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Energy Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Intensifies Roscoelite Focus and Enhances Fiji Gold Team with Addition of Two Ex-newmont Geologists

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – November 19, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report an intensification of roscoelite-targeting efforts at Tuvatu and announces the return of Sergio Cattalani to Fiji to lead the technical team in these efforts. The company is also pleased to announce the additions of Ivan Maldonado and Alexander Valencia as the new Mine Geology Manager and Senior Mine Geologist respectively at the Company’s Tuvatu Gold Mine in Fiji.

Roscoelite Targeting

A new significantly mineralized structure has been exposed in the near-surface underground workings at Tuvatu. This structure has consistently returned very high-grade gold since it was first identified in September from underground face sampling. The structure is associated with abundant roscoelite, a feature which is characteristic of several large alkaline gold deposits such as Porgera1, Cripple Creek2, and Vatukoula3 (see Figure 1 below). An initial underground bulk sample from this structure has returned 11.6 g/t gold from 861 tonnes of material fully diluted (November 12, 2024 News Release).

Figure 1. Visible gold and roscoelite vein underground at Tuvatu. Top: Abundant visible gold and roscoelite from exposed vuggy quartz-roscoelite vein seen in-situ underground at Tuvatu. The gold displays a “wire gold” textural habit indicating the rapid deposition of gold from hydrothermal fluids. Bottom: Close-up image of visible gold in quartz-roscoelite vein. Tungsten-carbide scratcher used for scale.

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The new structure has been continuously mapped and mined for over 100 m in the E-W direction and appears to extend further to the east of the current underground workings. While roscoelite-bearing mineralized structures have been identified in drill core at Tuvatu, this is the first time that a significant roscoelite-bearing lode array with high-grade gold has been identified and exposed continuously over a significant distance underground.

Notably, this structure is striking E-W and dipping at approximately -20° to the north. This is an orientation that has not previously been defined or predicted in the Tuvatu geological model, though it has been identified in recent structural analysis.

Roscoelite-bearing structures represent an important target-type at Tuvatu as they are directly associated with high-grade gold. Lion One management has therefore determined that a dedicated effort be allocated to better characterize these lode types, with the goal being to define specific criteria that can be used to identify additional structures with similar attributes at Tuvatu. The current underground exposure of a high-grade roscoelite-bearing structure provides the Company with an invaluable opportunity to carry out detailed sampling and analysis to better understand the mineralogy, geochemistry, and orientation of these structures in situ. Sergio Cattalani has returned to Fiji to lead these efforts on site. Mr Cattalani has over 40 years of experience and as the former Senior Vice President of Exploration for Lion One Metals from mid-2021 to the end of 2023, he is intimately familiar with the deposit and is ideally suited to lead these efforts.

One of the Company’s primary objectives is to develop a detailed understanding of the spatial mineralogical and grade characteristics of the exposed roscoelite structure, and to document if/how the structure and associated gold mineralization varies with proximity to cross-cutting structures of different orientations. The conceptual model, strengthened by direct observations underground, suggests that high-grade “blow-out” zones (or “shatter zones” as described at Vatukoula) are produced at the intersection of multiple structures with different orientations, as has previously been observed in deposits with similar alteration and grade characteristics to Tuvatu, such as the Porgera gold mine.1 Mr. Cattalani has been charged with investigating precisely how the gold grades, widths, and alteration type and intensity vary along the exposed roscoelite-bearing structure with proximity to the cross-cutting, predominantly steeply dipping, structures that are widely prevalent at Tuvatu. An increased understanding of both the primary characteristics of these roscoelite-bearing structures, as well as their structural interactions, will enable the company to efficiently interrogate and augment the extensive database at Tuvatu to effectively target additional similar features throughout the deposit, and to thereby enhance and expand the long-term mine plan at Tuvatu.

Strengthened Fiji Technical Team

Lion One Metals is pleased to welcome Mr Ivan Maldonado and Mr Alexander Valencia to the Lion One technical team in Fiji. Both Mr Maldonado and Mr Valencia bring extensive technical experience to Lion One, and both will be working with the production geology team at Tuvatu.

Ivan Maldonado, P.Geo. – Mine Geology Manager
Mr. Ivan Maldonado is a professional geoscientist with over 17 years’ experience in mine production, resource modeling, and brownfields exploration in Mexico and Canada. Mr Maldonado gained significant experience with Red Lake Gold Mines at the Campbell mine & Cochenour mine where he spent six years in positions such as Underground Production Geologist, Exploration Geologist and Resource estimation Geologist, followed by six years at Newmont’s Borden gold mine where he rose to the rank of Senior Underground Production Geologist.

Mr. Maldonado’s past experiences as a production geologist includes positions at Pan American Silver’s Dolores open pit mine, and Goldcorp’s San Dimas underground gold-silver mine, both in Mexico.

Alexander Valencia MSc. G.I.T. CAPM – Senior Mine Geologist
Mr. Alexander Valencia is a professional geoscientist with over 12 years’ experience in the mining industry, specializing in resource modeling and with expertise in the exploration of Porphyry Cu-Au, Epithermal Au-Ag, VMS, Orogenic and Skarn deposits. Mr Valencia also has experience in open-pit and underground mining production, ground control, and slope stability and gained significant experience over the last four years as Underground Production Geologist at Newmont’s Borden, Porcupine, and Hoyle Pond gold mines in Ontario.

Mr. Valencia’s prior experience includes one year as a Geological Technician at Glencore’s Kidd Creek Mine, and five years as a Geologist Engineer for ESCARTEC and Constructora Villacreces Andrade in Quito, Ecuador.

The Company also announces that Mr. Alex Nichol has resigned from his role as Vice President, Exploration and Geology, to pursue other opportunities. The Company thanks Mr. Nichol for his hard work and significant contributions to Tuvatu and extends their best wishes to him on his future endeavors.

Lion One Chairman and CEO Walter Berukoff commented: “We are delighted to welcome Ivan and Alexander to Fiji where their expertise will be invaluable to our team at the Tuvatu Gold Mine. I also wish to thank Alex Nichol for his valuable contributions to the Company and wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavours.”

References:

  1. Ronacher, E. (2002). The Porgera gold deposit: Fluid characteristics, ore deposition processes, and duration of the ore forming event. [Doctoral Thesis, University of Alberta].
  2. Kadel-Harder, I. K., Spry, P. G., McCombs, A. L., Zhang, H. (2020). Identifying pathfinder elements for gold in bulk-rock geochemical data from the Cripple Creek Au-Te deposit: a statistical approach. Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis, v. 21.
  3. Scherbath, N. L., & Spry, P. G. (2006). Mineralogical, Petrological, Stable Isotope, and Fluid Inclusion Characteristics of the Tuvatu Gold-Silver Telluride Deposit, Fiji: Comparisons with the Emperor Deposit. Economic Geology, v 101.

Competent Persons Statement
The information in this report that relates to mineral exploration at the Tuvatu Gold Project is based on information compiled by the Lion One team and reviewed by Melvyn Levrel, who is the company’s Senior Geologist. Mr Levrel is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’ (JORC code). Mr Levrel consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Lion One Laboratories / QAQC
Lion One adheres to rigorous QAQC procedures above and beyond basic regulatory guidelines in conducting its drilling, sampling, testing, and analyses. The Company operates its own geochemical assay laboratory and its own fleet of diamond drill rigs using PQ, HQ and NQ sized drill rods.

Diamond drill core samples are logged and split by Lion One personnel on site and delivered to the Lion One Laboratory for preparation and analysis. All samples are pulverized at the Lion One lab to 85% passing through 75 microns and gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish. Samples that return grades greater than 10.00 g/t Au are re-analyzed by gravimetric method, which is considered more accurate for very high-grade samples.

Duplicates of 5% of samples with grades above 0.5 g/t Au are delivered to ALS Global Laboratories in Australia for check assay determinations using the same methods (Au-AA26 and Au-GRA22 where applicable). ALS also analyses 33 pathfinder elements by HF-HNO3-HClO4 acid digestion, HCl leach and ICP-AES (method ME-ICP61). The Lion One lab can test a range of up to 71 elements through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), but currently focuses on a suite of 23 important pathfinder elements with an aqua regia digest and ICP-OES finish.

About Lion One Metals Limited
Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Walter Berukoff, Chairman & CEO

Contact Information
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Phone: 1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/230539

Categories
Energy Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Commences Development of High-Grade Roscoelite Zone at Tuvatu Gold Mine in Fiji

Initial Bulk Sample Returns 11.6 g/t Gold from 861 Tonnes

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – November 12, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report that the development of a new high-grade near-surface roscoelite zone has commenced at the company’s 100% owned Tuvatu high-grade alkaline gold mine on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji.

Lion One CEO Walter Berukoff stated, “Quartz-roscoelite veining is the most economically significant mineral assemblage at several world class alkaline gold deposits that are similar to Tuvatu. Roscoelite is a defining characteristic of these alkaline systems and it is directly associated with high-grade gold. An initial bulk sample of the near-surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu has returned 11.6 g/t gold from 861 tonnes of material mined at full mining widths. We are now enhancing our mine plan with this gold-rich roscoelite material, which is already being processed through the pilot plant”.

Roscoelite veining is directly related to high-grade mineralization at the nearby Vatukoula gold mine in Fiji where over 7 million ounces of gold have been produced over the last 85 years. Roscoelite is also observed in association with gold mineralization at the Porgera gold mine in PNG, which has been a top ten ranked gold mine globally and which has produced over 25 million ounces of gold.

At Porgera, the most economically significant veins are the Stage II quartz-roscoelite-pyrite veins with native gold, found in the Roamane fault zone.1 At Tuvatu the high-grade Stage II veins also ubiquitously occur with roscoelite – a rare dark green to black vanadium rich mica mineral.2 This same mineral assemblage is observed in the near-surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu, which consists of a series of intersecting flat and sub-vertical banded veins composed primarily of low-temperature chalcedonic quartz intergrown with roscoelite, pyrite, lesser sphalerite and galena, and native gold. This same mineral assemblage is also observed at the high-grade Zone 500 at 500m depth in Tuvatu, at the West Zone near-mine expansion target 300 m to the West of Tuvatu, as well as in drill core throughout the Tuvatu deposit (Figure 1). See news releases: Lion One drills 20.86 g/t Au over 75.9 m from Zone 500, June 6, 2022, and Lion One drills 105.2 g/t Au over 2.1 m from near-mine exploration at the West Zone, October 1, 2024.

Tuvatu is optimally located on Fiji’s Viti Levu lineament, with a tectonic history and structural setting that created ideal conditions for the vertical ascent of deep alkalic magmas and the formation of the Navilawa volcanic caldera. Within the caldera, the precipitation of metals from hydrothemal fluids occurred through episodic phases of boiling, mixing and cooling. The presence of roscoelite in direct association with high-grade gold mineralization reflects a rare combination of criteria, shared by other notable world-class alkaline gold deposits, thus underscoring the enormous potential for Tuvatu as part of a potentially much larger high-grade alkaline gold system within Fiji’s Navilawa Caldera.

