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Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals Project Generators

Riverside Announces Filing of Its Management Information Circular in Connection with Its Special Meeting to Approve Spinout Transaction with Blue Jay Gold

~Confirms receipt of the Interim Order, files Meeting Materials, and announces another round of Blue Jay financing~

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 28, 2025) – Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY(“Riverside” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its management information circular (the “Information Circular“), form of proxy and letter of transmittal, (together with the Information Circular, the “Meeting Materials“) in respect of its annual and special meeting (the “Meeting“) of Riverside shareholders (the “Riverside Shareholders“) to approve various matters in connection with the previously announced plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement“) on January 28, 2025 involving Blue Jay Gold Corp. (“Blue Jay“) are being filed today on Riverside’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. and provided on Riverside’s website at www.rivres.com. Riverside is using the notice and access provisions under applicable securities laws to provide Riverside Shareholders with easy electronic access to the Information Circular and other Meeting Materials.

If the Arrangement is approved at the Meeting, Riverside will distribute its common shares (each, a “Blue Jay Share“) in Blue Jay to the Riverside Shareholders by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the “Plan of Arrangement“) under section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the “Transaction“). Following the Arrangement, Riverside Shareholders will hold shares in two reporting issuers: Riverside and Blue Jay. Blue Jay is expected to make an application to list the Blue Jay Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV“).

Blue Jay currently holds all right and title to the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project and the Duc Gold Project in Northwestern, Ontario (the “Ontario Properties“).

Information about the Meeting and Receipt of Interim Court Order

On February 14, 2025, Riverside obtained an interim order (the “Interim Order“) from the British Columbia Supreme Court (the “Court“) in connection with the Arrangement, authorizing the calling and holding of the Meeting and other matters related to the conduct of the Meeting. At the Meeting, the Riverside Shareholders will be asked to consider and, if deemed advisable, pass a special resolution (the “Arrangement Resolution“) to approve Arrangement, in accordance with the terms of an arrangement agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement“) entered into by the Company and Blue Jay on January 27, 2025.

The Meeting is scheduled to be held on March 31, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. (Vancouver time) at Suite 550, 800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. At the Meeting, Riverside Shareholders will be asked to approve the Arrangement Resolution.

The Meeting Materials contain important information regarding the Transaction, how Riverside Shareholders can participate and vote at the Meeting, the background that led to the Transaction and the reasons for the unanimous determinations of the board of directors of the Company (the “Riverside Board“) that the Transaction is in the best interests of the Company and is fair to Riverside Shareholders. Shareholders should carefully review all of the Meeting Materials as they contain important information concerning the Transaction and the rights and entitlements of Shareholders thereunder.

Reasons for the Arrangement

Riverside believes that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Riverside for numerous reasons, including:

  1. At the moment, the capital markets value the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project together with all of Riverside’s other properties. By completing the Arrangement, the markets will value the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project separately and independently of Riverside’s other properties, which should create additional value for Riverside Shareholders.
  2. Separating the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project from Riverside’s other properties is expected to accelerate the exploration of the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project.
  3. Riverside Shareholders will benefit by holding shares in two separate public companies.
  4. Upon completion of the Arrangement, Blue Jay will have a separate board and management which will include members with specialized skills necessary to advance the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, Oakes Gold Project, and Duc Gold Project.
  5. Separating Riverside and Blue Jay will expand Blue Jay’s potential shareholder base by allowing investors that want specific ownership in a portfolio of Canadian exploration assets like the Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project to invest directly in Blue Jay rather than through Riverside.
  6. The Arrangement and separation of the companies will enable each company to pursue independent growth and capital allocation strategies.
  7. The Pichette-Clist Gold Project, the Oakes Gold Project, and the Duc Gold Project are not required for Riverside’s primary business focus which will remain project generation and advancement through joint ventures and similar arrangements.

In the course of its deliberations, the Riverside Board also identified and considered a variety of risks and potentially negative factors, including, but not limited to, the risks factors set out in the Information Circular and the documents incorporated by reference therein.

The foregoing discussion summarizes the material information and factors considered by the Riverside Board in their consideration of the Plan of Arrangement. The Riverside Board collectively reached its unanimous decision with respect to the Plan of Arrangement in light of the factors described above and other factors that each member of the Riverside Board felt were appropriate. In view of the wide variety of factors and the quality and amount of information considered, the Riverside Board did not find it useful or practicable to, and did not make specific assessments of, quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weights to the specific factors considered in reaching its determination. Individual members of the Riverside Board may have given different weight to different factors.

Recommendation of the Directors

After careful consideration, the Riverside Board, after receiving legal, tax and financial advice, has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Riverside and is fair to the Shareholders. Accordingly, the Riverside Board unanimously recommends that Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution.

In order to become effective, the Arrangement must be approved by at least 66⅔% of the votes cast by the Riverside Shareholders present or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Subject to obtaining approval of the Transaction at the Meeting, and the satisfaction of the other customary conditions to completion of the Transaction contained in the Arrangement Agreement, including final approval of the Court and certain regulatory approvals, all as more particular described in the Meeting Materials, the Transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.

Filing of New Technical Report

Riverside also announces today that it will file a new technical report under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects titled, “Technical Report on the Pichette-Clist Property, Jellicoe Area, Northwestern Ontario” prepared by Locke B. Goldsmith, P. Eng, P.Geo, dated January 29, 2025. The Pichette-Clist Property will be Blue Jay’s material property once the Arrangement is effective. Such report will be available on Riverside’s SEDAR+ profile at https://www.sedarplus.ca/.

Blue Jay to Complete Another Round of Financing

In anticipation of making an application to list the Blue Jay Shares on the TSXV and in order to satisfy the TSXV listing requirements, Blue Jay expects to complete two further rounds of financing in connection with the Arrangement, being (a) a private placement of 2,000,000 Blue Jay Shares at an issue price of $0.40 per Blue Jay Share for gross proceeds of $800,000; and (b) a private placement of 2,000,000 Blue Jay Shares at an issue price of $0.50 for total gross proceeds of $1,000,000 and 1,428,571 Blue Jay Shares issued as “flow-through shares” (the “Flow Through Shares”) within the meaning of the Income Tax Act at an issue price of $0.70 per Flow Through Share. Each such private placement is subject to the approval by the TSXV.

About Riverside Resources Inc.
Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has over $4M in cash, no debt and less than 75M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets and royalties in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside’s own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has properties available for option, with information available on the Company’s website at www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

“John-Mark Staude”

Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark Staude
President, CEO
Riverside Resources Inc. 
info@rivres.com
Phone: (778) 327-6671
Fax: (778) 327-6675
Web: www.rivres.com
Eric Negraeff
Investor Relations
Riverside Resources Inc.
Phone: (778) 327-6671
TF: (877) RIV-RES1
Web: www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., “expect”,” estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”). Such information involves known and unknown risks — including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

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 release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242747

Categories
Energy Junior Mining Lion One Metals Precious Metals

Lion One Drills 85.54 g/t Gold over 3.0 m from Surface at Tuvatu, Announces New CEO

North Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 27, 2025) – Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (“Lion One” or the “Company”) is pleased to report significant new high-grade gold results from 1,757.8 meters of near-mine expansion drilling at its 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. Drilling is focused on the SKL lodes in the Zone 5 area of Tuvatu. The Company is also pleased to announce accomplished mining engineer Ian Berzins as the Company’s new CEO.

The SKL lodes are located in close proximity to underground workings near surface in the Zone 5 area of Tuvatu. Drilling was conducted from two surface drill pads and consisted of infill and expansion drilling with the purpose of bringing the SKL lodes into the long term mine plan for Tuvatu. High-grade mineralized structures were intersected in 10 drill holes. Drill results include multiple bonanza grade gold assays such as 502.50 g/t, 118.20 g/t, 85.50 g/t, and 76.50 g/t gold over narrow widths of 0.3 m. All high-grade drill results were intersected within 75 m of underground developments and within 110 m of surface. The SKL lodes were the subject of test mining in the 1990s but have undergone little modern drilling despite their proximity to underground workings. The SKL lodes represent a prime target for addition to the Tuvatu mine plan given the high-grade results and proximity to underground infrastructure. Previous drill results in the SKL area include 4.8 m of 30.48 g/t gold (see news release dated May 8, 2024).

Highlights of New Drill Results:

  • 85.54 g/t Au over 3.0 m (including 502.50 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-745, from 31.73 m depth)
  • 23.59 g/t Au over 2.4 m (including 53.99 g/t Au over 0.6 m) (TUDDH-740, from 74.50 m depth)
  • 21.10 g/t Au over 2.4 m (including 46.30 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-748, from 82.79 m depth)
  • 24.51 g/t Au over 1.6 m (including 76.50 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-748, from 54.82 m depth)
  • 118.20 g/t Au over 0.3 m (TUDDH-733, from 85.5 m depth)
  • 15.22 g/t Au over 2.1 m (including 57.64 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-748, from 133.92 m depth)
  • 10.94 g/t Au over 2.7 m (including 41.05 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-738, from 68.10 m depth)
  • 85.50 g/t Au over 0.3 m (TUDDH-745, from 88.96 m depth)
  • 36.49 g/t Au over 0.7 m (including 59.05 g/t Au over 0.4 m) (TUDDH-745, from 74.60 m depth)
  • 19.50 g/t Au over 1.2 m (including 30.44 g/t Au over 0.3 m) (TUDDH-740, from 110.20 m depth)

*Drill intersects are downhole lengths, 3.0 g/t cutoff. True width not known. See Table 1 for additional data.

Figure 1. Location of the SKL drilling reported in this news release. Left image: Plan view of Tuvatu showing SKL drillholes in relation to the mineralized lodes shown in grey and Tuvatu underground development shown in red. Right image: Oblique view of the SKL drilling looking northeast.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/242627_74ed9fc8149a2be3_001full.jpg

SKL Lodes

The SKL lodes are located in the near-surface portion of Zone 5, in the northeast part of the deposit proximal to the historical exploration adit, which is now used primarily for mine ventilation and secondary egress. The SKL lodes are north of the steeply dipping UR lodes, which are the primary lodes in Zone 5. Minor underground development and trial mining was conducted on the SKL lodes in the late 1990s, including the development of the historical exploration adit. Minor confirmatory infill drilling was also completed in 2019 and in 2024 Lion One announced the results from seven additional drillholes conducted in the area. The drill holes announced in this release are a continuation of that program. Preliminary handheld mining has also been conducted in the SKL lodes on a trial basis to further test the area. Additional infill drilling and underground development is required before more advanced mining can take place. The SKL lodes are a prime target for near-mine expansion given both the underground access already in place and the high-grade results returned from the initial infill drilling.

