrefined) Gallium has been recovered in the U.S since 1987
U.S. Geological Survey, 2023, Mineral commodity summaries 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, 210 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2023
US Critical material supply risk
Source: US Department of Energy, Critical Materials Assessment 2023
Golconda - Gallium "Halo" Discovery
| Hole | Intercept | Gram x Metre |
| GDD02 | 109m at 40.5 g/t gallium from 129m | (4,415 gm*m) |
| GRC01 | 241m at 20 g/t gallium from surface | (4,820 gm*m) |
| GRC02 | 308m at 28.6 g/t gallium from surface | (8,809 gm*m) |
| GRC05 | 271m at 23.8 g/t gallium from surface, including 70m at 34.2g/t gallium from 93m | (6,450 gm*m) |
| GRC06 | 163m at 13.5 g/t gallium from 52m | (2,201 gm*m) |
| GRC08 | 142m at 13.1 g/t gallium from surface | (1,861 gm*m) |
| GRC11 | 83m at 22.6 g/t gallium from surface | (1,876 gm*m) |
Gallium Mineralisation
Wide-spaced drilling at the Golconda Project has intersected Gallium mineralisation in 11 of 14 holes of G50’s recent diamond and RC drilling program
Multi-Element Assaying
Multi-element assaying of our maiden drilling program was critical due to the nature of the polymetallic mineralised system
Magmatic-Hydrothermal Environment
In a magmatic-hydrothermal environment, the zones of advanced argillic alteration associated with Quartz-alunite (high sulfidation) Au-Ag deposits have the highest Ga contents (max 120 ppm). In these Au deposits, Ga is enriched in the zone of alunite±kaolinite alteration and depleted in the zone of quartz-rich alteration within acid-leached rocks
Argillized Rock Correlations
It was initially expected that Copper and/or Zinc would have strong correlations with Gallium because it is often included in Chalcopyrite and Sphalerite. There are no such correlations. Instead, Gallium strongly correlates to Barium and Aluminum within argillized rock. Core drill hole GDD02 demonstrates the preferential enrichment of Gallium in argillic altered rock.
Grade
For a hydrothermal enriched Gallium occurrence, drill hole GDD02 is relatively high grade, and the Gallium grade does not drop at low Al/Ga ratios. The grade at the Golconda Project thus appears to be substantial.