Figure 1. Example high-grade mineralization from Porgera3 (left), the new near-surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu (center), and Zone 500 at Tuvatu (right; TUG-141 drill core, 492.5 m depth, 25.23 g/t Au). High grade mineralization at Porgera, Zone 500, and the new near-surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu all consist of veins composed of quartz-roscoelite-pyrite with native gold.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
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Figure 2. Location of the new roscoelite zone in relation to underground developments. The new roscoelite zone is in Zone 2 of Tuvatu, in the northwest part of the deposit, approximately 65 m below surface. Preliminary evidence indicates that the zone extends to additional levels below the current underground workings.

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Figure 3. Location of the new roscoelite zone in relation to Zone 500. Mineralization observed in the new near-surface roscoelite zone is like that observed in the high-grade Zone 500, which is approximately 350 m below the current underground workings.

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The near-surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu is located 65 m below surface and consists of a series of flat-lying and vertical veins. The strongest gold mineralization occurs in blow-out zones at the intersection of these structures (Figure 4). The primary vertical structures in this zone consist of quartz vein arrays with roscoelite and minor base metal sulfides, while the primary flat-lying structures consist of low-temperature quartz-roscoelite-pyrite veins. Both sets of veins contain high-grade gold. This is a very similar scenario to that observed at the Porgera gold mine, wherein there are high-grade ore shoots formed at the intersection of early Stage I base metal veins with later Stage II quartz-roscoelite-pyrite veins, with both sets of veins containing gold.1,4 In the near surface roscoelite zone at Tuvatu there is evidence of multiple stacked flat-lying quartz-roscoelite-pyrite veins, which would produce multiple stacked shoots of high-grade mineralization at the intersection of vertical structures below the current underground workings.

Figure 4. Simplified conceptual illustration of intersecting structures in the near-surface roscoelite zone. Multiple flat-lying quartz-roscoelite-pyrite veins have been observed underground.

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Notes and References:
Vatukoula: Sandstorm Gold Royalties | Vatukoula | WHI-VGM-040112
Porgera: Strong Output Growth in 2023 – Zijin Mining | (Zijin Mining 2024)
Lihir: (Table 8.1): Technical Report on Lihir Operations as of 30 June 2020
Alkaline Gold Systems: Alkalic-Type Epithermal Gold Deposit Model | USGS

1. Ronacher, E. (2002). The Porgera gold deposit: Fluid characteristics, ore deposition processes, and duration of the ore forming event. [Doctoral Thesis, University of Alberta]. p 55. Link to report
2. Schmidt, D. (2023). Petrographic Characterization and Evolution of the Alkalic-Type Epithermal Tuvatu Au-Te Deposit, Fiji. [Masters Thesis, Colorado School of Mines]. P50. Link to report
3. Supplied image of Porgera rock sample.
4. Cameron, G. (1998). The Hydrothermal Evolution and Genesis of the Porgera Gold Deposit, Papua New Guinea. [Doctoral Thesis, Australian National University]. p 53. Link to report

Competent Persons Statement
The information in this report that relates to mineral exploration at the Tuvatu Gold Project is based on information compiled by the Lion One team and reviewed by Melvyn Levrel, who is the company’s Senior Geologist. Mr Levrel is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’ (JORC code). Mr Levrel consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Lion One Laboratories / QAQC
Lion One adheres to rigorous QAQC procedures above and beyond basic regulatory guidelines in conducting its drilling, sampling, testing, and analyses. The Company operates its own geochemical assay laboratory and its own fleet of diamond drill rigs using PQ, HQ and NQ sized drill rods.

Diamond drill core samples are logged and split by Lion One personnel on site and delivered to the Lion One Laboratory for preparation and analysis. All samples are pulverized at the Lion One lab to 85% passing through 75 microns and gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish. Samples that return grades greater than 10.00 g/t Au are re-analyzed by gravimetric method, which is considered more accurate for very high-grade samples.

Duplicates of 5% of samples with grades above 0.5 g/t Au are delivered to ALS Global Laboratories in Australia for check assay determinations using the same methods (Au-AA26 and Au-GRA22 where applicable). ALS also analyses 33 pathfinder elements by HF-HNO3-HClO4 acid digestion, HCl leach and ICP-AES (method ME-ICP61). The Lion One lab can test a range of up to 71 elements through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), but currently focuses on a suite of 23 important pathfinder elements with an aqua regia digest and ICP-OES finish.

About Lion One Metals Limited
Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Walter Berukoff, Chairman & CEO

Contact Information
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Phone: 1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/229581

Categories
Base Metals Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Drills High Grade Gold in West Zone Exploration, Reports Record Quarterly Production

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – October 1, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report significant new high-grade gold results from near-mine exploration and infill drilling at the West Zone target west of to the Tuvatu Gold Mine in Fiji. The company is also pleased to report record preliminary Q1 FY2025 gold production at Tuvatu.

Highlights of West Zone exploration and infill drilling:

  • 105.20 g/t Au over 2.1 m (including 248.35 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-636, from 67.8 m depth)
  • 70.07 g/t Au over 2.1 m (including 73.43 g/t Au over 1.2 m) (TUDDH-647, from 144.5 m depth)
  • 102.38 g/t Au over 1.2 m (TUDDH-645, from 97.7 m depth)
  • 19.82 g/t Au over 5.1 m (including 68.88 g/t Au over 0.9 m) (TUDDH-636, from 34.5 m depth)
  • 146.61 g/t Au over 0.6 m (including 289.85 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-645, from 164.3 m depth)
  • 24.16 g/t Au over 3.3 m (including 96.78 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-652, from 173.5 m depth)
  • 49.72 g/t Au over 0.8 m (including 78.61 g/t Au over 0.4 m) (TUDDH-755, from 52.94 m depth)
  • 42.44 g/t Au over 1.8 m (including 61.66 g/t Au over 0.6 m) (TUDDH-636, from 60.6 m depth)
  • 7.68 g/t Au over 4.2 m (including 28.63 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-645, from 142.4 m depth)
  • 14.86 g/t Au over 2.0 m (TUDDH-636, from 228.8 m depth)

*All drill intersects are downhole lengths, 3.0 g/t cutoff. See Table 1 for additional data

Highlights of quarterly gold production (preliminary results):

  • 3,680 oz of gold recovered from July-September 2024
  • 31,390 tonnes milled from July-September 2024
  • Record quarterly gold production (previous record set in the prior quarter, April-June 2024)
  • July production impacted by scheduled 9-day mill maintenance shutdown
  • August production impacted by mining equipment breakdown

Quarterly Production Results

Lion One Metals will produce approximately 3,680 oz of gold during the three-month period ending September 30th, 2024. This is a new quarterly production record, beating the previous production record of 3,551 oz of gold produced in the prior three-month period ending June 30th, 2024. Production during the period was impacted by a scheduled 9-day mill maintenance shutdown in July, as well as by mining equipment breakdowns in August. The total tonnes processed during the three-month period ending September 30th was 31,390 tonnes, which is comparable to the prior three-month period of 32,100 tonnes processed.

The mill shutdown in July was conducted to maintain and upgrade the Tuvatu processing plant facilities, and will have a significant impact on processing efficiency and cost savings moving forward. Major upgrades completed during the shutdown include re-lining the primary ball mill with rubber liners, replacing the bowl/mantle for the cone crusher, replacing the #1 conveyor belt, replacing the grinding and gravity circuit piping with flexible slurry hoses, and installing new detox feed pumps and feed splitter box for the detox circuit.

Re-lining the ball mill with rubber liners is a significant upgrade as the lighter weight rubber liners will reduce power draw by the primary ball mill and will enable a higher ball charge and finer primary grind, thereby improving mill recovery and efficiency. Wear life on the rubber liners is also expected to double from 6 months to 1 year thereby reducing long-term maintenance costs. The grinding and gravity circuit piping replacements will improve mill availability and will further reduce maintenance costs as the use of flexible slurry hoses will result in significantly less downtime for pipe repairs than with the previous steel piping. Overall, the upgrades completed during the July mill shutdown have helped to increase mill availability from 89% in the three-month period ending June 30th, to 93% in the three-month period ending September 30th. The upgrades have also helped to increase average daily mill throughput per operating day (excluding the planned mill shutdown) from 353 TPD in the three-month period ending June 30th to 371 TPD in the three-month period ending September 30th. In addition to the processing plant improvements, operational costs from the filtered tailings haulage have also been reduced by bringing the haulage operation in-house with three new trucks acquired during the quarter, which will lead to significant cost savings from operations.

Gold production during the quarter was also impacted by mine equipment availability in August. Two underground loaders were down for repairs simultaneously. Having both loaders down for repairs significantly impacted mining operations as production material could not be extracted from the mine. Stockpiled low-grade development material was therefore fed through the mill during the interim period while the loaders were repaired, resulting in decreased production in August. A new underground loader from Australia was purchased and arrived on site in September resulting in improved equipment availability and enhanced redundancy.

Figure 1. Tuvatu Monthly Gold Production. Gold recovery and production has increased steadily at Tuvatu as mining and processing activities have ramped up during the pilot plant phase of operations. Production was reduced in July due to a scheduled 9-day mill maintenance shut down and was hampered in August due to mining equipment breakdown.

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West Zone Drilling

The West Zone drilling consists of two separate programs: a deep exploratory drill program targeting a feeder zone at depth below the West Zone, and a shallow infill drill program targeting near-surface mineralization for inclusion in the Tuvatu mine plan (Figure 2). The deep exploration drill holes are the first holes ever designed to test the depth extension of mineralization beneath the West Zone. This program consisted of five holes and all five holes intersected high grade gold, indicating strong continuation of mineralization at depth in the West Zone and warranting further exploration. The shallow West Zone infill drill program is ongoing. The results from the first two drill holes of the program are reported here, both of which intersected visible gold near surface.

Figure 2. Location of the West Zone drilling. Left image: Plan view image showing the West Zone target area in relation to Tuvatu, with underground developments shown in red and mineralized lodes in grey. Right image: view of the West Zone lodes and drilling looking east, with underground developments at Tuvatu shown in pale red in the background.

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Table 1. Highlights of composited drill results in the West Zone area. Composites are calculated using a 3 g/t Au cutoff with maximum internal dilution intervals of 1 m at <3 g/t Au. For full results see Table 3 in the appendix.