The SKL lodes have historically been modelled as a series of stacked flat-lying mineralized lodes known as ”flatmakes”[1], similar to those currently being mined in the high-grade near-surface roscoelite area in Zone 2. The lodes are composed of high-grade narrow vein structures that frequently return bonanza-grade results >30 g/t gold. They are also associated with stockwork veining and roscoelite mineralization. The SKL lodes are not included in the current mine plan at Tuvatu. The purpose of the current SKL drill program is to confirm the SKL mineralization in advance of additional infill and grade control drilling needed to bring the area into the Tuvatu mine plan. The SKL lodes are a strong example of the opportunity for near-mine expansion at Tuvatu.

Figure 2. SKL drilling with high-grade intersects highlighted, 3.0 g/t gold cutoff. Section view looking northeast. High-grade gold mineralization is intersected near surface proximal to underground developments in the SKL area. SKL lodes are shown in light brown. These drill results are not included in the Tuvatu mine plan and represent near mine expansion of the mine plan.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2178/242627_74ed9fc8149a2be3_002full.jpg

Management Transition

Effective immediately, Walter Berukoff – Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Lion One Metals, is transitioning to the role of Chairman and President of the Company, while Ian Berzins is joining the Company as it’s new CEO. This is part of a planned senior management transition at Lion One aimed specifically at providing increased operational knowledge and support for the Company as it ramps up production at the Tuvatu gold mine in Fiji.

As Founder, Chairman and CEO of Lion One Metals, Mr. Berukoff has had an unparalleled impact on the success of the Company. Mr. Berukoff acquired the Tuvatu property as an exploration project, and successfully brought the project from exploration through discovery, permitting, financing, construction, and ultimately to production, all while maintaining 100% control of the project – a rarity in modern mining. During this time, Mr. Berukoff also consolidated all the mineral rights throughout the highly prospective Navilawa Caldera, making Lion One the first Company ever to hold rights over the entire caldera, and thereby providing the Company with top tier exploration and growth potential. The Company has since made numerous discoveries throughout the caldera, such as the Lumuni gold and Wailoaloa copper-gold prospects. The most important discoveries made under Mr. Berukoff’s leadership have been at Tuvatu, including the high-grade Zone 500 feeder zone which returned 75.9 m of 20.86 g/t gold, and the high-grade near-surface roscoelite zone which is currently in production. Tuvatu is now an operating gold mine, having achieved increased gold production in every quarter throughout 2024, culminating in record revenue from gold sales in the quarter ending December 31, 2024. As President and Chairman of Lion One Metals, Mr. Berukoff will remain involved with the Company and will continue to support the growth of Tuvatu as it ramps up to the next stage of production as well as looking at other accretive assets for the Company.

Incoming CEO Ian Berzins is a seasoned mining professional who brings significant underground operational experience to the Company. Mr. Berzins is knowledgeable in various mining applications including narrow vein conventional mining and open stoping. He previously held senior management positions at several deep underground gold mining operations in Canada including the Con Mine in Yellowknife NT, the Lupin Mine in Nunavut and the Rice Lake Mine in Bissett, MB. During the period from 2008 to 2014 as COO and subsequently CEO, Mr. Berzins led the operational ramp-up at the Rice Lake Mine from 10,000 ounces of gold per annum to 80,000 ounces of gold per annum averaging 20,000 ounces per month for 11 consecutive quarters. As Vice President and General Manager at Thompson Creek’s Mount Milligan open pit copper and gold mine, during the period from 2014 to 2016, Mr. Berzins lead the operational team that achieved nameplate throughput of 60,000 tonnes per day on a consistent basis. Mr. Berzins is a strong advocate for safe production and local engagement. With over 40 years in the mining industry, he has worked in mine engineering, supervision, human resources, maintenance and senior management. Mr. Berzins holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mining Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and has completed his ICD.D designation from the Haskayne School of Management in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Lion One Chairman and CEO Walter Berukoff commented: “We are extremely pleased to have Ian join us at this pivotal moment in our development. He brings significant operational experience and leadership to Lion One, which will be highly advantageous to the Company as we ramp up gold production at Tuvatu and as we continue to discover additional gold mineralization, including the emergence of roscoelite as a key indicator in our alkaline gold system. Tuvatu is one of only a few alkaline gold deposits in the world not controlled by a major mining Company. The board and I have full confidence in Ian’s ability to help us develop Tuvatu into a world class gold deposit, and we are excited to have him on the team.”

Mr. Berzins stated: “I am honoured and excited to join the Lion One team at this key juncture in time. I look forward to leveraging my knowledge and experience to help grow the Company from the base established by Mr. Berukoff and the Lion One team in Tuvatu. Mr. Berukoff and I previously worked together at the Con Mine between 1993 and 1996, and I look forward to working together again”.

Warrant Listing

The Company confirms that the share purchase warrants (the “Warrants”) issued as part of the public offering that was completed on February 14, 2028 are now listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “LIO.WT.A”. The Warrants are exercisable for one common share of the Company at a price of $0.41 until February 14, 2028.

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 has been reviewed and approved 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 Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43- 101”). 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 by Lion One personnel on site. Exploration diamond drill core is split by Lion One personnel on site, with half core samples sent for analysis and the other half core remaining on site. Grade control diamond drill core is whole core assayed. Core samples are 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 26 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 & President

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

Hole IDEastingNorthingElevationAzimuthDipDepth
TUDDH-73318764793920838238288.1-56.9133.0
TUDDH-73518764793920839238302.2-53.8122.5
TUDDH-73618764793920839238274.8-55.0147.6
TUDDH-73718764793920838238241.9-66.0150.6
TUDDH-73818764793920838240285.2-63.2135.0
TUDDH-74018764823920839239338.0-69.2160.0
TUDDH-74218764823920839239355.0-85.010.2
TUDDH-74318764813920839239355.0-85.010.1
TUDDH-74418764813920843239354.6-84.7160.0
TUDDH-74518764833920840240190.8-85.6165.6
TUDDH-74818764883920785239344.9-59.7161.4
TUDDH-7501876489392078524018.9-56.910.0
TUDDH-7511876489392078623919.1-53.2200.3
TUDDH-7521876490392078524050.9-80.6191.5

Table 2. Composite intervals from drillholes reported in this news release (composite grade >3.0 g/t Au, with <1 m internal dilution at <3.0 g/t Au).

Hole IDFrom (m)To (m)Width (m)Au (g/t)
TUDDH-73382.282.80.63.42
85.585.80.3118.20
TUDDH-73589.392.33.06.92
including89.389.90.67.93
and89.990.50.66.30
and90.591.10.60.39
and91.191.70.615.93
and91.792.30.64.07
TUDDH-73594.494.70.311.66
TUDDH-736102.0102.60.64.27
TUDDH-73775.976.20.35.42
77.478.91.53.65
including77.477.70.33.47
and77.778.00.37.84
and78.078.30.33.40
and78.378.60.30.21
and78.678.90.33.34
86.086.30.36.70
88.789.30.633.43
including88.789.00.323.63
and89.089.30.343.22
TUDDH-73868.170.82.710.94
including68.168.40.35.41
and68.469.00.6-0.01
and69.069.30.38.30
and69.369.60.32.87
and69.669.90.31.08
and69.970.20.324.46
and70.270.50.341.05
and70.570.80.315.33
85.285.80.63.99
88.589.71.28.68
including88.588.80.325.81
and88.889.10.31.46
and89.189.40.34.42
and89.489.70.33.03
TUDDH-74065.265.80.64.58
67.367.60.363.35
70.370.60.36.84
74.576.92.423.59
including74.575.10.653.99
and75.175.70.625.40
and75.776.30.67.30
and76.376.90.67.65
91.691.90.33.05
96.196.40.35.82
110.2111.41.219.50
including110.2110.50.35.99
and110.5110.80.318.71
and110.8111.10.330.44
and111.1111.40.322.85
114.9116.11.24.20
TUDDH-74469.169.40.36.20
72.672.90.34.17
77.177.70.65.18
including77.177.40.36.48
and77.477.70.33.84
84.885.50.812.84
including84.885.10.44.83
and85.185.50.419.85
TUDDH-74531.734.73.085.54
including31.732.50.745.89
and32.532.90.555.25
and32.933.20.312.68
and33.233.50.327.01
and33.533.80.353.77
and33.834.10.329.36
and34.134.40.328.50
and34.434.70.3502.50
72.673.00.415.60
74.675.30.736.49
including74.674.90.37.16
and74.975.30.459.05
78.578.90.422.15
84.385.61.38.85
including84.384.60.34.44
and84.685.00.40.18
and85.085.30.31.22
and85.385.60.331.88
89.089.30.385.50
101.5101.80.33.66
TUDDH-74854.856.41.624.51
including54.855.10.316.99
and55.155.40.30.08
and55.455.70.38.29
and55.756.10.376.50
and56.156.40.317.28
82.885.22.421.10
including82.883.10.38.70
and83.183.40.40.04
and83.483.70.346.27
and83.784.00.35.47
and84.084.30.37.94
and84.384.90.541.30
and84.985.20.325.99
86.486.70.328.37
88.590.41.98.25
including88.588.90.44.42
and88.989.20.319.04
and89.289.70.50.11
and89.790.10.5-0.01
and90.190.40.326.88
97.297.50.35.39
117.0117.40.46.15
122.9123.20.39.85
133.9136.02.115.22
including133.9134.20.336.09
and134.2134.50.357.64
and134.5135.10.60.11
and135.1135.40.30.92
and135.4135.70.36.55
and135.7136.00.35.12
TUDDH-75154.755.00.37.33
57.258.51.315.14
including57.257.50.34.97
and57.557.80.36.34
and57.858.10.327.19
and58.158.50.419.86
91.692.00.412.88

1 Flatmakes are flat-dipping mineralized vein structures. The term is a Fijian mining term commonly used at the Vatukoula gold mine northeast of Tuvatu. At Vatukoula, flatmakes have been reported to have hundreds of meters of strike length.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242627

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals Project Generators

Riverside Resources Provides Updates on H1 2025 Exploration Programs

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 27, 2025) – Riverside Resources Inc. (TSXV: RRI) (OTCQB: RVSDF) (FSE: 5YY) (“Riverside” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide an update on its exploration progress in Canada and Mexico and further progress on the proposed spinout of Blue Jay Gold. In follow-up to the Company’s earlier press release this month, which provided updates on drilling and the 2025 exploration program at the Cecilia project, as well as ongoing collaboration with Fortuna Mining, Riverside is highlighting recent technical results from its gold and copper assets in Mexico, as well as the gold and rare earth element (REE) projects in British Columbia in this news release ahead of presenting at the Prospector Developer Association of Canada conference where the Company once again has booth and will be meeting investors and potential corporate partners.

