The Tarantula tungsten project is located in Rio Grande do Norte state, northeast Brazil.  The project comprises an area of 13.2 square kilometres within the Serido Tungsten Province and covers the geological extension to the mine sequence of the important tungsten mines of Bodó and Cafuca (see Figure 1 below).  These mines are two of Brazil's most significant historic producers, together having produced over 5,000 tonnes of tungsten, at grades up to 3%.

The Tarantula Project includes the Baixios, Quemadas and Isidore Mines which operated in the 1970s through to the 1990s at grades estimated to range from 1-2.5% WO3.  The Tarantula Project also hosts multiple garimpeiro workings along three kilometres of strike of a clearly defined mine sequence.  Some of the workings extend for hundreds of metres underground.  The mineralisation occurs around the margin of the granites of the Dona Inês Suite and is strongly structurally controlled.

Figure 1:  Map showing the location of Crusader's Tarantula Project and relationship to the Bodó and Cafuca tungsten mines.

Tungsten has been mined in the Seridó Scheelite (Tungsten) Province since discovery at the turn of the nineteenth century.  The province straddles the boundary between Rio Grande do Norte and Paraiba states in northeast Brazil.  During the peak years of the early 1940s until the late 1980s over fifty thousand tonnes of tungsten concentrate was produced from various mines.

Small scale underground mining occurs at the nearby Bodó mine, which commenced operation during the 1940s.  Estimated annual production at Bodó is 4,000 tonnes averaging 2% WO3.

At Cafuca, mining ceased during the mid 1980s due to a combination of low tungsten prices and lack of ore.  The mining was operated by Union Carbide until it was taken over by Anglo American.  No historical operational figures from the Cafuca mine are available at this time.

Crusader plans to commence a campaign of structural mapping and soil sampling with the aim of defining drill targets for drilling as soon as possible.

Crusader is actively pursuing further acquisitions in what is the most important tungsten region in the country.