Hole IDFrom (m)To (m)Width (m)Au (g/t)
TUDDH-63667.869.92.1105.20
including67.868.40.672.55
and68.468.70.3126.37
and68.769.00.3248.35
and69.069.60.673.82
and69.669.90.368.96
TUDDH-647144.5146.62.170.07
including144.5145.71.273.43
and145.7146.60.965.58
TUDDH-64597.798.91.2102.38
TUDDH-63634.539.65.119.82
including37.839.61.839.86
which includes38.739.60.968.88
TUDDH-645164.3164.90.6146.61
including164.6164.90.3289.85
TUDDH-652173.5176.83.324.16
including173.5175.31.837.08
which includes173.8174.10.396.78
and also including176.2176.50.333.37
TUDDH-63660.662.41.842.44
including60.661.81.255.81
which includes60.661.20.661.66
and61.261.80.649.96
TUDDH-75552.953.70.849.72
including52.953.30.478.61
TUDDH-645142.4146.64.27.68
including142.4143.00.613.02
and144.2144.80.619.76
TUDDH-636228.8230.82.014.86
TUDDH-642179.1182.13.08.23
TUDDH-642172.5175.53.06.44
including174.6175.50.915.55
TUDDH-647137.6140.93.35.49
including140.0140.90.912.89
TUDDH-75357.658.30.725.22
including57.657.90.443.58

*All drill intersects are downhole lengths

The West Zone is located approximately 300 m to the west of the main Tuvatu deposit. It is modelled as a series of mainly east-west oriented lodes dipping steeply to the south. High grade gold has been sampled at surface in the West Zone and the area is coincident with a steeply dipping CSAMT gradient, indicative of a potential deep feeder structure in the area. Given the steeply dipping nature of the mineralized lodes both at Tuvatu and at the West Zone, and given the horizontal distance between the two systems, it is unlikely that they are fed by the same feeder zone. It is therefore hypothesized that there is a second feeder zone located at depth below the West Zone, which would be separate and distinct from the very high-grade Zone 500 feeder zone at Tuvatu.

The deep drillholes reported in this news release are the first drillholes ever designed to test for feeder structures beneath the West Zone. Five drillholes were completed as part of this drill program (TUDDH-636, TUDDH-642, TUDDH-645, TUDDH-647, and TUDDH-652) and all five of these drillholes intersected high grade gold, including the headline intersections of 105.20 g/t Au over 2.1 m, 70.07 g/t Au over 2.1 m and 102.38 g/t Au over 1.2 m. These results indicate a strong potential for high-grade mineralization to continue further at depth below the West Zone and warrants additional exploration at depth. The deepest high-grade gold intersection returned in these first five drill holes was at almost 500 m depth downhole, with TUDDH-636 returning gold grades of 5.68 g/t and 7.00 g/t over 30 cm at 487.1 m and 482.0 m depth downhole respectively.

Structural analysis of oriented core and mapping of surface trenches in the West Zone has revealed the potential for north-south oriented mineralized structures as well as east-west oriented structures in the area. Historical drilling in the West Zone, however, has typically been oriented north-south to specifically target east-west oriented structures. This historical drilling is therefore likely to have missed any north-south oriented lodes as they would be oriented parallel to the drill direction. The infill drill program currently ongoing at the West Zone has been designed to intersect both the east-west and north-south oriented structures in this area by drilling in an oblique, northwest-southeast orientation. The first two holes of this drill program (TUDDH-753 and TUDDH-755) are reported in this news release. Both holes returned visible gold near surface (Figure 4).

Figure 3. West Zone drilling with high-grade intersects highlighted, 3.0 g/t gold cutoff. View is to the East. High to very high-grade gold is intersected near surface in the West Zone.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/225208_14918e48b4c2281b_003full.jpg

Figure 4. Visible gold from West Zone near surface drilling. Visible gold observed within narrow chalcedonic quartz roscoelite vein (TUDDH-755, from 52.9 m to 53.3 m). Left and right images are close-up views of visible gold seen in the center image.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/225208_14918e48b4c2281b_004full.jpg

The West Zone is not included in the current Tuvatu mine plan. However, given the high-grade mineralization present at surface in the West Zone as well as the close proximity of the West Zone to the Tuvatu processing plant, the West Zone is an ideal target for near-mine expansion. The West Zone is located just south of the mine office building at Tuvatu (Figure 5). To bring the West Zone into the current mine plan a second portal could be opened to provide direct access to the area, or an underground access drive could be developed from Tuvatu. The ongoing West Zone infill drill program is designed to help inform this decision as well as to increase confidence in the near-surface mineralization present in the West Zone.

Figure 5. Approximate location of the West Zone target area in relation to the Tuvatu processing plant and infrastructure.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/225208_14918e48b4c2281b_005full.jpg

Competent Persons Statement

The information in this report that relates to mineral exploration at the Tuvatu Gold Project is based on information compiled by the Lion One team and reviewed by Melvyn Levrel, who is the company’s Senior Geologist. Mr Levrel is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’ (JORC code). Mr Levrel consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Lion One Laboratories / QAQC

Lion One adheres to rigorous QAQC procedures above and beyond basic regulatory guidelines in conducting its drilling, sampling, testing, and analyses. The Company operates its own geochemical assay laboratory and its own fleet of diamond drill rigs using PQ, HQ and NQ sized drill rods.

Diamond drill core samples are logged and split by Lion One personnel on site and delivered to the Lion One Laboratory for preparation and analysis. All samples are pulverized at the Lion One lab to 85% passing through 75 microns and gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish. Samples that return grades greater than 10.00 g/t Au are re-analyzed by gravimetric method, which is considered more accurate for very high-grade samples.

Duplicates of 5% of samples with grades above 0.5 g/t Au are delivered to ALS Global Laboratories in Australia for check assay determinations using the same methods (Au-AA26 and Au-GRA22 where applicable). ALS also analyses 33 pathfinder elements by HF-HNO3-HClO4 acid digestion, HCl leach and ICP-AES (method ME-ICP61). The Lion One lab can test a range of up to 71 elements through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), but currently focuses on a suite of 23 important pathfinder elements with an aqua regia digest and ICP-OES finish.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Walter Berukoff, Chairman & CEO

Contact Information
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Phone: 1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Appendix 1: Full Drill Results and Collar Information

Table 2. Collar coordinates for drillholes reported in this release. Coordinates are in Fiji map grid.

Hole IDEastingNorthingElevationAzimuthDipDepth
TUDDH-63618758673920760175160.0-56.8515.8
TUDDH-64218758853920756175186.4-76.4417.0
TUDDH-64518759173920685203325.9-59.5311.9
TUDDH-64718759173920685203326.0-72.2458.3
TUDDH-65218759183920685203325.0-79.1783.0
TUDDH-75318758383920802141125.8-19.6184.9
TUDDH-75518758383920802141131.8-33.4220.4

Table 3. Composite results from drillholes reported in this news release (composite grade >3.0 g/t Au)

Hole IDFrom (m)To (m)Width (m)Au (g/t)
TUDDH-63626.727.30.66.28
TUDDH-63634.539.65.119.82
including34.535.10.63.657
and35.135.70.615.96
and35.736.30.618.29
and36.336.90.610.99
and36.937.80.90.01
and37.838.70.910.84
and38.739.60.968.88
TUDDH-63643.844.70.911.22
including43.844.40.613.59
and44.444.70.36.47
TUDDH-63647.147.70.612.23
TUDDH-63660.662.41.842.44
including60.661.20.661.66
and61.261.80.649.96
and61.862.40.615.69
TUDDH-63667.869.92.1105.20
including67.868.40.672.55
and68.468.70.3126.37
and68.769.00.3248.35
and69.069.60.673.82
and69.669.90.368.96
TUDDH-636228.8230.82.014.86
TUDDH-636334.2335.10.94.86
TUDDH-636429.8430.10.33.06
TUDDH-636472.1473.00.93.55
TUDDH-636482.0482.30.37.00
TUDDH-636487.1487.40.35.68
TUDDH-642117.6117.90.38.10
TUDDH-642123.0124.51.510.23
including123.0123.60.611.96
and123.6124.50.99.08
TUDDH-642149.4150.00.65.28
TUDDH-642172.5175.53.06.44
including172.5172.80.35.39
and172.8173.70.94.00
and173.7174.60.90.12
and174.6175.50.915.55
TUDDH-642179.1182.13.08.23
including179.1180.00.98.68
and180.0180.30.312.64
and180.3180.60.310.99
and180.6181.20.68.91
and181.2182.10.94.95
TUDDH-642229.2229.50.34.21
TUDDH-642234.9235.50.65.82
including234.9235.20.37.02
and235.2235.50.34.62
TUDDH-642241.8243.92.18.10
including241.8242.40.611.23
and242.4243.30.90.93
and243.3243.60.310.55
and243.6243.90.320.86
TUDDH-642296.3297.20.93.52
TUDDH-642323.0323.60.67.35
TUDDH-64586.086.30.34.91
TUDDH-64597.798.91.2102.38
TUDDH-645142.4146.64.27.68
including142.4143.00.613.02
and143.0143.30.39.81
and143.3143.60.35.80
and143.6143.90.3-0.01
and143.9144.20.38.14
and144.2144.50.310.88
and144.5144.80.328.63
and144.8145.40.61.30
and145.4146.00.63.97
and146.0146.60.63.85
TUDDH-645152.9154.11.24.77
including152.9153.20.38.38
and153.2153.50.31.51
and153.5154.10.64.60
TUDDH-645155.9156.50.67.88
TUDDH-645161.6162.20.69.46
TUDDH-645164.3164.90.6146.61
including164.3164.60.33.36
and164.6164.90.3289.85
TUDDH-647137.6140.93.35.49
including137.6138.20.65.39
and138.2139.10.9<0.01
and139.1140.00.93.66
and140.0140.90.912.89
TUDDH-647144.5146.62.170.07
including144.5145.71.273.43
and145.7146.60.965.58
TUDDH-647196.7197.60.95.13
including196.7197.00.36.46
and197.0197.30.34.85
and197.3197.60.34.07
TUDDH-65217.617.90.34.96
TUDDH-652173.5176.83.324.16
including173.5173.80.329.86
and173.8174.10.396.78
and174.1174.40.320.89
and174.4174.70.338.19
and174.7175.00.315.99
and175.0175.30.320.75
and175.3175.60.30.40
and175.6175.90.31.80
and175.9176.20.32.28
and176.2176.50.333.37
and176.5176.80.35.41
TUDDH-652184.3184.90.615.26
TUDDH-652193.3193.90.67.71
TUDDH-652195.7196.30.65.29
including195.7196.00.35.03
and196.0196.30.35.55
TUDDH-652205.0205.60.612.65
including205.0205.30.39.33
and205.3205.60.315.96
TUDDH-652215.2217.01.86.32
including215.2215.50.35.45
and215.5215.80.31.34
and215.8216.10.34.56
and216.1216.40.37.43
and216.4216.70.33.30
and216.7217.00.315.82
TUDDH-652220.3220.60.326.72
TUDDH-652223.3223.60.33.56
TUDDH-652224.5224.80.34.13
TUDDH-652430.2431.41.23.90
including430.2430.80.63.99
and430.8431.40.63.80
TUDDH-75357.658.30.725.22
including57.657.90.443.58
and57.958.30.46.86
TUDDH-75360.560.90.57.94
TUDDH-75364.465.20.84.40
including64.464.70.35.58
and64.765.20.53.69
TUDDH-75552.953.70.849.72
including52.953.30.478.61
and53.353.70.421.56
TUDDH-75564.765.00.36.20
TUDDH-75568.268.50.32.00
TUDDH-755153.6153.90.32.19

*All drill intersects are downhole lengths

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/225208

Categories
Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Announces Closing of Financings

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 26, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (ASX: LLO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (“Lion One” or the “Company“), is pleased to announce that the Company has closed the fully-subscribed upsized brokered private placement financing (the “LIFE Offering“) previously announced on July 18, 2024 and July 19, 2024 by issuing 27,027,027 units of the Company (the “Units“) at a price of C$0.37 per Unit (the “Offering Price“) for aggregate gross proceeds of C$10,000,000, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption available under National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (the “LIFE Exemption“) in each of the Provinces of Canada other than Quebec, pursuant to the terms of the agency agreement (the “Agency Agreement“) dated as of July 26, 2024, among the Company, Eight Capital, and Canaccord Genuity Corp. (collectively, the “Agents“).