Exploration Highlights:

CANADA

  • Deer Park Gold Project: Ongoing exploration has delivered strong sampling results and geological features similar to the historic Rossland Mining Camp, one of BC’s largest historical gold producers, supporting further target development.
  • Revel Project: the project’s carbonatite-style REE system extends over 7 kilometers along strike, with varying widths, and remains unexplored by drilling. The project is part of BC’s broader Rare Earth Element carbonatite belt, with extensive exposures of carbonatite mineralization.
  • Taft Project: Recent fieldwork confirmed rare earth and gold mineralization, with good infrastructure supporting exploration resumption in early spring.

MEXICO

  • Cuarentas Gold Project: Four priority drill targets identified using geochemistry, geophysics, and mapping; drill-permitted with a history of high-grade mining and strong structural corridors.
  • Ariel Copper Project: Targeting a large, undrilled porphyry copper system with lithocaps, breccia pipes, and alteration zones; surface indicators suggest deeper copper potential.
  • Union Gold-Copper Project: Hosts high-grade carbonate replacement deposits (CRDs) with potential for a deeper porphyry system, similar to Arizona’s Hermosa-Taylor deposit.
  • Additional Projects & Partnerships: Advancing Suaqui Verde (under option to Southern Empire) and Suaqui Grande (100% owned); maintaining a strong royalty portfolio.

“We are excited to see our projects advancing, both through partnerships and our own exploration efforts,” commented John-Mark Staude, CEO of Riverside Resources. “As we attend PDAC in Toronto, we look forward to meeting with industry peers and showcasing our portfolio of gold, copper, silver and rare earth projects. Riverside holds royalties on several assets and also owns 100% of drill-permitted projects that are ready for turnkey exploration with existing and potential new partners. Additionally, we’re pleased with the progress of our proposed transaction, with Blue Jay Gold shares expected to spin out to Riverside shareholders in the first half of 2025. Alongside this, we anticipate strong exploration and discovery potential at Cecilia and other partner-backed projects in the coming months.”

Royalties

Fresnillo PLC continues drilling and resource refinement at the Tajitos project, evaluating its potential for future mine development. The newly elected President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has expressed support for mining development, which could positively impact the progress of major projects like Tajitos Gold Project.

The Tajitos project is strategically located in northwest Sonora, Mexico, benefiting from excellent road infrastructure and access to power. The terrain is relatively flat, with no residential settlements on-site. Additionally, private ranch land where the project is located has been acquired and consolidated by Fresnillo, further facilitating potential mine construction and operations. Riverside holds a 2% net smelter royalty (NSR) on a portion of the Tajitos project, providing a strong future revenue opportunity for Riverside.

Riverside also holds a 2% NSR on the Sugarloaf Peak gold project, operated by Arizona Metals, as well as a diverse portfolio of additional royalties. More details on Riverside’s royalty assets can be found on the company’s website at www.rivres.com.

PDAC 2025

The Riverside team is pleased to invite investors, industry professionals, and stakeholders to visit us at PDAC 2025 in Toronto. Riverside’s President and CEO, John-Mark Staude, along with key team members, will be available at booth #2413A on Sunday, March 2, and Monday, March 3, from 10 AM to 5 PM or contact us at the information below.

This event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with the Riverside team, gain insights into the company’s exploration and development plans for 2025, and discuss the latest progress across our gold, copper, and silver projects in Mexico and Canada.

Additionally, Geordie Mark, CEO of Blue Jay Gold, will be attending PDAC. Blue Jay Gold, Riverside’s latest spinout, represents a compelling growth opportunity, and this will be a great chance to meet with Geordie and learn more about the company’s strategy and outlook.

Canada

Riverside continues to advance exploration at its Deer Park gold project in British Columbia, where recent fieldwork has provided strong sampling results, positive geological indicators, and structural features similar to those found in the Rossland Camp, one of BC’s largest historical gold producers. With high-grade, multi-element ores and well-developed infrastructure, Rossland has demonstrated significant mineral potential, and Riverside has outlined compelling targets for further exploration.

For Rare Earth Elements (REEs), Riverside has made notable progress at its Revel and Taft projects. At Revel, the carbonatite-style system extends over 7 kilometers along strike, with varying widths, and remains unexplored by drilling. The project is part of BC’s broader REE carbonatite belt, with extensive exposures of carbonatite mineralization. Additionally, Mount Grace, a district-scale carbonatite project staked and advanced by Riverside, has been previously studied by the British Columbia Geological Survey for its rare earth content and is now progressing with further exploration at Revel.

At the Taft Project, fieldwork conducted over the past summer included sampling and mapping, identifying both rare earth elements and gold mineralization. Taft is well-located near Salmon Arm, BC, with good road access and lower-elevation terrain, making it well-positioned for the resumption of exploration activities in early spring.

Mexico

Riverside continues to advance exploration across its gold and copper portfolio in Mexico, with significant progress at the Cuarentas, Ariel, and Union projects, among others.

At Cuarentas, the company has identified four priority target areas for drill testing. The project is drill-permitted and located on private ranch land, providing a clear path for further exploration and potentially rapid development including the existence of past mine and mill operations. With a history of high-grade mining and well-defined structural corridors, Cuarentas presents a strong opportunity for resource expansion. Riverside has made significant progress in target definition, using geochemistry, geophysics, remote sensing and geological mapping to refine drill targets.

At Ariel, Riverside is targeting a porphyry copper system characterized by large lithocaps, extensive alteration zones, breccia pipes, and veining-all indicators of a strong, undrilled porphyry copper discovery. Previous work has included mapping and geochemical sampling, particularly around former turquoise mining operations, which serve as surface indicators of deeper copper mineralization.

At the Union project in Sonora, Riverside controls three major mining areas within a large landholding. The project hosts high-grade gold potential in carbonate replacement deposits (CRDs), similar to those found in the Hermosa-Taylor deposit in Arizona, which South32 is actively developing. Union shares the same Paleozoic limestone host rocks, with an alteration halo of manganese, gold, and base metals suggesting the potential presence of a deeper porphyry copper system. CRD-style deposits in the region have historically led to significant copper discoveries, and Union remains a high-priority target for future exploration campaigns.

Other projects in Riverside’s portfolio include the Suaqui Verde project, which is currently under option to Southern Empire, and the neighboring Suaqui Grande copper project, which Riverside retains 100% ownership of. The company remains well-positioned, advancing its key assets while maintaining a strong royalty portfolio through option agreements.

Exploration efforts for H1 2025 continue across multiple projects, with further results expected from Cecilia and other key targets. Riverside also remains actively engaged in joint venture discussions, welcoming potential partnerships to advance its exploration programs. The company will be attending PDAC in Toronto, where it will be available for meetings and discussions. Further details on Riverside’s projects can be found on its website at www.rivres.com.

Qualified Person & QA/QC:

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Freeman Smith, P.Geo, a non-independent qualified person to Riverside Resources, who is responsible for ensuring that the geologic information provided within this news release is accurate and who acts as a “qualified person” under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Riverside Resources Inc.

Riverside is a well-funded exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The Company has over $4M in cash, no debt and less than 75M shares outstanding with a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets and royalties in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and Canada and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside’s own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has properties available for option, with information available on the Company’s website at www.rivres.com.

ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.

“John-Mark Staude”

Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO

For additional information contact:

John-Mark Staude
President, CEO
Riverside Resources Inc. 
info@rivres.com
Phone: (778) 327-6671
Fax: (778) 327-6675
Web: www.rivres.com
Eric Negraeff
Investor Relations
Riverside Resources Inc.
Phone: (778) 327-6671
TF: (877) RIV-RES1
Web: www.rivres.com

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., “expect”,” estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”). Such information involves known and unknown risks — including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

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 release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242583

Categories
Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals

Emperor Metals Clarifies Press Release for February 25, 2025

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 26, 2025) – Emperor Metals Inc. (CSE: AUOZ) (OTCQB: EMAUF) (FSE: 9NH) (“Emperor“) This is a clarification at the request of CIRO. We are excited to announce the reanalysis results for the previously released DQ24-12 samples (see press release, January 8, 2025), along with the final results of all prior unsampled historical core assays. Given the abundant visible gold observed in the DQ24-12 intersection and the discrepancies between the initial results and geological observations, a more representative method was used to provide a more accurate result.

CEO John Florek commented: “The discovery of high-grade gold lenses, which contain visible gold and were previously thought to be lower-grade, is a highly significant development for the economics of this deposit and strengthens the potential of the project. This opens up the opportunity to add additional high-grade zones within a large gold system. The presence of abundant free gold, not well-documented in earlier drilling, presents a unique opportunity to substantially increase both the gold grade and ounces within the conceptual open pit. This is further supported by our metallurgical results, visual observations, and high gold grades with minimal sulfide content. With additional infill drilling, we anticipate further improvements in both grade and ounces within this type of deposit.”

The 2024 drilling program comprised 8,166 meters across 19 drill holes, alongside approximately 8,000 meters of historical core assaying. To date, 100% of both the 2024 drilling and historical sampling program, including new drilling and resampling of historical core, has been reported for the 2024 season. Figure 1Table 1, and Table 2 highlight the significant intercepts related to this press release.

Following the high-grade sample reported in our January 8 press release for DQ24-12, which recorded 2.5 meters at 57.8 g/t Au, Emperor re-assayed the interval using a larger, more representative sample than our standard protocol, employing a screened metallics method for greater accuracy. The screened metallics fire assay is a specialized technique used to accurately determine gold concentrations in samples that may contain coarse gold particles, a phenomenon known as the “nugget effect.” This method is particularly useful when traditional fire assay techniques might underestimate gold content due to the presence of large gold grains. This method is particularly beneficial in regions where coarse gold is prevalent, as it helps mitigate the risk of underreporting gold content due to the nugget effect. This result upgrades the 2.5 m interval of 57.8 g/t Au to 2.5 m of 301.1 g/t Au, representing a substantial increase of 5.2 times.

This work, combined with the discovery of visible gold-bearing lenses (shown in Figure 2) and significant low-grade bulk tonnage zones, underscores the project’s substantial resource growth potential. Emperor’s AI capability to effectively utilize this tool to generate targets was crucial for our targeting, where information is not well understood. With the results from the 2024 drilling season now complete, we will leverage our AI technology to rebuild the models, generate new targets, and develop our strategic drilling plan for 2025.

These findings are expected to make a significant contribution to the upcoming Q1 or early Q2 mineral resource estimate.

