As promised Dr Conly reply which was a very quick turnaround and great news in my opinion:
Below I have attached my response to a similar inquiry from another investor (just last week in fact). This response was posted to the Zen blog on Stockhouse by the inquiring investor. I apologize for any language issues with the response; however, I was on vacation and trying to deal with multiple family members at the time.
The simple answer to you question is no, the Albany deposit is nothing like the Sri Lankan vein deposits. However, both are fluid-derived or more commonly referred to hydrothermal deposits. The problem for many investors (and geologists) is that they are not aware of the diversity that exists in the hydrothermal realm. Furthermore, some companies are now claiming they have hydrothermal graphite without conducting the necessary geological studies to confirm that it is in fact hydrothermal in origin and not remobilized meta-sedimentary graphite (aka flake).
i) Albany is not unlike many porphyry copper deposits - low grade, high tonnage deposits that are readily mined by open pit methods.
ii) Sri Lanka is more like your historic previous (Au and Ag) veins - high grade, but very specific mining targets as you have to follow the vein in order to dilute your ore with the surrounding host rock.
I do question if a deposit such as Sri Lanka would be economic in a developed country where labour and environmental costs are higher as the mining methods being used there would not work in our nation.
Here is my prior response to another investor (it is not brief... sorry):
You have opened a bit of a can of worms regarding graphite deposit classification. The confusion is understandable as graphite industry terms are being integrated with genetic classifications largely derived by academics such as myself. But lets see if I can provide you with a clearer picture.
Ore deposit classification schemes may be based largely on:
1) observable attributes (host rock, mineralogy, tectonic setting);
2) genetic attributes (these are numerous but require extensive study to determine, and are often beyond what would be done by explorationists); or,
3) Combination of the 1 and 2.
When it comes to graphite the traditional classification of amorphous, flake and vein/lump are not really satisfactory in my mind. However, as theses are well entrenched terms in the graphite world, there is the tendency to continue to use them, often in appropriately.
I prefer to categorize graphite deposits accordingly:
1) Meta-sedimentary graphite
This is graphite that originates largely from organic matter (coal, carbon-rich black shales) present in sediments, which then transformed into graphite during metamorphic processes (heat and pressure induced transformations that occur in the solid-state). The typical host rocks for this graphite are metamorphic schists, gneisses and marbles. This type of graphite is what constitutes your flake and amorphous deposits. This type of graphite deposit is what constitutes the deposits of the Grenville province, the geological province that hosts that the graphite deposits found in eastern Ontario and up through Quebec.
I particular hate the term amorphous, as the graphite world has "bastrdized" this term. In the graphite world this means fine-grained, yet crystalline graphite. However, what grain size constitutes amorphous is not standardized. Also the term amorphous is being missed used. In geology and mineralogy, amorphous is used to describe a material that is solid but lacks any definitive crystal structure. The best example of a true amorphous geological material is glass (obsidian).
2) Fluid-derived graphite
These are deposits where the graphite crystallized from a fluid that is comprised of carbon dioxide and/or methane, along varying amounts of water. The mineralizing fluid may be a liquid or a gas (the details of which are largely of academic concern). Deposits form by this process are traditionally know as vein or lump graphite and more recently hydrothermal. I prefer fluid-derived as it does not specify a particular mode of occurrence. Furthermore, I am using the term hydrothermal less and less as this typically means a hot, water-based fluid. However, term hydrothermal while in my mind not ideal, it is useful as it does differentiate this type of graphite from the meta-sedimentary graphite.
Fluid-dervied deposits are the rarest type of graphite deposit. The known global number is significantly less than the number of known prospects and deposits of metamorphic graphite in Canada.
Within the fluid-dervided category, there are two sub-categories. In both cases the deposits form from graphite that crystallized from a carbon dioxide- and/or methane-rich fluids. The difference between the two-subcategories is the host rock.
2a) Granulite-hosted graphite
The type locality for this deposit type is Sri Lanka. Here the mineralization is in veins that are hosted in high grade metamorphic rocks.
2b) Igneous-hosted graphite
Albany and the historic Borrowdale deposit (in the UK) are two examples of this subclass. There are a few similarities between the two, but many more differences; however, the details are not important here (and are more of academic interest). The one key difference is that Albany is hosted by intrusive igneous rocks (syenite) and Borrowdale by volcanic rocks (andesite).
Our understanding of fluid-derived deposits is limited due to the few number of deposits (exploration bias?), which is compounded by the wide diversity of attributes among deposits within this class. However, one thing remain consistence - the graphite is precipitated from a carbon dioxide and/or methane fluid.
So I hope this helps and is not too detailed. However, your question, while seemingly innocent, raises the biggest bone of contention that I have with the graphite world. I really wish that others would take the time to study and understand there deposit as Zenyatta has and continues to do so (and yes this is, in part, a plug for myself), for the ad hoc tossing of terms around is not fair to investors who are trying to performing their own due diligence. Don't hesitate to contact me if you require any further clarification or wish further discussion.