Each Unit consists of one common share (a “Common Share“) in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant“) of the Company. Each Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a “Warrant Share“) at a price per Warrant Share of C$0.50 for a period of 36 months from the closing date of the LIFE Offering.

Concurrently with the LIFE Offering, the Company completed, a non-brokered private placement of 4,458,352 Units on the same terms as the LIFE Offering, for gross proceeds of C$1,649,590.24 (the “Sidecar Private Placement“, and together with the LIFE Offering, the “Offering“) pursuant to applicable exemptions under NI 45-106 other than the listed issuer financing exemption. In aggregate, under the Offering the Company issued 31,485,379 Units for gross proceeds of C$11,649,590.24.

In connection with the LIFE Offering, the Company (i) paid to the Agents a cash commission of C$700,000, which was equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds from the LIFE Offering; and (ii) issued an aggregate of 1,891,891 compensation warrants (“Compensation Warrants“), equal to 7.0% of the number of Units sold pursuant to the LIFE Offering. Each Compensation Warrant is exercisable for one Common Share at a price of C$0.37 for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the LIFE Offering.

In connection with the Sidecar Private Placement, the Company (i) paid a cash commission to a finder (the “Finder“) in the aggregate of C$38,850, which was equal to 5% of the gross proceeds in respect of subscribers introduced to the Company by the Finder; and (ii) issued an aggregate of 105,000 Compensation Warrants, equal to 5% of the number of Units sold to subscribers introduced to the Company pursuant to the Sidecar Private Placement. Each Compensation Warrant is exercisable for one Common Share at a price of C$0.37 for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Sidecar Private Placement.

The net proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Units will be used for development and ramp up expenses at the Tuvatu Gold project located in Fiji, as well as for general corporate expenses & purposes.

The LIFE Offering was completed pursuant to the LIFE Exemption, and accordingly, the securities issued in the LIFE Offering are not subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The securities issued under the Sidecar Private Placement are subject to a hold period expiring on November 27, 2024 pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

Certain subscribers under the Sidecar Private Placement are directors and management of the Company. The issuance of Units to directors and management of the Company constitutes a “related party transaction” as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (“MI 61-101“). The transactions are exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value of any securities issued or the consideration paid by such persons will exceed 25% of the Company’s market capitalization.

The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the “United States” (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Lion One Metals Limited
Walter Berukoff
Chairman and CEO

For further information
Contact Investor Relations
Toll Free (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-Looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Forward-Looking statements made in this news release include statements regarding anticipated completion of the Offering and debt settlement, and the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-Looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including, with respect to the Offering, the conditions of the financial markets, availability of financing, timeliness of completion of the Offering, and the timing of TSX Venture Exchange approval; and with respect to the use of proceeds, the sufficiency of the proceeds, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, and competitive, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedarplus.ca, including the Offering Document. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/217822

Categories
Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Announces Upsize of Brokered Private Placement to $10 Million

Lion One Metals Ltd.
Lion One Metals Ltd.

NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lion One Metals Limited (TSX-V: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an amended agreement with Eight Capital as lead agent (the “Agent”), to upsize the previously announced private placement. In connection with the upsized offering, the Company will issue up to 27,027,027 units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of $0.37 per Unit (the “Issue Price”) for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $10,000,000 pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption available under National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (the “Offering”), in each of the Provinces of Canada other than Quebec. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a “Share”) and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of three years from the date of issuance.

The Company will make available an offering document relating to the Offering (the “Offering Document”) which will be accessible under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at https://liononemetals.com. Prospective investors in the Offering should read the Offering Document before making an investment decision.

The Offering is expected to close on or around July 26, 2024 (the “Closing Date”). Closing of the Offering is subject to certain customary conditions including receipt of all necessary approvals including satisfaction of listing conditions of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Shares in the United States. The securities to be sold in the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Lion One Metals Limited
Walter Berukoff
Chairman and CEO

For further information
Contact Investor Relations
Toll Free (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward‐looking statements and forward‐looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward‐looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. The forward‐looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include statements regarding anticipated completion of the Offering and debt settlement, and the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward‐looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including, with respect to the Offering and debt settlement, the conditions of the financial markets, availability of financing, timeliness of completion of the Offering, and the timing of TSX Venture Exchange approval; and with respect to the use of proceeds, the sufficiency of the proceeds, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, and competitive, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedarplus.ca, including the Offering Document. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward‐looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward‐looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward‐looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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Energy Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Announces $7.5M Brokered Private Placement

Lion One Metals Ltd.
Lion One Metals Ltd.

NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lion One Metals Limited (TSX-V: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Eight Capital as lead agent (the “Agent”) and sole bookrunner in connection with a “best efforts” private placement of up to 20,271,000 units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of $0.37 per Unit (the “Issue Price”) for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $7,500,270, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption available under National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (the “Offering”), in each of the Provinces of Canada other than Quebec. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a “Share”) and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of three years from the date of issuance.

The Company will make available an offering document relating to the Offering (the “Offering Document”) which will be accessible under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at https://liononemetals.com. Prospective investors in the Offering should read the Offering Document before making an investment decision.

The Offering is expected to close on or around July 26, 2024 (the “Closing Date”). Closing of the Offering is subject to certain customary conditions including receipt of all necessary approvals including satisfaction of listing conditions of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company has granted the Agent an option to offer for sale up to an additional 15% of the Units, at the Issue Price, exercisable in whole or in part at any time for a period of up to 48 hours prior to the Closing Date. The Units issued pursuant to the Offering will not be subject to any hold periods pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Shares in the United States. The securities to be sold in the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Lion One Metals Limited
Walter Berukoff
Chairman and CEO

For further information
Contact Investor Relations
Toll Free (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward‐looking statements and forward‐looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward‐looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. The forward‐looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include statements regarding anticipated completion of the Offering and debt settlement, and the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward‐looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including, with respect to the Offering and debt settlement, the conditions of the financial markets, availability of financing, timeliness of completion of the Offering, and the timing of TSX Venture Exchange approval; and with respect to the use of proceeds, the sufficiency of the proceeds, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, and competitive, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedarplus.ca, including the Offering Document. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward‐looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward‐looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward‐looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Reports Second Quarter Production Results

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 12, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report Q2 CY2024 gold production for the Tuvatu Gold Mine in Fiji.

Highlights:

  • 3,551 oz of gold recovered during Q2 2024
  • 3,251 oz of gold poured during Q2 2024
  • 32,100 tonnes milled during Q2 2024

Quarterly Production Results

Lion One Metals has produced 3,551 oz of gold during the three-month period ending June 30th, 2024. This marks an increase from the prior three-month period ending March 31st, 2024, during which 1,394 oz of gold was produced, and represents a ramp-up of mining and processing activities during the pilot plant phase of operations (Figure 1).

The increase in production is due to the introduction of mechanized production in May and June, as well as the increased mill throughput from February to May (Figure 2). A total of 32,100 tonnes of mineralized material was processed during Q2 CY2024, compared to 20,751 tonnes in Q1 CY2024.

Lion One Chairman and CEO Walter Berukoff commented: “We’re pleased with the production results at Tuvatu this quarter. Commissioning of the processing plant was only completed in January, with some components only installed in April and May.”

“This quarter represents a milestone for the company as it is the first quarter in which the plant has been operating at full capacity. It is also the first quarter in which we have had mechanized production. We are just beginning to see the potential at Tuvatu and we’re excited as we look forward to doubling the plant capacity from 300 TPD to 600-700 TPD, and to advancing towards the ultra-high-grade Zone 500.”

Figure 1. Tuvatu Monthly Gold Production. Gold recovery and production has increased steadily at Tuvatu as mining and processing activities have ramped up during the pilot plant phase of operations. A step change increase in production occurred in May and June following the introduction of mechanized production.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/216269_fceea7e8a47f4916_001full.jpg

Figure 2. Tuvatu Monthly Mill Throughput. Mill throughput at Tuvatu has steadily increased since the first gold pour in October 2023. The second quarter or 2024 is the first quarter in which the Tuvatu processing plant has been operating at full capacity.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/216269_fceea7e8a47f4916_002full.jpg

Board of Directors

Mr. David Tretbar has resigned from the company’s Board of Directors. Mr Tretbar has resigned due to his increased management responsibilities at San Cristobal Mining, for which he is the founder, Senior Vice President of Exploration, and Director. Mr Tretbar was appointed to the Board of Directors in June 2020 and helped guide Lion One Metals through a period of tremendous growth, including the discovery of the Zone 500 feeder zone, the construction and commissioning of the Tuvatu underground gold mine and processing plant, the first gold pour at Tuvatu, and the ramp-up of gold production during the 300 TPD pilot plant phase.

Lion One CEO Walter Berukoff commented, “We’re grateful for all the contributions David has made to the success of Lion One over the past four years. The Tuvatu gold project has benefitted greatly from David’s technical knowledge and experience, and we wish him all the best in his work with San Cristobal Mining.”