Resample and Historical Core Highlights: (see tables 1 and 2 for complete results)

  • DQ24-12: The discovery of visible gold (VG) within a 21.7m section grading 7.2 g/t Au prompted Emperor Metals to conduct screen metallics analysis on the VG sample rejects (286.9m to 289.4m / 2.5m). This analysis returned an exceptionally high grade of 301 g/t Au, revealing a substantial amount of gold not captured in the original split core analysis and updating the zone to 21.7 m of 35.2 g/t Au.
  • DQ06-02 (Historical Core): Sampling results have expanded three previous zones and increased mineralization to 3.0 m of 6.17 g/t Au, 2.45 meters of 1.13 g/t Au, and 7.0 meters of 2.14 g/t Au. These results were obtained from sheared and altered mafic volcanics, as well as a zone associated with altered quartz-feldspar porphyry and ultramafic sequences.
  • DO-11-21 (Historical Core): Sampling results reveal an additional 23.8 meters of 0.4 g/t Au in a completely new zone within an altered quartz-feldspar porphyry (QFP).
  • DQ06-12 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 2.35 meters of 4.2 g/t Au within a weakly brecciated mafic flow.
  • DQ95-22 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 6 meters of 2.28 g/t Au within the contact zone between altered QFP and a sheared mafic volcanic unit.
  • DQ95-31 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 6.88 meters of 1.14 g/t Au and 7.92 meters of 1.59 g/t Au, associated with an altered QFP and a brecciated flow/tu
  • DQ09-09 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 8.8 meters of 0.54 g/t Au within an altered syenite porphyry, and 2.1 meters of 3.83 g/t Au in a strongly altered QFP unit.
  • DQ94-2 (Historical core): Sampling adds 4.58 meters of 1.05 g/t Au at the contact between a weakly sheared mafic volcanic unit and a strongly sheared and fractured QFP.
  • DQ96-70 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 11.75 meters of 0.58 g/t Au within a highly altered diorite unit.

Emperor’s focus in 2024 was on near-surface drilling for open-pit mining, Emperor aims to economically expand its resource base by including lower grades in the conceptual open-pit environment compared to higher grades in an underground mining scenario. This allows Emperor to add ounces more rapidly to the resource. Deposits in the region with currently active open pits have been economic at grades equal 0.30 g/t Au (see Agnico Eagles press release dated Feb 15, 2024 – Detour Lake Deposit cut-off grade, pg. 52.)

Emperor is targeting a multi-million-ounce resource, utilizing a combination of conceptual open-pit and underground mining scenarios. There is no guarantee that further exploration will define a current resource. The Property currently hosts a historical inferred mineral resource estimate of 727,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 5.42 g/t Au1,2. The historical mineral resource estimate predates modern Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) guidelines and a Qualified Person on behalf of Emperor has not reviewed or verified the mineral resource estimate, therefore it is considered historical in nature and is reported solely to provide an indication of the magnitude of mineralization that could be present on the property. Emperor is committed to delivering an updated Mineral Resource Estimate in Q1 or Early Q2 of 2025.

Figure 1: Location of High-grade Screen metallic results from DQ24-12 and Historical drill holes with reported results from previously unsampled historical core.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8461/242405_3e70becec4096a23_002full.jpg

Figure 2: Visible Gold Occurrences in DQ24-12.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8461/242405_3e70becec4096a23_003full.jpg

Strategic Plan

The 2024 drilling campaign at Emperor’s Duquesne West Gold Project in Quebec continues to identify extensive low-grade bulk tonnage zones surrounding the previously known high grade areas. These latest results further solidify the project’s potential and underscore the company’s commitment to unlocking substantial value for its shareholders.

The 2024 season leverages advanced exploration techniques to test several scenarios to add ounces and/or expand the footprint. The reader should be aware that further work is required without any guarantee that success will be realized.

1) Explore Lower Grade Discoveries: Target additional discoveries within the host rock containing high-grade gold lenses, focusing on the conceptual open-pit model.

2) Increase the Thickness of the High-Grade Lenses: Incorporate previously unaccounted lower-grade gold from the margins of high-grade lenses to enhance their overall thickness.

3) Expand Mineralized Zones: Extend the lateral footprint of mineralized zones along strike and dip.

4) Discover New Zones: Explore potential new zones not yet included in the conceptual open-pit model, with a particular focus on eastward expansion.

These latest results continue to build on the strong momentum generated by last year’s drilling program and confirm the presences of extensive low grade bulk tonnage zones surrounding the known high-grade regions.

Table 1 – Intercept Highlights- Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%.

Hole No.From (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ24-121258.8261.32.50.39
261.3263.82.50.13
263.8266.32.50.02
Note1266.3268.82.50.005
268.8271.32.50.01
Note1271.3273.82.50.005
273.8275.41.60.02
275.4276.416.77
276.4277.411.65
277.4278.410.09
278.4279.410.06
279.4280.410.02
280.4281.71.30.02
281.7283.051.351.47
283.05284.41.350.07
284.4286.92.50.01
Note3286.9289.42.5301.00
289.4291.92.50.005
291.9294.12.20.13
294.1295.110.13
295.1296.110.09
296.1297.110.21
Wt. Avg.38.320.0
Including (275.4 to 297.1 m)21.735.2
Including (275.4 to 289.4 m)1454.5
1Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%.
3Sample reassayed. Screened Metallics performed at SGS.

Table 2 – Historical core sampling Highlights- Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%. The Sample IDs in bold and italic represent 2024 historical core sampling previously not sampled.

Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-02D00289058341.6342.611.67
D00289059342.6343.610.28
62944343.6344.6116.55
Wt. Avg.36.17
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-02D00289103408.4410.852.451.13
Wt. Avg.2.451.13
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-026286150951010.489
6286251051110.02
6286351151210.016
6286451251310.123
62865513513.90.90.197
D00289154513.95151.10.14
D00289155515516114.95
Wt. Avg.72.28
Incl.114.95
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DO-11-21D0028639748.249.210.23
D0028639849.250.210.18
D0028639950.251.210.77
D0028640151.252.31.10.03
D0028640252.353.41.10.11
D0028640353.454.51.10.03
D0028640454.555.61.10.74
D0028640555.656.71.11.78
D0028640656.757.81.10.06
D0028640757.858.91.10.31
D0028640858.9601.10.33
D00286409606110.26
D00286411616210.24
D00286412626310.27
D00286413636410.21
D00286414646510.37
D00286415656610.36
D00286416666710.28
D00286417676810.28
D00286418686910.53
D00286419697010.13
D00286421707111.46
D00286422717210.17
Wt. Avg.23.80.40
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-12D00296402483.4484.851.453.79
83493484.85485.750.94.87
Wt. Avg.2.354.20
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-22836303304.141.148.57
837304.143050.860.12
D0028798430530610.005
D0028798530630710.01
D0028798630730810.005
D0028798730830913.81
Wt. Avg.62.28
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-31D00289344197.62199.51.882.93
6563199.52000.50.09
D00289345200201.91.90.04
6564201.9202.40.50.17
6565202.42030.61.65
6566203204.51.50.76
Wt. Avg.6.881.14
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-316580228.56229.71.147.1
6581229.7230.20.50.07
D00289347230.2231.51.30.07
6582231.52320.50.02
D0028934923223310.05
D0028935123323413.96
D00289352234235.021.020.08
6583235.02236.481.460.18
Wt. Avg.7.921.59
Incl.5.442.25
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ09-09D00296752282911.6
14067293010.005
14068303110.005
14069313210.005
D002967533233.21.20.01
D0029675433.234.41.20.005
D0029675534.435.61.20.6
D0029675635.636.81.22.01
Wt. Avg.8.80.54
Incl.2.41.31
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ09-09D00296827120.3121.41.10.14
D00296828121.4122.417.88
Wt. Avg.2.13.83
Incl.17.88
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ94-2D00295584221.92222.680.762.84
10932222.68223.180.50.06
10933223.18224.981.80.21
10934224.98226.51.521.47
Wt. Avg.4.581.05
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ96-70D00296375448.54501.51.27
D00296376450451.251.251.67
D00296377451.25452.51.250.52
D00296378452.5453.61.10.06
D00296379453.6454.580.980.24
10721454.58454.880.30.282
D00296381454.884561.120.14
D00296382456457.251.250.46
D00296383457.25458.51.250.38
D00296384458.5459.751.250.3
10722459.75460.250.50.411
Wt. Avg.11.750.58
Incl.41.16

Quality Assurance and Control

The Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) was conducted by Technominex, a geological contractor hired by Emperor Metals, which adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines for exploration related activities conducted at its facility in Rouyn Noranda, Quebec. The QA/QC procedures are overseen by a Qualified Person on site.

Emperor Metals QA/QC protocols are maintained through the insertion of certified reference material (standards), blanks and lab duplicates within the sample stream totaling approximately one QA/QC sample per 7 samples. Drill core is cut in-half following a line marked by the geologist to represent an unbiased sample with a diamond saw, with the same-half of core placed in sealed bags with appropriate tags and shipped to the SGS Sudbury laboratory and the other half retained on site in the original core box. A dispatch list consists of 88 or 176 samples along with their corresponding QA/QC samples for a single batch. This allows complete batches (88 samples) for fire assay. A file for sample tracking records tags used and weights of sample bags shipped to the SGS Lakefield. Shipment is done by Manitoulin Transport and coordination by Technominex staff in Rouyn-Noranda

The third-party laboratory, SGS prep laboratory in Sudbury Ontario, processes the shipment of samples using standard sample preparation (code PRP91) and produces pulps from the specified samples. The pulps are then sent off to SGS Burnaby for analysis. Chain of custody is maintained from the drill to the submittal into the laboratory preparation facility all the way to analysis at the SGS Burnaby B.C. laboratory.

Analytical testing is performed by SGS laboratories in Burnaby, British Columbia. The entire sample is crushed to 75% passing 2mm, with a split of 500g pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are then analyzed using Au – ore grade 50g Fire Assay, ICP-AES with reporting limits of 0.01 -100 part per million (ppm).

High-grade gold analysis, based on the presence of visible gold or exceptional fire assay results exceeding 100 ppm, is conducted using the screened metallics method by Fire Assay, AAS/ICP/Grav. In this process, a 1000 g sample is pulverized and then screened to a 106-micron size. The entire plus fraction is analyzed to extinction, while two 50 g samples from the minus fraction are also analyzed. The weighted average of these results is reported.

About the Duquesne West Gold Project

The Duquesne West Gold Property is located 32 km northwest of the city of Rouyn-Noranda and 10 km east of the town of Duparquet, Quebec, Canada. The property lies within the historic Duparquet gold mining camp in the southern portion of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in the Superior Province.