Competent Persons Statement
The information in this report that relates to mineral exploration at the Tuvatu Gold Project is based on information compiled by the Lion One team and reviewed by Alex Nichol, who is the company’s Vice President of Geology and Exploration. Mr Nichol is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’ (JORC code). Mr Nichol has read and approved this news release and consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

About Lion One Metals Limited
Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Walter Berukoff, Chairman & CEO

Contact Information
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Phone: 1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-Looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/216269

Categories
Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Announces Record Gold Production at Tuvatu, Increases Plant Expansion, Expands Surface Footprint South of Tuvatu, Updates Technical Report

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – June 26, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report record preliminary gold production at Tuvatu for the month of June and significantly expands the surface gold-in-soil anomaly to the south of Tuvatu. The company also announces an increase in the planned mill expansion to 600-700 TPD, and files an updated NI43-101 compliant Technical Report with an effective date of June 24, 2024.

Gold production at Tuvatu has steadily increased since the completion of mill commissioning in December 2023/January 2024. A step change in production occurred in June following the commencement of mechanized production. The total gold recovered for the month of June up to and including June 24th is approximately 1370 oz of gold, with projected gold recovered of approximately 1700 oz for the month.

Soil sampling to the south of Tuvatu has revealed a 650 m extension of anomalous gold at surface. High-grade gold in soil results were recovered along a north-south corridor directly south of and along strike from the known deposit at Tuvatu. The gold anomaly is coincident with wider arsenic, lead, and zinc anomalies, which are known pathfinders for gold, thereby widening the potential footprint of the gold mineralization. The Tuvatu deposit has a north-south strike length of approximately 950 m. The southern soil extension therefore represents a potential 70% increase in the overall strike length of Tuvatu. These soil results are a significant discovery at Tuvatu and represent a prime target for near-mine exploration and resource expansion. They highlight the potential for more discovery both near-mine at Tuvatu and regionally throughout the Navilawa Caldera.

The planned mill expansion has been increased to 600-700 TPD. The current pilot plant operation has a name plate capacity of 300 TPD, and the originally planned expansion was to 500 TPD. The expansion has now been increased to 600-700 TPD, which represents a doubling of the name plate capacity at Tuvatu. The expansion is expected to be complete in mid-2025.

Highlights:

  • Record gold production for the month of June
  • Consistent month-over-month increase in gold production since January 2024
  • 650 m high-grade gold-in-soil anomaly extension to the south of Tuvatu
  • Coincident arsenic-, lead-, and zinc-in-soil anomalies
  • Potential 70% increase in strike length of Tuvatu
  • Increased planned mill expansion to 600-700 TPD

Figure 1. Gold Dore Bars Poured at Tuvatu. Gold doré bars poured for the June 25th, 2024 gold sale.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_001full.jpg

Gold Production

Figure 2. Tuvatu Monthly Gold Production. Gold recovery and production has increased steadily at Tuvatu as mining and processing activities have ramped up during the pilot plant phase of operations. Projected gold recovery for June is approximately 1700 oz with approximately 1370 oz recovered as of June 24th.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_002full.jpg

Gold production at Tuvatu has steadily increased since the first gold pour in October 2023 and the completion of mill commissioning in December 2023/January 2024. Record gold production of approximately 1700 oz is projected for June 2024, with 1370 oz of gold already recovered as of June 24th, 2024. This is a step change increase in production from previous months and is a result of the onset of mechanized production mining at Tuvatu.

During the period from October 2023 to May 2024, the majority of the material mined at Tuvatu was development material, with limited production material resulting from handheld mining methods. Mechanized production mining commenced in mid-May with the first long hole stope blast occurring on May 18th, as reported in the June 5, 2024 news release. The proportion of production material being processed at Tuvatu has therefore increased in May and June, with further increases expected as the mine continues to develop.

Long hole stoping is ongoing both in Zone 2 and in Zone 5. In Zone 2, where the deposit is characterized by a large stockwork zone of mineralization, the mining widths are 10 m to 12 m wide. In Zone 5, where the deposit is characterized by high grade narrow vein mineralization, the mining widths are 0.9 m to 1.2 m wide.

Plant Expansion

Mill throughput at Tuvatu has also increased steadily from January to June 2024. The current name plate capacity of the Tuvatu processing plant is 300 TPD. As a result of improved efficiency initiatives, the plant is now capable of operating sustainably at over 400 TPD. This has resulted in steadily increased tonnage from February to May with a record throughput of over 11,000 tonnes in May. Mill throughput in June is projected to be over 10,000 tonnes (Figure 3).

The Tuvatu processing plant is a modular processing plant that was originally planned for a staged expansion up to 500 TPD. As a result of the successful mining operations and the increased throughput achieved at the 300 TPD capacity, the company is now planning to expand plant operations from 300 TPD directly to 600-700 TPD. This is expected to double mill throughput and production at Tuvatu. The plant expansion is anticipated to be complete in mid-2025.

Figure 3. Tuvatu Monthly Mill Throughput. Mill throughput at Tuvatu has steadily increased since the first gold pour in October 2023. A significant increase in production was achieved from February to May as a result of the successful implementation of debottlenecking and efficiency improvement initiatives at the plant.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_003full.jpg

Soil Sampling and Gold Extension

As part of Lion One’s regional exploration program, a near-mine soil sampling program has been completed. The soil program is divided into two halves: the West Grid and the East Grid (Figure 4). The West Grid encompasses the area immediately to the West of Tuvatu, including the West Zone, as well as the area immediately to the south of Tuvatu. The East Grid encompasses the area immediately to the east of Tuvatu.

Figure 4. Tuvatu Soil Sample Locations. The 2024 near-mine soil sample program is divided into two sections – a West Grid and an East Grid.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_004full.jpg

The soil sampling program consisted of 25 m spacing between samples and 100 m spacing between sample lines. Samples were collected from the B or C horizon of the soil profile by means of hand auger with extension rod. A total of 549 samples were collected across 14 lines in the West Grid, with a total of 521 samples collected across 17 lines in the East Grid, for a total of 1070 samples across both grids. Assay results from the West Grid have been received whereas those from the East Grid are still outstanding. Peak gold assay results returned from the West Grid are 1.66 g/t, 0.65 g/t, 0.57 g/t, and 0.51 g/t gold, which are significantly above background values and are considered very high-grade for soil samples. A total of 19 samples returned gold assays above 0.1 g/t gold. This compares favourably to the Tuvatu deposit itself, which is associated with a 0.05 g/t surface gold-in-soil anomaly from historic auger soil surveys. Soil assay results above 0.1 g/t gold are available in Table 3 in the appendix.

Assay results from the West Grid indicate a clear 650 m long north-south gold anomaly immediately to the south of and along strike from the known mineralization at Tuvatu. The Tuvatu deposit has a known strike length of 950 m and therefore these results indicate a potential 70% increase in the strike length of Tuvatu. The gold-in-soil anomaly is coincident with wider arsenic, lead, and zinc anomalies, all of which are known pathfinders for gold, thereby increasing the strength of the anomaly. These soil results are a new discovery at Tuvatu and represent a prime target for near-mine exploration and resource expansion. Making such a significant discovery in close proximity to Tuvatu highlights the potential for more discovery both near-mine at Tuvatu and throughout the Navilawa Caldera. Strong gold soil assay results were also observed in the West Zone.

In 2023 Lion One upgraded the multi-element assay capacity at its Nadi laboratory. This increase in capacity has enabled Lion One to incorporate widespread soil sampling into its exploration program. Throughout 2024 and 2025 further soil sampling campaigns will be completed targeting extensions of Tuvatu, as well as gold only and copper-gold targets throughout the Navilawa caldera.

Figure 5. Gold Soil Assay Results, West Grid. The gold assay results from the West Grid soil sampling program reveal a clear 650 m long north-south anomaly directly south of and along strike from the Tuvatu deposit. This represents a potential 70% increase in the strike length of Tuvatu and is a prime target for near-mine exploration and resource expansion. Strong gold results are also observed in the West Zone.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_005full.jpg

Figure 6. Arsenic, Lead, and Zinc Soil Assay Results, West Grid. The arsenic, lead, and zinc assay results from the West Grid soil sampling program also reveal a strong north-south anomaly directly south of and along strike from the know deposit at Tuvatu.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/214384_65febadf542ae8d4_006full.jpg

It is important to note that the gold assays reported here exhibit a binary grade distribution whereas a bell curve distribution would be expected to result from a soil sample grid. Low grade gold assay results appear to be under-represented in the soil survey and an investigation is underway to determine if this is due to higher than expected detection limits in the lab. The under-representation of gold assays has been highlighted by the failed detection of low grade QAQC Samples (0.016 and 0.049 g/t Certified Reference Material). Higher grade QAQC samples performed successfully with respect to accuracy and precision indicating that the high gold in soil values are valid. Duplicate samples will be sent to ALS Australia to determine the low-grade gold results. With a bell curve distribution of gold assay results it would be expected that the gold anomalies presented in Figure 5 would broaden out with low grade results, similar to the arsenic, lead, and zinc anomalies seen in Figure 6.

NI 43-101 Technical Report

Lion One Metals has SEDAR-filed an updated NI 43-101 Technical Report for Tuvatu with an effective date of June 24, 2024. An independent mineral resource estimate (MRE) has been carried out for gold contained in the portion of the Tuvatu Property that is currently being developed and mined. The effective date of the MRE is March 25, 2024, and is based on a drillhole dataset in csv format, 69 wireframes representing mineralized veins and zones in the Tuvatu deposit, as well as underground development as of March 24, 2024, all in dxf format and all provided by Lion One. Two wireframes representing satellite mineralization around Zones Two and Five that were not captured by the wireframes for those zones were provided by Lion One on April 05, 2024.

The drillhole database, including pre-Lion One drilling, contained 7,592 collar locations and 240,002 assays for gold. Some samples fall outside the limits of the MRE, and their exclusion resulted in a useable data set of 233,703 assays. Assays for sludge (69) and face (channel) samples (6,205) were removed from the data set. The sludge samples were removed because the source location of their assay values cannot be established with sufficient accuracy for use in an MRE. The face samples were removed because attempts to reconcile estimated resources against mined resources within Zone Two resulted in an overestimation of gold present when face samples were included in the dataset. A further 30 samples were removed because they had anomalously long lengths and were either of unidentified source or had not been sampled. The resultant imported dataset included 1,288 collars and 233,703 gold assays. All sample data used for the MRE was obtained from drill core samples (85%) and reverse circulation cuttings (15%).

The estimated tonnes and ounces of gold represented by the Underground Development were subtracted from the estimated tonnes and ounces of gold estimated for the 69 Domains and the net (depleted) resource within the 69 Domains is reported as the current MRE. The resource within the Outside Domains is reported separately. Blocks were classified as Indicated or Inferred. For the 69 Domains, classification was carried out using all composites for all 69 domains. Classification of the Underground Development was carried out using composites for only that domain. In both cases, interpolation was by ID². The Outside Domains were classified as Inferred. The search ellipse for the Indicated class is of the same dimensions as that used for the first interpolation pass for most domains. The Inferred classification was designed to capture all blocks in each domain that fall outside the Indicated category.

Table 1 summarizes the Tuvatu MRE for the 69 Domains by Class. The left-hand columns of the table show the gross tonnes and ounces within the 69 Domains, the central columns show the tonnes and ounces in the Underground Development, and the right-hand columns show the resources in the 69 Domains net of the tonnes and ounces in the Underground Development. The base case is taken as 3 g/t and is highlighted. Table 2 shows the resource in the Outside Domains. The 3 g/t base case is highlighted.

Table 1. Tuvatu 69 Domains Mineral Resource Estimate Summary Net of Underground Development

CutOff Au g/tClassification69 Domains GrossUnderground Development69 Domains Net
Au g/tTonnesOuncesAu g/tTonnesOuncesAu g/tNet TonnesNet Ounces
4Indicated9.95500,000160,0005.008,0001,30010.05492,000159,000
4Inferred9.47958,000292,0005.222,0003009.50956,000292,000
3Indicated8.41655,000177,0004.4414,0002,0008.48642,000175,000
3Inferred7.611,388,000340,0004.433,0005007.621,384,000339,000
2Indicated6.89880,000195,0003.8419,0002,3006.97861,000193,000
2Inferred5.992,023,000389,0004.234,0005005.992,019,000389,000

Table 2. Tuvatu Mineral Resource Summary for Outside Domains

CutOff Au g/tClassificationAug/tTonnesOunces Au
4Inferred11.728,0003,000
3Inferred9.3211,0003,000
2Inferred7.4715,0004,000
a) Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
b) There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into Mineral Reserves.
c) Mineral Resource tonnage and contained metal have been rounded to reflect the accuracy of the estimate, and numbers may not add due to rounding.
d) The base case is based on a 3 g/t Au cutoff and cost estimates for mining of US$56/tonne, processing of US$56/tonne and G&A of US$25/tonne; gold recovery of 80%; and a three-year trailing gold price of US$1,973/ounce.
e) Mineral Resource tonnage and grades are reported as undiluted.
f) The effective date of the mineral resource estimate is March 25, 2024

The MRE in the NI 43-101 Technical Report was prepared independently by Gregory Z. Mosher, P. Geo. with cooperation and information from Lion One geologists. Other portions of the Technical Report were prepared by Darren Holden, Ph.D., FAusIMM and William J. Witte, P.Eng. Messrs. Mosher, Holden and Witte have read and approved this news release, and consent to the inclusion in this news release of the matters based on form and context of the June 24, 2024 “NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Estimate Tuvatu Gold Project.”

The Technical Report is available for download from SEDAR and from the company’s website.

Competent Persons Statement

The information in this report that relates to mineral exploration at the Tuvatu Gold Project is based on information compiled by the Lion One team and reviewed by Alex Nichol, who is the company’s Vice President of Geology and Exploration. Mr Nichol is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’ (JORC code). Mr Nichol has read and approved this news release and consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the information in the form and context in which it appears.

Lion One Laboratories / QAQC

Lion One adheres to rigorous QAQC procedures above and beyond basic regulatory guidelines in conducting its drilling, sampling, testing, and analyses. The Company operates its own geochemical assay laboratory and its own fleet of diamond drill rigs using PQ, HQ and NQ sized drill rods.

Diamond drill core samples are logged and split by Lion One personnel on site and delivered to the Lion One Laboratory for preparation and analysis. All drill samples are pulverized at the Lion One lab to 85% passing through 75 microns and gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish. Samples that return grades greater than 10.00 g/t Au are re-analyzed by gravimetric method, which is considered more accurate for very high-grade samples.

For soil samples, 2 samples (A & B) of 2 kg each are taken using a hand auger at each sampling site. The A- sample is then dried and sieved using -80 stainless steel mesh at the Lion One Laboratory and assayed for gold and multi-element. Each batch of 50 samples will have one specific low-grade CRM, one blank and one duplicate. The B duplicate sample is retained for further testing.

Due to the elevated gold detection limits observed at the Lion One laboratory (not suitable for less than 100 part per billion analysis), a sub-set of the soil campaign will be sent to ALS in Australia. The sub-set will be based on the area defined by the multi-element soil anomaly as defined by the associated pathfinder elements (As, Cu, Pb, Te and Zn). The Lion One lab can test a range of up to 71 elements through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), but currently focuses on a suite of 23 important pathfinder elements with an aqua regia digest and ICP-OES finish.

About Lion One Metals Limited

Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Walter Berukoff, Chairman & CEO

Contact Information
Email: info@liononemetals.com
Phone: 1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Appendix 1: Soil Survey Results

Table 3. Soil Survey Results and Sample Coordinates.
Assay results >0.01 ppm Au, listed in descending gold grade. Coordinates are in Fiji map grid.

CampaignSample IDEastingNorthingElevationAu (ppm)As (ppm)Cu (ppm)Pb (ppm)Zn (ppm)
West GridTUS042758187587239207951581.6685.87356.8815.7368.52
West GridTUS042992187642639198005130.6544.54107.33185.56448.61
West GridTUS029726187620039205022510.5738.32291.5439.55128.75
West GridTUS042757187589839208011530.5138.28430.5519.5595.53
West GridTUS042760187582739208041410.4660.54723.8017.1777.05
West GridTUS043419187647539198994900.3227.5545.14157.49531.85
West GridTUS043473187647639196995650.3214.41145.291026.32625.58
West GridTUS043040187645039196005660.30-2.00200.42418.291004.67
West GridTUS042994187637439197994840.2530.01100.61113.63406.11
West GridTUS042990187647539198015510.2118.51115.49203.49421.93
West GridTUS042991187645139198005330.2035.8352.98125.98259.39
West GridTUS043418187649939198994990.1649.0041.27188.75368.49
West GridTUS043051187615039196005250.1415.58137.5536.0451.03
West GridTUS043361187645039201004240.1389.5148.9017.55112.42
West GridTUS042763187574739208031310.1230.72268.3019.8669.08
West GridTUS043372187619939200993750.126.04396.4322.94141.70
West GridTUS043427187627239199034190.1228.69783.2428.20116.41
West GridTUS042914187542439201992350.11-2.00134.1728.8473.74
West GridTUS043022187565039198003650.1123.85347.8528.1664.32
West GridTUS042932187642539200004510.0981.7794.3259.5690.20
West GridTUS043475187640239197055180.09-2.00170.74100.30288.02
West GridTUS029715187585039207001970.0820.04818.5423.8367.94
West GridTUS042935187634939200004120.0831.13126.37110.99290.18
West GridTUS042830187620039202003950.0724.15763.2731.47194.71
West GridTUS042995187635139198004720.077.89119.1570.05269.94
West GridTUS042828187624939202014120.065.77225.067.1777.48
West GridTUS042841187595239201994290.0614.74335.2438.7583.08
West GridTUS042915187540039202002160.06-2.0094.3737.65159.21
West GridTUS042934187637539200004240.0649.60139.5521.7963.75
West GridTUS043311187620139202992950.064.97220.4426.1287.26
West GridTUS043472187654939197006030.06-2.00158.47216.27625.89
West GridTUS043474187645139197005510.067.7693.72164.40735.42
West GridTUS043610187722539210003080.069.18150.5122.6252.68
West GridTUS042832187617439202013920.052.611328.2084.90460.19
West GridTUS043602187557039195013950.057.93175.1628.3960.61
West GridTUS043639187674939209992300.055.12196.586.4277.58
West GridTUS042933187640139200004350.047.0992.9614.7846.70
West GridTUS042929187647639200004760.0359.58113.8998.82119.73
West GridTUS042997187630039198004660.032.36124.9929.54143.92
West GridTUS043009187597539198004500.0314.16349.9118.7326.58
West GridTUS043023187562539198003530.0320.95289.6323.0191.65
West GridTUS043067187565039196003360.0327.25235.1251.27451.76
West GridTUS043360187647739201004330.0333.0588.1324.02593.92
West GridTUS042922187665139200015020.0225.6343.9914.76115.16
West GridTUS043052187612539196005120.0213.94107.5238.2353.83
West GridTUS043060187595039196004380.0212.78127.9719.6746.91
West GridTUS043643187667539210002050.023.04111.9010.9846.16
West GridTUS042928187650139200004880.018.67168.25123.02297.71
West GridTUS043055187607539196004900.0124.33263.7625.69177.13
West GridTUS043062187590039196004250.0114.14188.6724.0558.63
West GridTUS043603187555039195003860.015.20115.9329.2683.84
West GridTUS043642187669539210052060.0111.61387.474.15116.82
West GridTUS043645187755039209003510.01-2.0092.614.3140.56

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/214384

Categories
Energy Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Drills 448.98 g/t, 202.34 g/t, and 108.5 g/t Gold at Tuvatu, Provides Operations Update

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – April 25, 2024) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (ASX: LLO) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report significant new high-grade gold results from ongoing infill and grade control drilling at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji and provides an update to mining operations at Tuvatu.

Assay results are presented here for infill and grade control drilling completed in the Zone 2 area of Tuvatu and include multiple bonanza grade gold results such as 448.98 g/t, 202.34 g/t, 108.5 g/t, 92.89 g/t, and 82.35 g/t. These drill intercepts are all located in the near surface portion of Tuvatu and are scheduled for mining in the short term. The results included in this news release are from drill holes that targeted the URW1 and Murau lode systems proximal to underground development. Previous results from Zone 2 drilling are available in the news releases dated October 19, 2023 and September 14, 2023.

Mining operations are also advancing in Zone 2 and in Zone 5. A total of 2,630 m of sludge hole drilling has been completed in advance of longhole mining in Zone 2. In Zone 5, airleg stoping on the UR2 lode is ongoing, with two leadings stopes underway and sublevels being driven for a gallery stope. Longhole production drilling is expected to commence in both Zone 2 and Zone 5 in late April, generating production tonnes in mid-May.