Under an Option Agreement, Emperor agreed to acquire a 100% interest in a mineral claim package comprising 38 claims covering approximately 1,389 ha, located in the Duparquet Township of Quebec (the “Duquesne West Property”) from Duparquet Assets Ltd., a 50% owned subsidiary of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX). For further information on the Duquesne West Property and Option Agreement, see Emperor’s press release dated Oct. 12, 2022, available on SEDAR.The Property hosts a historical inferred mineral resource estimate of 727,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 5.42 g/t Au.[1][2] The historical mineral resource estimate predates modern Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) guidelines and a Qualified Person on behalf of Emperor has not reviewed or verified the mineral resource estimate, therefore it is considered historical in nature and is reported solely to provide an indication of the magnitude of mineralization that could be present on the property. The gold system remains open for resource identification and expansion.

A reinterpretation of the existing geological model was created using AI and Machine Learning. This model shows the opportunity for additional discovery of ounces by revealing gold trends unknown to previous workers and the potential to expand the resource along significant gold- endowed structural zones.

Multiple scenarios exist to expand additional resources which include:

  1. Underground High-Grade Gold.
  2. Open Pit Bulk Tonnage Gold.
  3. Underground Bulk Tonnage Gold.

QP Disclosure

The technical content for the Duquesne West Project in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person pursuant to CIM guidelines. Mr. John Florek is in good standing with the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (Member ID:1228) and an employee and officer of the company.

About Emperor Metals Inc.

Emperor Metals Inc. is a high-grade gold exploration and development junior mining company focused on Quebec’s Southern Abitibi Greenstone Belt, leveraging AI-driven exploration techniques. The company is dedicated to unlocking the substantial resource potential of the Duquesne West Gold Project and the Lac Pelletier Project (currently under purchase agreement) both situated in this Tier 1 mining district.

The company is led by a dynamic group of resource sector professionals who have a strong record of success in evaluating and advancing mining projects from exploration through to production, attracting capital and overcoming adversity to deliver exceptional shareholder value. For more information, please refer to SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), under the Company’s profile.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

s/ “John Florek”

John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol
President, CEO and Director
Emperor Metals Inc.

Contact

John Florek President/CEO
T: (807) 228-3531
E: johnf@emperormetals.com

Alex Horsley
Director
T: (778) 323-3058
E: alexh@emperormetals.com
Website: www.emperormetals.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved the content of this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the company and there is no assurance that the actual results will meet management’s expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as “anticipates,” “believes,” “targets,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “could” or “would.”

Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

________________________

[1] Watts, Griffis, and McOuat Consulting Geologists and Engineers, Oct. 20, 2011, Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate Update for the Duquesne-Ottoman Property, Quebec, Canada, for XMet Inc.
[2] Power-Fardy and Breede, 2011. The Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) constructed in 2011 is considered historical in nature as it was constructed prior to the most recent CIM standards (2014) and guidelines (2019) for mineral resources. In addition, the economic factors used to demonstrate reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction for the MRE have changed since 2011. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to consider the MRE as a current MRE. Emperor is not treating the historical MRE as a current mineral resource. The reader is cautioned not to treat it, or any part of it, as a current mineral resource.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242405

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals

Consumer confidence plunges most in nearly 4 years as inflation fears escalate on Trump tariff threats

Consumer confidence declined sharply in February, notching its biggest monthly decline in nearly four years as uncertainty related to Trump’s trade policy also lifted inflation expectations, according to new data released Tuesday morning.

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for February came in at a reading of 98.3, a significant drop from January’s revised 105 reading and short of the 102.5 reading expected by economists.

Read more: From $5 eggs to insurance premiums, here’s where prices are rising

“In February, consumer confidence registered the largest monthly decline since August 2021,” Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at the Conference Board, said in a press release. “This is the third consecutive month-on-month decline, bringing the Index to the bottom of the range that has prevailed since 2022.”

https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/13227193/embed?auto=1

The “Present Situation Index,” which measures consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, fell to 136.5 in February from 139 in January.

The “Expectations Index,” which tracks consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, also fell to 72.9 in February from 82 last month. Historically, a reading below 80 in that category signals a recession in the coming year. This was the first time since June 2024 that the index came in below that threshold.

Meanwhile, average 12-month inflation expectations jumped from 5.2% last month to 6% in February, echoing other recent data points that highlight greater concerns around tariff uncertainty and the impact those policies could have on inflation.

“This increase likely reflected a mix of factors, including sticky inflation but also the recent jump in prices of key household staples like eggs and the expected impact of tariffs,” Guichard said. “There was a sharp increase in the mentions of trade and tariffs, back to a level unseen since 2019. Most notably, comments on the current Administration and its policies dominated the responses.”

President Donald Trump departs after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump departs after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) · ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Donald Trump’s revived tariff threats have weighed on sentiment as the administration doubles down on 25% across-the-board tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which are set to come next month. 10% duties on China have already been implemented.

Earlier in February, Trump announced global 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that are expected to take effect on March 12. Trump later ordered that federal agencies study reciprocal tariffs on trading partners.

More recently, Trump said to expect additional duties on autos, chips, and pharmaceuticals. A flat tariff “in the neighborhood of 25%” would apply to all foreign automakers and start as soon as April 2.

“Everybody is talking about inflation rising on the back of tariffs and that is a great concern for the consumer,” Yelena Shulyatyeva, senior US economist at the Conference Board, told Yahoo Finance in an interview following the data’s release.

Notably, February’s decline was broad-based among income groups, including the more affluent cohort of consumers, which has driven the bulk of spending in recent years.

“That is a concern,” Shulyatyeva said. “We know that consumer spending has been in large part driven by those at the top of the income spectrum. … If this is going to slow down significantly, that’s a concern for the economy.”

Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James, wrote it’s still “up in the air” whether or not this lack of confidence will translate to weaker economic growth. A second estimate of gross domestic product for the fourth quarter, due Thursday, will serve as the latest test.

“However,” Aleman warned, “the upward move in inflation expectations and the increase in mentions regarding the potential effects of tariffs should serve as wake up call for the administration.”

Alexandra Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canalLinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/consumer-confidence-plunges-most-in-nearly-4-years-as-inflation-fears-escalate-on-trump-tariff-threats-160817886.html

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals

Max Resource Reports 1.6% Copper over 55 Metres at Sierra Azul

  • Significantly Expands Footprint at AM-13
  • Discovers new Manto-Style Target: AM-15
  • Approval of US $4.8M Fully Funded 2025 Budget

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 25, 2025) – MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MAX) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D2) (“Max” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce assay results from composite channel samples and expansion of the exploration target footprint at AM-13 to 1,500 by 100 metres. In addition, Max reports the discovery of a new Manto-style target, AM-15 and the approval of a fully funded 2025 exploration budget of US$ 4.8 million all for the it’s wholly-owned Sierra Azul Copper-Silver Project (formerly known as the Cesar Project) located in Northeastern Colombia (refer to Figures 1 to 6 and Tables 1 and 2).

Highlights

  • AM-13: Exploration Target Increased to 1,500m by 100m
    • Copper-silver mineralization identified over 1,500m of strike and open ended
    • New composite channel assay results include:
      • 1.6% Copper & 6 g/t Silver over 55.0m (CS11)
      • 1.6% Copper & 7 g/t Silver over 49.0m (CS08)
      • 1.0% Copper & 6 g/t Silver over 26.0m (CS01)
    • The 100m wide mineralized body rises over 300m in elevation between El Cedro and Mapurito valleys suggesting significant depth potential
    • Manto-style mineralization and alteration, similar to deposits in the Tocopilla – Taltal region of northern Chile, where a mineralized corridor extends well over 100-km and hosts several economic deposits including Mantos Blancos estimated to contain 500mt at 1% Copper (Reference material on the Mantos Blancos deposit available here)
  • AM-15: Discovery of New Manto Style Target Proximal to AM-13
    • The new AM-15 discovery is located approximately 1,000m northwest of AM-13
    • Early work suggests a large target footprint with five mineralized outcrops already identified over a 100m by 300m and open in all directions
    • High priority target based on potential size, grade and proximity to AM-13
  • US $4.8 Million Exploration Budget for 2025
    • Fully funded by Freeport McMoRan Exploration Corporation (“Freeport”)
    • Three components to the 2025 exploration program:
      • Drill Target Development
      • District Scale Exploration
      • Basin Scale Prospectivity Analysis

Max cautions investors copper-silver mineralization at Mantos Blancos is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization at Sierra Azul.

“The 2025 exploration season is off to an exceptional start with the significant footprint expansion at AM-13 of over 30% coupled with the exciting new discovery of AM-15 underscore the potential of large-scale copper silver discoveries within the Sierra Azul Project,” commented Brett Matich, CEO of MAX.

“The US $4.8 million budget for 2025, fully funded by Freeport, is an increase of 14% compared with 2024 and is focused on the development of priority targets for drilling and the identification of new significant size targets along the Serra Azul Project’s 120 km long mineralized trend,” he concluded.

Image showing extended footprint of AM-13 in relation to the AM-15 discovery

Figure 1: AM-13 & AM-15 Target Zone

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_maximg1.jpg

Topography and composite assays from channel samples collected along the strike of the AM-13 target

Figure 2: AM-13 Target Longitudinal Section

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_maximg2.jpg

Cross section showing composite assays of channel samples collected from the AM-13 exploration target in El Cedro Valley

Figure 3: AM-13 Target Cross Section

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_maximg3.jpg

Work at AM-13 has identified an open-ended 1,500m by 100m exploration target, which is defined, in part, by numerous outcrops of high-grade copper and silver mineralization (refer to Table 1 and Figures 2 & 3). The potential for significant size and grade at AM-13 has elevated it to one of the highest priority targets on the Sierra Azul project.

Mineralization is observed filling fractures and vesicles within an andesitic tuff (a type of porous volcanic rock) that has undergone chlorite and epidote hydrothermal alteration. The mineralized rock strikes between 40° and 50° and, on average, dips at 70° NW. The mineralized unit rises more than 300m between the El Cedro valley and the Mapurito valley 1,200m to the northeast, suggesting the potential for significant depth extent.

Primary copper bearing minerals include native copper, chalcocite and bornite (refer to Figure 4). Trace amounts of bitumen (a type of organic material) were also observed in the mineralized rocks which is believed to be critical to the deposition of copper minerals from fluids that circulated within the Cesar-Rancheria basin. The presence of native copper and chalcocite indicates the mineralized fluids were sulphur poor leading to the precipitation of these high-grade ore-forming minerals.