Highlights of Zone 2 drill results (3.0 g/t cutoff):

  • 226.55 g/t Au over 0.6 m (including 448.98 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TGC-0113, from 84.6 m depth)
  • 18.35 g/t Au over 4.8 m (including 40.99 g/t Au over 0.6 m) (TUDDH-686A, from 128.9 m depth)
  • 9.99 g/t Au over 8.1 m (including 30.34 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TGC-0121, from 65.0 m depth)
  • 82.35 g/t Au over 0.9 m (including 82.35 g/t Au over 0.9 m) (TGC-0110, from 65.1 m depth)
  • 7.48 g/t Au over 9 m (including 20.78 g/t Au over 0.9 m) (TGC-0118, from 86.3 m depth)
  • 105.86 g/t Au over 0.6 m (including 202.34 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TGC-0121, from 83.3 m depth)
  • 14.9 g/t Au over 4.2 m (including 21.44 g/t Au over 2.4 m) (TUDDH-698, from 146.3 m depth)
  • 8.27 g/t Au over 7.2 m (including 25.58 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TGC-0127, from 66.0 m depth)
  • 27.94 g/t Au over 2.1 m (including 54.65 g/t Au over 0.9 m) (TGC-0118, from 66.2 m depth)
  • 15.72 g/t Au over 3.6 m (including 25.53 g/t Au over 1.2 m) (TUDDH-682, from 74.3 m depth)
  • 16.29 g/t Au over 3.3 m (including 46.63 g/t Au over 0.6 m) (TGC-0130, from 107.8 m depth)
  • 33.92 g/t Au over 1.5 m (including 92.89 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TGC-0134, from 113.8 m depth)
  • 20.86 g/t Au over 2.4 m (including 23.67 g/t Au over 1.2 m) (TGC-0125, from 14.4 m depth)
  • 11.08 g/t Au over 4.5 m (including 46.77 g/t Au over 0.6 m) (TGC-0102, from 41.4 m depth)
  • 13.18 g/t Au over 3.3 m (including 22.4 g/t Au over 0.9 m) (TGC-0125, from 100.2 m depth)

Highlights of operations update:

  • 2,630 m of sludge hole drilling complete in the URW1 and Murau lodes in Zone 2.
  • Airleg mining of the UR2 leading stopes ongoing in Zone 5.
  • Two longhole drill rigs successfully commissioned.
  • Two remote capable loaders to be commissioned by early May.
  • Upgrades to CIL circuit advancing, two new blowers to be installed in late April and early May.

Figure 1. Location of Zone 2 infill and grade control drillholes. Left image: Plan view of Tuvatu showing Zone 2 infill and grade control drillholes in relation to the mineralized lodes at Tuvatu, shown in grey. Right image: Oblique view of Zone 2 infill and grade control drilling looking approximately northeast.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/206800_93e3f6c7e4916a2f_001full.jpg

Table 1. Highlights of composited infill and grade control drill results in the Zone 2 area, 3.0 g/t Au cutoff. For full results see Table 3 in the appendix.

Hole IDFromToInterval (m)Au (g/t)
TGC-011384.685.20.6226.55
including84.684.90.3448.98
TUDDH-686A128.9133.74.818.35
including128.9129.50.620.80
and129.5130.10.640.99
and130.7131.30.69.97
and131.9132.80.930.02
and132.8133.40.618.88
and133.4133.70.313.23
TGC-012165.073.18.19.99
including65.065.30.330.34
and68.369.20.911.96
and70.171.31.222.51
and71.372.20.912.22
and72.273.10.915.63
TGC-011065.166.00.982.35
TGC-011886.395.39.07.48
including87.288.10.920.27
and91.192.31.28.33
and93.294.10.920.78
TGC-012183.383.90.6105.86
including83.383.60.39.38
and83.683.90.3202.34
TUDDH-698146.3150.54.214.90
including146.3146.90.620.45
and146.9147.50.628.43
and147.5148.10.620.89
and148.1148.70.615.99
and149.3150.51.28.96
TGC-012766.073.27.28.27
including66.066.60.625.25
and67.267.80.68.10
and69.970.20.315.57
and70.270.50.313.03
and70.571.10.67.91
and71.171.40.36.29
and71.471.70.319.87
and71.772.00.325.58
TGC-011866.268.32.127.94
including66.267.10.954.65
and67.168.31.27.91
TUDDH-68274.377.93.615.72
including74.375.51.225.53
and76.477.30.911.87
and77.377.90.625.25
TGC-0130107.8111.13.316.29
including107.8108.40.68.66
and108.4109.00.646.63
and109.0109.60.617.82
and110.2111.10.98.16
TGC-0134113.8115.31.533.92
including113.8114.10.358.96
and114.1114.40.392.89
and114.4114.70.39.39
TGC-012514.416.82.420.86
including14.414.70.38.60
and14.715.91.223.67
and15.916.80.921.22
TGC-010241.445.94.511.08
including41.4420.615.02
and42.943.50.646.77
and43.543.80.311.96
and44.745.30.67.21
TGC-0125100.2103.53.313.18
including100.2100.80.625.65
and100.8101.10.315.69
and101.1101.40.310.76
and102.3102.60.315.92
and102.9103.20.321.22
and103.2103.50.330.11

Zone 2 Drilling

The Zone 2 area of Tuvatu is located in the northwest part of the deposit, near the main portal. The URW1 and Murau lode systems are the primary mineralized systems in Zone 2, with production mining starting first in URW1 and then in Murau. A total of 38 drill holes are reported in this news release, including 18 targeting the URW1 lodes and 20 targeting the Murau system.

The URW1 drilling reported here was designed to provide grade control results between the 1161 and 1101 levels in Zone 2, and to provide infill and down-dip extension results in the URW1 system below the 1101 level. Leading edge airleg stoping has been completed on the 1141 level, and a 5 m wide access drive on the 1161 level has also been completed. The 1161 access drive will provide longhole drill and underground loader access to the upper part of the URW1 lode system for mechanized production.

Figure 2. Zone 2 URW1 drilling with high-grade intersects highlighted, 3.0 g/t gold cutoff. Drilling below the 1101 level is targeting URW1 down-dip extension, drilling above the 1101 level is grade control drilling.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/206800_93e3f6c7e4916a2f_002full.jpg

The Murau drilling reported here was designed to provide infill and grade control results in the upper portion of the Murau lode system, which will be the first part of the system to be mined and is scheduled for production in Q3 2024. The Murau lode system dips moderately to the SSW and is open down dip and at depth. The upper portion of the system that is targeted for near-term mining has a strike length of 80m and extends down dip for a length of 100 m.

Figure 3. Zone 2 Murau drilling with high-grade intersects highlighted, 3.0 g/t gold cutoff. The Murau lode system will be the second area to enter production in Zone 2 after the URW1 lode system. The drilling shown here is infill and grade control drilling in the upper portion of the system. View is to the southeast, looking approximately down the decline from the entrance portal. The intersections on the bottom left of the image represent newly discovered mineralized lodes to be followed up with near-mine exploration drilling.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/206800_93e3f6c7e4916a2f_003full.jpg

Operations Update

The URW1 lodes will be the first at Tuvatu to undergo mechanized production mining. Development has been ongoing across the 1101, 1121, 1141, and 1161 levels in advance of production. A leading airleg stope has been completed on the 1141 level, and the 1141 A and B vein drives are undergoing stripping to facilitate larger equipment, in preparation for bulk stoping. An access drive has been completed on the 1161 level and will provide access for the longhole drills and larger loaders.

The URW1 lodes consist of primary subvertical veins with a halo of stockwork mineralization. Sludge drilling is being conducted in advance of mining to confirm the extent of stockwork mineralization beyond the primary vein as well as to inform the final stope design. A total of 1,930 m of sludge hole drilling has been completed in the URW1 lode system. Sludge hole drilling on the 1101 level is complete (1,200 m) and is ongoing on the 1121 and 1141 levels (730 m complete to date). Longhole drilling will commence in the URW1 lode system in late April with production mining of the 1101 level starting in May. Sludge drilling has also commenced on the Murau lode system with 700 m complete to date.

Figure 4. Zone 2 mine development and sludge drilling. Sludge drilling on the 1101 level is complete and is ongoing on the 1121 and 1141 levels. Longhole drilling is scheduled to begin on the 1101 level in late April.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/206800_93e3f6c7e4916a2f_004full.jpg

In Zone 5, airleg stoping on the UR2 lode is underway on the 1130 North level and on the 1120 South level. Airleg development is ongoing on the URW3 lode with airleg rises planned above the 1126 Sublevel. Mineralization in the UR2 and URW3 lodes is predominantly subvertical high-grade narrow-vein gold with minimal stockwork veining. Longhole mining is scheduled to take place in Zone 5 on the 1120 North UR2 drive, beginning in May.

Figure 5. Oblique view of Zone 5 development. Airleg stoping of the UR2 lode is ongoing on the 1130 North and 1120 South levels. Airleg development on the URW3 lode is ongoing on the 1126 Sublevel. The first area scheduled for longhole mining in Zone 5 will be the 1120 North drive on the UR2 lode.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/206800_93e3f6c7e4916a2f_005full.jpg

Two remote-capable loaders required to facilitate the extraction of material from longhole stopes have been acquired. A CAT 1700 loader fitted with remote technology will be commissioned in May for bogging of the 1101 bulk stope at the URW1 lodes, and a CAT 1300 remote loader from Australia is now on site and will also be commissioned in early May. These loaders will enable increased production from the mine.

The first of two blowers ordered to upgrade the CIL circuit and improve aeration within the tanks has arrived on site and will be installed by April 30, 2024. The second blower is scheduled to arrive by the end of April and will be installed in early May. Air sparger installation in the CIL tanks was completed in April resulting in improved aeration and gold recovery in the CIL circuit, with gold recoveries of over 80% achieved. Installation of the new blowers is anticipated to further improve aeration and recoveries in the CIL circuit.

Qualified Person (NI43-101)
In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43- 101”), Alex Nichol, MAIG, VP Geology and Exploration, is the Qualified Person for the Company, and has reviewed, validated, and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release.

Lion One Laboratories / QAQC
Lion One adheres to rigorous QAQC procedures above and beyond basic regulatory guidelines in conducting its drilling, sampling, testing, and analyses. The Company operates its own geochemical assay laboratory and its own fleet of 7 diamond drill rigs using PQ, HQ and NQ sized drill rods.

Diamond drill core samples are logged and split by Lion One personnel on site and delivered to the Lion One Laboratory for preparation and analysis. All samples are pulverized at the Lion One lab to 85% passing through 75 microns and gold analysis is carried out using fire assay with an AA finish. Samples that return grades greater than 10.00 g/t Au are re-analyzed by gravimetric method, which is considered more accurate for very high-grade samples.

Duplicates of 5% of samples with grades above 0.5 g/t Au are delivered to ALS Global Laboratories in Australia for check assay determinations using the same methods (Au-AA26 and Au-GRA22 where applicable). ALS also analyses 33 pathfinder elements by HF-HNO3-HClO4 acid digestion, HCl leach and ICP-AES (method ME-ICP61). The Lion One lab can test a range of up to 71 elements through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), but currently focuses on a suite of 23 important pathfinder elements with an aqua regia digest and ICP-OES finish.

About Lion One Metals Limited
Lion One Metals is an emerging Canadian gold producer headquartered in North Vancouver BC, with new operations established in late 2023 at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project comprises the high-grade Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Deposit, the Underground Gold Mine, the Pilot Plant, and the Assay Lab. The Company also has an extensive exploration license covering the entire Navilawa Caldera, which is host to multiple mineralized zones and highly prospective exploration targets.