The alteration of the host rocks and the copper bearing minerals observed at AM-13 appear to be similar to the Manto deposits of northern Chile, including Mantos Blancos, which began production over 60 years ago and is estimated to have contained a total of 500mt at 1.0% Copper (Reference material on the Mantos Blancos deposit available here). Manto Blancos is one of a series of 8 Manto copper-silver deposits in the Jurassic age volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks of northern Chile (Reference material on Manto deposits of northern Chile available here)

Figure 4: Mineralized Specimen from Mapurito Valley

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_d7e4292b44aa7898_005full.jpg

Table 1: Summary of AM-13 Composite Channel Sample Assay Results

Rock Channel Sample No.Sample MethodWidthCopperSilver
(m)(%)(g/t)
AM-13_CS01chip-channel26.01.05
includingchip-channel7.01.69.6
AM13_CS08saw-cut-channel55.01.66
includingchip-channel15.03.414
andchip-channel5.03.516
AM-13_CS11chip-channel49.01.67
Includingchip-channel14.02.612
andchip-channel10.02.310
AM-13_C12chip-channel12.01.26
includingchip-channel4.01.66
AM-13_C13chip channel12.00.76
Includingchip-channel3.01.414

AM-15: New Discovery – Potential Manto-Style Parallel to AM-13

Max also announces the discovery of a new target, AM-15, located approximately 1,000m to the northwest of AM-13 (refer to Figure 1). Early work suggests an exploration target extending over 1,000m with five mineralized outcrops already identified over a 300m by 100m (refer to Table 2).

Similar to AM-13, mineralization is found filling fractures and vesicles of an andesitic tuff. Ore forming minerals include chalcocite, malachite and azurite (see Figure 5). Chlorite, epidote and albite alteration along with the presence of bitumen are also observed.

Table 2: AM-15 Highlight Composite Assay Results

Rock Channel Sample No.Sample MethodWidthCopperSilver
(m)(%)(g/t)
AM-15_CS01chip-channel2.04.035
AM15_CS02chip-channel12.00.77
AM-15_CS03chip-channel10.00.77
AM-15_C04chip-channel5.00.84

The proximity to AM-13, along with its potential size and grade have made AM-15 the focus of the target development team. Work to extend the footprint of AM-15 is underway and several additional mineralized outcrops have been discovered. Initial follow-up exploration at the target will include geological mapping, sampling and trenching.

Rock specimen showing chalcocite, malachite and azurite mineralization

Figure 5: AM-15: Mineralized Andesitic Tuff

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_d7e4292b44aa7898_006full.jpg

Freeport McMoRan Funded US $4.8 Million Approved Exploration Budget for 2025

The 2025 exploration program at the Sierra Azul has three objectives: Drill Target Development, District Scale Exploration and Basin Scale Analysis.

Drill Target Development

The Drill Target Development program will focus exploration on priority targets located in all three districts of the Sierra Azul Project: AM, Conejo and URU (refer to Figure 6). The goal of the program is to prepare the selected targets for drilling. The work program is well under way and includes detailed geological mapping and soil sampling as well as planned ground geophysical surveys and detailed structural analysis.

The initial focus of the target development 2025 campaign will be to continue exploration of the Company’s top priority targets: AM-13 and AM-15. Detailed mapping to date, has identified mineralized outcrops over large areas at both targets. Work to delimit the targets and establish continuity of the mineralization is on-going.

District Scale Exploration

The District Scale Exploration Program commenced in 2024 and is designed to systematically evaluate the entire Sierra Azul Project area with the goal of identifying additional priority targets for follow-up. The program has two components: soil and stream sediment sampling.

The district-scale soil sampling program comprises a total of 3,646 samples collected at 50m intervals along lines spaced 2,000m apart (refer to Figure 6). The sampling campaign commenced in 2024 and approximately 27% of the planned samples have been collected.

Soil samples are initially analyzed in the field using XRF technology. This has led to the discovery of new mineralized outcrops in the Conejo District. Laboratory analysis of the samples is also being conducted and will identify more subtle copper anomalies and trends that can be followed up with detailed mapping and soil sampling.

Stream sediments samples are also planned for 2025 and will complement the district-scale soil sampling program. 200 stream sediment samples will be collected along the valleys that drain into the eastern margin of the Cesar-Rancheria basin.

Basin Scale Analysis

An analysis of the evolution of the Cesar-Rancheria basin is being conducted to identify additional areas prospective for copper. The Cesar-Rancheria basin stretches for more than 250 km, has demonstrable potential for significant copper deposits and remains largely unexplored.

A model of the geological and structural evolution of the Cesar-Rancheria basin is being developed using existing information including, seismic data, oil well logs, satellite imagery and regional geology. The results of the analysis will be used to identify areas within the basin that have the right combination of factors required to develop large scale copper deposits:

  1. good structural development to allow the mineralized fluids to move through the geological column.
  2. presence of a chemical reductant that will cause copper minerals to precipitate from the fluids and
  3. permissive rock types to host the copper minerals.


Map of Sierra Azul Project showing priority targets and district-scale soil sample lines

Figure 6: AM-15: Map of Regional Soil Sample Lines at Serra Azul Copper Silver Project

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/242241_d7e4292b44aa7898_007full.jpg

Background

The Sierra Azul Copper-Silver Project comprises three districts: AM, Conejo and URU. Collectively the three contiguous districts stretch over 120 km in NNE/SSW direction (refer to Figure 4). Max Resource’s land tenure at Sierra Azul includes 188 km2 of mining concessions and 1,141 km2 of mineral concession applications.

On May 13th, 2024, Max announced that it had entered into an Earn-In Agreement (“EIA”) with Freeport, a wholly owned-affiliate of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) relating to Max’s wholly owned Sierra Azul Copper-Silver Project. Under the terms of the EIA, Freeport can earn an 80% interest in the Sierra Azul Copper-Silver Project in two stages by spending an aggregate amount of $50 million and paying a total of $1.55 million in cash to Max.

AM District

Starting in the far north of the Jurassic basin, classic stacked red bed outcrops with extensive lateral continuity have been sampled over many kilometres within the AM District culminating in a mineralized corridor that extends over 15km (Max News Release dated May 25, 2023 and Max News Release dated June 22, 2023). Highlight values of 34.4% copper and 305 g/t silver from outcrop samples have been documented in the sedimentary sequences. The Company confirmed that stratiform red-bed style mineralization continues at depth with two scout drill holes completed earlier this year (Max News Release dated April 4, 2023). In addition, Max has discovered a Manto-style target, AM-13, which has significant size potential. Initial assay results from AM-13 included 48m of 1.8% copper and 7.2 g/t Silver (Max News Release dated August 20, 2024).

Conejo District

Midway south, the Conejo District is the most recent to be recognized and is characterized by structurally controlled mineralization hosted in intermediate and felsic volcanic rocks. Numerous mineralized outcrops have been discovered over 3,700m at the primary target in the district with surface samples averaging 4.9% copper (2% cut-off). No drilling has been conducted at Conejo, but it has emerged as an area of focus for the Company.

URU District

Mineralization within the URU District is hosted in intermediate volcanic rocks and is structurally controlled, similar to deposits in the Central African Copper Belt. At URU-C, a 9.0m of 7.0% copper and 115 g/t silver surface discovery was confirmed at depth by drill hole URU-12, which intersected 10.6m of 3.4% copper and 48 g/t silver. At the URU-CE target, 750m to the east, 19.0m of 1.3% copper discovered in outcrop was confirmed by drill hole URU-9, which intersected a broad zone of copper oxide returning 33.0m of 0.3% copper from 4.0m, including 16.5m of 0.5% copper (Max News Release date January 24, 2023).

Qualified Person

The Company’s disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Henneberry, P.Geo (British Columbia), a member of the Max Resource advisory board, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

About Max Resource Corp.

The Company’s wholly owned Sierra Azul Project sits along the Colombian portion of the world’s largest producing copper belt (Andean belt), with world-class infrastructure and the presence of global majors (Glencore and Chevron). Max has an Earn-In Agreement (“EIA”) with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation (“Freeport”), a wholly owned affiliate of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (“NYSE: FCX”) relating to the Sierra Azul Project. Under the terms of the EIA, Freeport has been granted a two-stage option to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Sierra Azul Project by funding cumulative expenditures of C$50 million and making cash payments to Max of C$1.55 million. Max is the operator of the initial stage. The USD $4.8 million 2025 exploration program for the Sierra Azul Project is funded by Freeport.

The Company’s Florália DSO Project is located 67 km east of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil’s largest iron ore and steel producing State. Max’s technical team has significantly expanded the Florália hematite geological target from 8-12mt at 58% Fe to 50-70mt at 55%-61% Fe. Max Brazil has now commenced inaugural drill programs at the Florália DSO Project, consisting of approximately 1,000m of diamond and 800m by a mobile power auger rig.

The Company has added an Australian entity, Max Brazil, to hold the “Florália DSO Project” through the existing Canadian and Brazilian holding entities. As announced on January 31, 2025, Max Brazil has received in-principle advice on suitability from ASX Limited (the “ASX”) to advance plans for admission to the official list of the Australian Securities Exchange.

Max cautions investors the potential quantity and grade of the iron ore is conceptual in nature, and further cautions there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and Max is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Hematite mineralization tonnage potential estimation is based on in situ high-grade outcrops and interpreted and modelled magnetic anomalies. Density value used for the estimate is 2.8t/m³. Hematite sample grades range between 55-61%Fe. Hematite mineralization tonnage potential estimation is based on in situ hematite outcrop interpreted and modelled magnetic anomalies. Density value used for the estimate is 2.5t/m3. The 58 channel samples were collected for chemical analysis from in situ outcrops in previously mined slopes of industrial materials. Channel samples weighed in average 14 kg. Chemical analysis was performed at ALS Laboratories. Metal Oxides are determined using XRF analysis. Fusion disks are made with pulped samples and the addition of a borate-based flux. Max did not insert standards or blanks in the assay stream and is relying on ALS’s lab QA/QC.

For more information visit: https://www.maxresource.com/

For additional information contact:
Tim McNulty E: info@maxresource.com T: (604) 290-8100
Rahim Lakha E. rahim@bluesailcapital.com
Brett Matich T: (604) 484 1230

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.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities law.

Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company’s control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Max Resources Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company’s filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242241

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals

Is It Time for the U.S. to Revalue Its Gold Reserves?

Author: Frank Holmes
Date Posted: February 24, 2025 Read time: 7 min

Gold prices surged to an all-time high of $2,940 per ounce last Thursday, pushing its market cap above $20 trillion for the first time ever, as trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe have stoked fears of a global economic slowdown. And while safe-haven demand is certainly a driver, there’s another potential catalyst that could send prices soaring even higher: the revaluation of America’s gold reserves.

As many of you are aware, the U.S. holds the most gold of any country on earth by far, with reserves totaling 8,133 metric tons. But what’s less well-known is that the stockpile’s value has remained at just $42 per ounce since 1973, putting its total value at around $11 billion.

Let’s say we were to revalue those reserves at today’s price of around $2,900, which some people are in favor of. The total value, then, would jump to a staggering $760 billion, creating a windfall of $749 billion.

This could provide the government with options to sell a portion of its gold or enhance its balance sheet by reducing debt. It could even be used to fund a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which I wrote about earlier in the month.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has tried to tamp down speculation that the U.S. will go through with this process, stating that it’s “not what [he] had in mind,” but I believe the fact that we’re having this discussion highlights gold’s importance as a financial asset and geopolitical tool.

Verifying the Gold at Fort Knox

Before any revaluation can occur, though, it’s probably best to verify that the gold reserves actually exist—a concern that’s lingered for decades.

The U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, which houses the bulk of the nation’s gold, has only opened its doors to non-authorized personnel three times in history: 1) in 1943 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 2) in 1974 for a small group of Congress members and 3) in 2017 for a delegation including Senator Mitch McConnell and then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Elon Musk has announced plans to conduct an in-person audit of Fort Knox’s gold reserves on behalf of his cost-cutting operation, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. In a tweet on February 17, Musk wrote, “Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox?… We want to know if it’s still there.”

I don’t doubt that the gold’s where it should be, but I fully support Musk and President Trump’s efforts to provide transparency. If the audit confirms the reserves—which I believe it will—it could boost confidence in the U.S. government’s finances. Conversely, if discrepancies are found, it could send shockwaves through global markets, adding further momentum to gold prices.

Central banks have been on a gold buying spree, having snapped up over 1,000 tons of the metal for the third consecutive year in 2024, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). The National Bank of Poland (NBP) led the pack, adding 90 tons to its reserves, while the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced a fresh purchase of 5 tons to start 2025, bringing its total holdings to 2,285 tons.

Central banks are often considered the “smart money” in the gold market, and their sustained accumulation of gold reflects a broader strategy to diversify reserves and hedge against their very own policies. What’s more, this buying activity supports prices, creating a favorable backdrop for gold as an investment.

Peak Gold Ahead?

On the supply side, total gold production rose to a record 4,974 tons in 2024, driven by increased mine output and recycling. Initial estimates suggest mine production reached an all-time high of 3,661 tons, though final figures could revise this record. However, the long-term supply outlook is less rosy.

According to S&P Global’s Paul Manalo, the gold supply is expected to peak in 2026 before declining as a result of fewer new discoveries. Exploration budgets, which surged to $7 billion in 2022, have cooled off but remain higher than historical averages. This trend could support higher gold prices over the medium to long term, particularly if demand from central banks and investors remains robust.

Positioned for Growth

The high gold price environment has allowed gold mining companies to expand operations, prioritize sustainability initiatives and attract investor interest. Bank of America estimates that companies under its coverage could generate around $3 billion in free cash flow (FCF) in the fourth quarter of 2024, with even more expected this year.

However, rising costs present a challenge. The average All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC) for gold miners hit a record $1,456 per ounce in the third quarter of 2024, driven by higher labor costs and maintenance expenses.

Despite these pressures, many miners remain highly undervalued, making them attractive to value investors. The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index, which tracks major gold producers, recently made a technical breakout, with the 50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day moving average.

Strategic Takeaways

So what does all this mean for your portfolio?

Gold remains a vital asset for diversification. I believe its role as a hedge against inflation, currency devaluation and geopolitical risks is as relevant today as ever for long-term investors.

For more tactical investors, the potential revaluation of U.S. gold reserves—or even the publicity surrounding Musk’s proposed audit—could act as a catalyst for price movements.

Meanwhile, the continued buying by central banks and supply constraints in the mining sector offer additional support for a bullish outlook on gold.

As always, I recommend a 10% weighting in gold, with 5% in physical gold (coins, bars, jewelry) and 5% in high-quality gold mining stocks, mutual funds and ETFs.

The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index is a stock market index that measures the performance of companies that mine gold and silver. It’s a modified market capitalization weighted index that includes companies from around the world. 

All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor. By clicking the link(s) above, you will be directed to a third-party website(s). U.S. Global Investors does not endorse all information supplied by this/these website(s) and is not responsible for its/their content.

Source: https://www.usfunds.com/resource/is-it-time-for-the-u-s-to-revalue-its-gold-reserves/

Categories
Exclusive Interviews Junior Mining Precious Metals

The H1B Controversy | Jayant Bhandari

Doug Casey, Matt Smith, and I recently discussed the H1B controversy, sparked by a post from Vivek Ramaswamy on X. His post served as a catalyst, unleashing frustrations over Indian arrogance and a lack of gratitude. I further explored why Indians will continue to dig in their heels: 

As a follow-up, Michael Farris and I discussed how, when intertwined with spirituality, yoga fosters wokeness prevalent on the West Coast. We also explored why the West is beyond redemption, why India is a dead man walking, and why the ultra-right in the West is doomed to bitter failure:

With Peter Quinones, I discussed the illegality behind legal immigration and H1B visas—where you can buy virtually any degree in India. The Indian Prime Minister himself holds a degree in “Entire Political Science,” an impressive feat considering no university, not even a North Korean one, appears to offer such a course:

On Investments

  • Group Eleven (ZNG; $0.19): ZNG had stagnated, likely because the market recognized they were out of cash. Their recent financing provides a solid foundation for significant drilling. I see no reason to bid higher than $0.19.
  • Integra Resources (ITR; $1.54): ITR should generate decent cash flow from its mine to underpin its current valuation, and its development projects offer solid upside. Their last financing was at $1.35.
  • NeXGold Mining (NEXG; $0.64): While I am not necessarily a fan of their project portfolio, NEXG has fallen to its lowest in eleven months.
  • Cerro de Pasco Resources (CDPR; $0.245): I participated in their $0.15 financing at Chen Lin’s suggestion. Between late March and June 2025, 34 million warrants with an exercise price of $0.25 expire, the likely reason for its weakness.
  • Serra Energy (SEEM; $0.17): I’m unfamiliar with the current management, and the latest financials are pending, but it’s trading at perhaps less than half its cash value.
  • Irving Resources (IRV; $0.23): IRV has stagnated despite continuing to drill its two major projects in Japan. My clients and I are among the largest shareholders. I will be at their booth at the Metals Investors Forum in Toronto this weekend.

I just finished reading this book, in which the author claims that 4% of Westerners are psychopathic. As I read, I couldn’t help but wonder whether nearly 100% of people in the Third World fit the profile she describes. In my view, while some high-IQ individuals fail to develop a moral conscience, low-IQ individuals cannot.

Registration for the next Capitalism & Morality seminar is now open. While I am still finalizing the speakers, the price and coupon (PPC2025, for a 10% discount) will stay the same at least until March 20th.

Jayant Bhandari

Disclaimer: All information found here, including any ideas, opinions, views, predictions, forecasts, commentaries, suggestions, or stock picks, expressed or implied herein, are for informational, entertainment, or educational purposes only and should not be construed as personal investment advice. While the information provided is believed to be accurate, it may include errors or inaccuracies. The sole purpose of these musings is to show my thinking process when analyzing a stock, not to provide any recommendations. I will not and cannot be held liable for any actions you take resulting from anything you read here. Conduct your due diligence or consult a licensed financial advisor or broker before making any investment decisions. Any investments, trades, speculations, or decisions made based on any information found on this site, expressed or implied herein, are committed at your own risk, financial or otherwise.

Source: https://jayantbhandari.com/h1b-vivek-irv/

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals Project Generators

Platinum: The Rarest Precious Metal

Video Transcript

As one of the lesser known but vital precious metals, Platinum has a long history of being used for jewelry and ornamentation, reaching back to the ancient Egyptian empire, having been discovered on a coffin unearthed in Thebes, estimated to be from the 7th century BC.

Platinum is a metal that represents power, prestige and a sense of great accomplishment. It has come to symbolize a high level of status in society, as evidenced by top-tier credit cards and membership programs using its name.

But Platinum has value beyond just being a status symbol. Modern-day uses of Platinum include being a key element in catalytic converters for vehicles, as it converts car exhaust gasses into less harmful substances, as a catalyst in the chemical industry and even in the creation of life-saving anti-cancer drugs.

Platinum was dubbed ‘platina’ or ‘little silver’ by the Spanish Conquistadors, and the truth is, it’s so much more than meets the eye.

But that’s just scratching the surface. On today’s episode, we explore this exclusive metal that befuddled miners and scientists alike when it was first discovered. Dubbed “platina” or “little silver” by the Spanish Conquistadors, the truth is, it’s so much more than meets the eye. Time to dig into Platinum on Commodity Culture.

What is Platinum?

Platinum is a gray-white precious metal and one of a group of six elements known as the Platinum Group Metals (PGM). The other metals in the group are iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium. Platinum is the most common of the group and sees the most use.

Platinum’s atomic number is 78; it has an atomic mass of 195 units, a melting point of 1768 Degrees Celsius, and is resistant to corrosion, stable at high temperatures and has stable electrical properties.

The name Platinum comes from the Spanish word “platina,” basically translating to “little silver.” This somewhat derogatory word was coined by Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century, as they had no idea of Platinum’s uses or true value and considered it an annoyance that interfered with their attempts to mine gold.

In those times, it was widely believed that “platina” was young gold and that, given time, it would turn yellow as it matured, but until then, better to toss it aside and get back to mining for the real thing.

Platinum is rarely found on its own; it is often deposited alongside gold, copper, iron, nickel, and the other Platinum Group Metals. When discovered, Platinum can be quite inconspicuous at first glance, with nuggets having a dull gray or black hue. One thing that can help identify platinum is its incredible heft when held and if iron is also present in the alloy, it will be slightly magnetic.

First Known Platinum Jewelry

Some of the first known Platinum jewelry was crafted by the ancient indigenous peoples of Ecuador, with estimates placing their culture several centuries before the Spanish conquest of South America in 1492. It was particularly in the province of Esmeraldas where some of the most striking pieces were found, leading anthropologist William Farabee to declare:

“The native Indian workers of Esmeraldas were metallurgists of marked ability; they were the only people who manufactured Platinum jewelry.”

Considering Platinum is far more difficult to forge and manipulate than gold or silver, the method these ancient peoples used to work such a problematic metal was incredible and a testament to their dedication to their craft.