Contact Information
Investor inquiries: info@liononemetals.com
Phone:1-855-805-1250 (toll free North America)
Website: www.liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility or the adequacy or accuracy of this release

This press release may contain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “proposed”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Appendix 1: Full Drill Results and Collar Information

Table 2. Collar coordinates for drillholes reported in this release. Coordinates are in Fiji map grid.

Hole IDEastingNorthingElevationAzimuthDipDepth
TGC-01021876266392076815224.7-60.365.6
TGC-01031876266392076815226.6-45.671.8
TGC-01041876267392076315252.9-45.662.6
TGC-01051876268392076215256.5-38.6200.7
TGC-01081876267392076215156.4-72.466.7
TGC-01101876268392076315350.6-17.680.2
TGC-01111876268392076315354.3-10.880.4
TGC-01131876269392075815385.0-2.0115.9
TGC-01151876269392075815376.83.9107.0
TGC-011718763753920628128355.2-19.0135.0
TGC-01181876269392075815276.3-14.2107.3
TGC-011918763753920628127348.7-29.2120.7
TGC-012018763743920628128327.3-18.6150.0
TGC-01211876269392075815282.9-12.8107.3
TGC-01221876269392075715288.0-16.6113.3
TGC-012318763753920628128347.3-18.811.5
TGC-012418763753920628128341.3-19.4125.2
TGC-01251876268392075715292.7-36.5125.7
TGC-012618763753920628127341.0-26.1120.8
TGC-01271876268392075715198.6-70.083.5
TGC-012818763753920628128330.3-19.7120.4
TGC-012918762673920756151135.1-79.626.2
TGC-013018763753920628128338.6-8.3130.3
TGC-013118762673920757151127.4-78.795.8
TGC-013218763753920628128350.0-19.511.5
TGC-013318763753920628128348.8-19.8135.3
TGC-013418763753920628128337.7-18.5125.0
TGC-013618763753920628127337.4-26.6120.7
TUDDH-6821876259392080320363.8-71.1101.4
TUDDH-6831876225392070921827.2-65.2170.5
TUDDH-6841876260392080220375.0-61.1100.0
TUDDH-6861876225392070921836.9-58.225.0
TUDDH-686A1876225392070921836.5-58.1160.1
TUDDH-6891876260392080120379.2-67.3105.1
TUDDH-6941876259392080320344.4-81.199.8
TUDDH-6971876259392080420336.6-69.296.2
TUDDH-6981876224392070821837.6-66.3180.0
TUDDH-7001876254392080220318.6-72.395.4

Table 3. Composited results from infill and grade control drillholes in the Zone 2 area (grade >3.0 g/t Au)

Hole IDFromToInterval (m)Au (g/t)
TGC-01027.58.10.67.23
TGC-010218.318.60.35.56
TGC-010241.445.94.511.08
including41.4420.615.02
and42.943.50.646.77
and43.543.80.311.96
and44.745.30.67.21
and45.345.90.64.29
TGC-010248.348.60.36.56
TGC-010322.222.50.39.70
TGC-010325.826.10.311.26
TGC-010338.740.51.83.99
including38.739.60.93.84
and39.640.50.94.15
TGC-010341.743.51.810.38
including41.742.60.95.15
and42.642.90.327.32
and42.943.50.69.76
TGC-010350.752.82.15.29
including50.751.60.93.52
and52.252.50.310.85
and52.552.80.39.80
TGC-010419.219.50.315.22
TGC-010445.647.41.84.06
including45.646.20.69.88
and47.147.40.34.62
TGC-010449.850.40.63.46
TGC-010452.253.41.25.01
including52.252.50.33.08
and52.552.80.38.36
and52.853.40.64.31
TGC-010522.522.80.38.86
TGC-010546.547.71.210.88
TGC-010552.554.01.53.99
including52.552.80.33.79
and53.754.00.314.85
TGC-0105135.3136.20.94.32
TGC-0105181.2182.10.925.59
TGC-010813.213.50.35.25
TGC-010847.147.40.33.98
TGC-010848.950.11.25.43
TGC-011030.932.11.26.14
TGC-011039.940.20.3108.50
TGC-011060.961.20.33.60
TGC-011065.166.00.982.35
TGC-011068.169.00.94.83
TGC-011074.174.40.37.02
TGC-011143.243.80.63.24
TGC-011151.652.20.64.27
TGC-011156.156.70.69.85
TGC-011159.164.25.14.90
including59.159.70.63.51
and60.661.20.67.28
and61.862.40.67.06
and62.463.00.610.23
and63.063.60.66.67
and63.664.20.66.97
TGC-011168.469.00.612.07
TGC-011175.676.50.93.07
TGC-011178.679.20.64.36
TGC-011348.048.60.64.76
TGC-011366.666.90.34.87
TGC-011368.769.00.35.26
TGC-011370.872.31.55.53
including70.871.70.97.00
and71.772.30.63.33
TGC-011377.478.00.64.38
TGC-011382.582.80.36.77
TGC-011384.685.20.6226.55
including84.684.90.3448.98
and84.985.20.34.12
TGC-011515.015.30.35.18
TGC-011574.475.00.626.70
including74.474.70.34.44
and74.775.00.348.96
TGC-011579.279.80.67.43
TGC-011594.594.80.35.84
TGC-011781.982.20.39.30
TGC-011815.216.10.910.45
TGC-011866.268.32.127.94
including66.267.10.954.65
and67.168.31.27.91
TGC-011872.276.13.96.92
including72.273.10.96.79
and73.174.31.27.55
and74.375.20.96.79
and75.276.10.96.37
TGC-011882.184.22.14.10
including82.183.31.23.41
and83.384.20.95.02
TGC-011886.395.39.07.48
including86.387.20.95.20
and87.288.10.920.27
and88.189.31.25.46
and90.291.10.94.03
and91.192.31.28.33
and93.294.10.920.78
and94.195.31.24.00
TGC-011982.682.90.323.21
TGC-012115.816.40.67.17
including15.816.10.34.30
and16.116.40.310.05
TGC-012136.837.70.99.87
including36.837.10.35.95
and37.137.40.312.68
and37.437.70.310.99
TGC-012165.073.18.19.99
including65.065.30.330.34
and65.366.20.93.71
and67.168.31.23.92
and68.369.20.911.96
and70.171.31.222.51
and71.372.20.912.22
and72.273.10.915.63
TGC-012183.383.90.6105.86
including83.383.60.39.38
and83.683.90.3202.34
TGC-012190.291.10.96.28
TGC-012199.2100.10.96.46
TGC-012214.715.30.63.47
TGC-012222.523.40.913.80
including22.523.10.67.89
and23.123.40.325.64
TGC-012264.266.32.14.62
including64.264.80.69.79
and64.865.10.36.38
and65.766.30.63.22
TGC-0122111.6113.31.75.37
including111.6112.20.69.99
and112.8113.30.53.69
TGC-0124103.5103.80.313.87
TGC-012514.416.82.420.86
including14.414.70.38.60
and14.715.91.223.67
and15.916.80.921.22
TGC-012585.887.01.25.42
including85.886.10.35.16
and86.787.00.310.58
TGC-0125100.2103.53.313.18
including100.2100.80.625.65
and100.8101.10.315.69
and101.1101.40.310.76
and102.3102.60.315.92
and102.9103.20.321.22
and103.2103.50.330.11
TGC-012688.789.00.34.81
TGC-012710.210.50.33.38
TGC-012752.552.80.37.86
TGC-012766.073.27.28.27
including66.066.60.625.25
and67.267.80.68.10
and67.868.40.64.49
and68.469.30.94.33
and69.970.20.315.57
and70.270.50.313.03
and70.571.10.67.91
and71.171.40.36.29
and71.471.70.319.87
and71.772.00.325.58
and72.672.90.33.82
and72.973.20.34.43
TGC-01299.310.20.911.03
including9.39.60.318.79
and9.610.20.67.16
TGC-0130106.0106.60.64.11
TGC-0130107.8111.13.316.29
including107.8108.40.68.66
and108.4109.00.646.63
and109.0109.60.617.82
and109.6110.20.64.27
and110.2111.10.98.16
TGC-013165.866.70.910.99
TGC-013382.282.80.643.89
TGC-013495.596.40.93.62
TGC-0134110.8111.40.64.90
TGC-0134113.8115.31.533.92
including113.8114.10.358.96
and114.1114.40.392.89
and114.4114.70.39.39
and114.7115.30.64.18
TGC-0135120.3121.20.94.71
TGC-013690.090.90.929.78
TGC-013692.193.00.93.43
TGC-0136100.2100.50.33.27
TUDDH-68224.524.80.33.55
TUDDH-68263.864.40.67.01
TUDDH-68268.669.81.28.16
including68.669.20.69.79
and69.269.80.66.53
TUDDH-68274.377.93.615.72
including74.375.51.225.53
and76.477.30.911.87
and77.377.90.625.25
TUDDH-68459.560.10.63.45
TUDDH-68473.075.72.75.29
including73.074.21.29.06
and74.875.70.93.79
TUDDH-68477.577.80.310.35
TUDDH-68478.779.00.33.54
TUDDH-686A86.387.51.25.78
TUDDH-686A116.0116.60.63.79
TUDDH-686A128.9133.74.818.35
including128.9129.50.620.80
and129.5130.10.640.99
and130.1130.70.64.38
and130.7131.30.69.97
and131.9132.80.930.02
and132.8133.40.618.88
and133.4133.70.313.23
TUDDH-686A136.7137.00.35.04
TUDDH-686A139.4140.61.23.24
TUDDH-68963.363.90.613.42
TUDDH-68973.875.01.24.80
TUDDH-68981.081.30.39.24
TUDDH-69428.929.50.68.03
including28.929.20.34.29
and29.229.50.311.78
TUDDH-69468.268.50.33.34
TUDDH-69472.475.43.06.09
including72.473.00.612.02
and73.674.81.23.65
and74.875.40.69.78
TUDDH-69476.677.81.29.54
including76.677.20.63.60
and77.277.80.615.48
TUDDH-69762.563.10.63.90
TUDDH-69766.767.30.63.76
TUDDH-698146.3150.54.214.90
including146.3146.90.620.45
and146.9147.50.628.43
and147.5148.10.620.89
and148.1148.70.615.99
and149.3150.51.28.96
TUDDH-698152.3152.60.363.56
TUDDH-698153.8155.61.83.67
including153.8154.40.64.94
and154.4154.70.37.02
and155.3155.60.33.81
TUDDH-698156.8159.52.716.10
including156.8157.40.65.81
and157.4158.61.225.47
and158.6159.20.612.86
and159.2159.50.35.76
TUDDH-70068.769.30.69.29
TUDDH-70073.573.80.33.25

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