Platinum fragments were coated with gold dust, then heated by blowpipe on pieces of wood charcoal. The molten gold then caused the platinum to sinter, meaning it coalesced into a porous mass through heating, which allowed it to be forged.

Being the rarest of all the precious metals, along with its incredible strength as the hardest among them, has led Platinum to be one of the preferred forms of jewelry throughout the ages. In addition, it is highly resistant to scratches and other blemishes and does not wear away easily.

Platinum’s Unique Properties

Platinum, along with the other Platinum Group Metals, has strong catalytic properties – meaning it can accelerate or trigger a chemical process without becoming permanently changed or consumed.

For this reason, Platinum is employed widely in the manufacturing of catalytic converters for use in exhaust systems in internal combustion vehicles. Platinum in exhaust systems helps curb vehicle pollution and contributes to enhanced air quality. Catalytic converters represent a whopping 50% of Platinum demand each year.

Due to its high melting point, Platinum is indispensable in chemical laboratories for electrodes and for crucibles and dishes in which materials can be heated to high temperatures.

In addition, Platinum is used in the chemicals industry as a catalyst to produce nitric acid, benzene and silicone. It is also used as a catalyst to improve the efficiency of fuel cells and for electrical contacts and sparking points, as it resists both the high temperatures and the chemical attack of electric arcs.

Platinum finds use in the electronics sector in the manufacturing of computer hard disks and thermocouples and is used to make optical fibers and LCD screens, turbine blades, spark plugs, pacemakers and, like other precious metals, is used widely in dentistry. Crowns, bridges, pins and other dental equipment, and fillings all employ Platinum as a key component.

Platinum is used as a catalyst in creating nitric acid, an essential ingredient in fertilizers, connecting Platinum to the creation of our food supply. But one of its more impactful uses to humanity is in the creation of chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer, of which Platinum compounds are an important building block.

I’m willing to bet you didn’t think Platinum was such an essential element in our day-to-day lives, but the truth is, it’s a metal that is as practical as it is prestigious.

Next up, let’s explore the mining methods used to extract Platinum from the earth.

How is Platinum Mined?

Being one of the rarest metals on earth, Platinum is rarely found on its own but is generally found alongside Platinum Group Metals, nickel, iron, gold and other metals. Although pure Platinum deposits have been discovered, they are the exception rather than the rule.

One of the earliest Platinum mining methods is placer mining. Like gold, Platinum particles can accumulate in alluvial sands in rivers and streams. Placer deposits are minerals concentrated in streams and riverbeds from rock eroded from its source and further ground into pieces as it is washed away by the water.

Most of the world’s placer Platinum is found in Russia and back in the 19th century, alluvial deposits located in the Ural Mountains were heavily mined by both small-scale family operations and more official mining operations.

Placer mining for Platinum was also common in South America, especially in the Río de la Plata, or the River of Silver, located between Argentina and Uruguay.

Placer mining involves using dredges to scoop Platinum-bearing sand or gravel from riverbeds and washing it until Platinum grains or nuggets are captured and separated from the surrounding material. 

In today’s world, most Platinum deposits are located underground and are mined very similarly to gold, silver and other underground metal deposits, namely with strategically placed explosives.

Miners drill holes into the mine walls and pack explosives into them before detonating the rock, blasting it into small pieces and hauling it up to the surface to be loaded onto trucks, which then take it to a facility to be processed.

Most platinum mining in the modern era is done in South Africa, which accounts for a whopping 80% of world platinum production.

The story of the man who first identified Platinum and began to make it known to the greater world is no less fantastic than the element itself, involving an adventure across continents, a capture and daring escape on the high seas, and a scientific discovery that would begin Platinum’s journey to becoming the dynamic metal we know it as today.

The History of Platinum’s Discovery

Antonio de Ulloa of Spain was only 19 years of age when he was promoted to the rank of frigate lieutenant and sent on what would be a life-altering expedition to Quito in Ecuador, led by French geographers Charles Marie de la Condamine and Pierre Bouguer.

Antonio departed Spain in May of 1735, not knowing he wouldn’t see his motherland again for more than a decade. The mission was a monumental one: To help determine whether the earth was flat, as was popularly believed throughout most of human history up until that point, or whether it was a sphere, as suggested by Sir Isaac Newton.

To this end, it was necessary to measure the length of a degree of latitude at the equator, of which Quito was the closest city, and again at somewhere as near as possible to one of the poles. An expedition to the far north of Sweden was also dispatched for this purpose, but our story shall leave that journey to the pages of history.

As Antonio accompanied the geographers in Ecuador, their task proved epic indeed and with great struggle, they finally completed their work around 1745. Over the course of this decade, Antonio had plenty of time to explore the territory and the people there, recording his more interesting observations in various papers he carried with him.

As the expedition finally departed back to Spain, their mission accomplished, Antonio must have been filled with strong emotions as he was, at long last, headed home. Fate, however, had other plans in store for him.

As they made their way, sailing around Cape Horn, they were chased down north of the Azores by an English privateer and their ship was captured. However, they managed an escape and as luck seemed to be on their side, they evaded their captors and seemed to leave danger behind.

However, higher powers seemed intent on testing their wills and as they reached Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, their vessel was once again captured, this time by a British naval vessel and escape was out of the question. Antonio and his companions were taken to London and imprisoned, while the Admiralty confiscated nearly a decade’s worth of notes from Antonio’s time spent in Ecuador. Things looked grim for our frigate lieutenant as he sat in a cell awaiting his fate.

But this opened a window and good fortune came in the form of the President of the Royal Society, Martin Folkes, who came to know Antonio and his story and befriended him. The Royal Society was a group of natural philosophers and physicians, and not only did Martin free Antonio from his chains, but he also got all his papers returned to him and even made him a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1746. He was then allowed to return to Spain. 

Finally, after his long mission, Antonio set to work compiling an account of his adventures, which he published in 1748, first in Spanish and then translated into several other languages.

For our subject today, one passage, in particular, stands out:

“In the district of Choco are many mines of lavadero or wash gold. Several of the mines have been abandoned on account of the Platina, a substance of such resistance, that when struck on an anvil of steel, it is not easy to be separated; nor is it calcinable, so that the metal enclosed within this obdurate body could only be extracted with infinite labor and charge.”

Shortly after releasing his book, Antonio was tasked with a new mission by the King of Spain, King Ferdinand VI, to travel throughout Europe and study scientific developments across the continent.

Antonio’s travels brought him to Sweden in the autumn of 1751 and he was welcomed with open arms by Swedish scientists. Shortly after his arrival, he was duly elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in October of the same year. During his time there, he met with mathematician and chemist H.T. Scheffer. Scheffer was a former mine and metal works manager and an assayer at the mint and so had a vested interest in metals.

There is no official record of what exactly was said in that meeting, but shortly after that in November of 1751, Scheffer produced a paper titled, “The White Gold, or 7th Metal, called in Spain’ Platina del pinto’ Little Silver of Pinto, its Nature Described,” and submitted it to the Academy.

Scheffer was already familiar with Platinum before encountering Antonio, as he had received samples of it just a year earlier in 1750 from the West Indies, but his time with Antonio undoubtedly influenced his writing. In his paper, he came to the following conclusions about Platinum:

“That this is a metal hard but malleable, but of the hardness of malleable iron.

“That it is a precious metal of durability, like gold and silver.

“That it is not any of the six old metals, since first it is wholly and entirely a precious metal, containing nothing of copper, tin, lead, or iron, because it allows nothing to be taken from it. It is not silver, nor is it gold; but it is a seventh metal among those which are known up till now in all lands.”

In addition, he recommended a potential practical application for Platinum when he wrote:

“This metal is the most suitable of all to make telescope mirrors because it resists as well as gold the vapors of the air, it is very heavy, very dense, colorless and much heavier than ordinary gold, which is rendered unsuitable for this particular use by lacking these two latter properties.”

Although attempts were made in the years that followed, Platinum never found its place in the telescopes of the era, although Scheffer would be delighted to know the metal did eventually find use in the construction of x-ray telescopes centuries later. Nonetheless, Scheffer’s paper sparked the imaginations of scientists around the world, and a flurry of research into Platinum began, leading it to establish itself as the multifaceted metal that we know in the modern era.

The Future of Platinum

Although the recent trend toward electrifying vehicles seemingly puts Platinum’s use in traditional gasoline-powered catalytic converters at risk, we need to step back and look at the bigger picture.

In the coming years, autocatalyst demand for Platinum is likely to rise as recent legislation to curb pollution from gasoline and diesel engines is boosting the demand for cleaner emissions, which is Platinum’s forte.

Either way, Platinum will have a role to play in a carbon-neutral future, as it is needed for hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles. These use a propulsion system similar to that of electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell, and these vehicles are already becoming available in California and a few other places.

Platinum is also playing a role in the greater energy economy, as Platinum-based fuel cells are a cost-effective, clean and reliable off-grid power source that is currently seeing use in some remote areas, such as rural South Africa.

These fuel cells can help provide greater energy access to communities that might not normally be able to get a steady source of electricity. This includes electricity for schools, improving the quality of education and providing the ability to pump water for irrigation, facilitating agriculture.

Platinum’s other myriad uses also aren’t going away, and for this reason, Platinum will remain an essential metal to our modern civilization for as long as we can extract it from the earth.

More on Platinum

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Jesse Day is not an employee or an affiliate of Sprott Asset Management LP. The opinions, estimates and projections (“information”) contained within this content are solely those of the presenter and are subject to change without notice. Sprott Asset Management LP makes every effort to ensure that the information has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, Sprott Asset Management LP assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages, whether direct or indirect, which arise out of the use of this information. Sprott Asset Management LP is not under any obligation to update or keep current the information contained herein. The information should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for the exercise of their own judgment. Please contact your own personal advisor on your particular circumstances. Views expressed regarding a particular company, security, industry or market sector should not be considered an indication of trading intent of any investment funds managed by Sprott Asset Management LP. These views are not to be considered as investment advice nor should they be considered a recommendation to buy or sell.

Important Disclosure

Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium Trust (the “Trust”) is a closed-end fund established under the laws of the Province of Ontario in Canada. The Trust is available to U.S. investors by way of a listing on the NYSE Arca pursuant to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940.

The Trust is generally exposed to the multiple risks that have been identified and described in the prospectus. Please refer to the prospectus for a description of these risks. Relative to other sectors, precious metals and natural resources investments have higher headline risk and are more sensitive to changes in economic data, political or regulatory events, and underlying commodity price fluctuations. Risks related to extraction, storage and liquidity should also be considered.

Gold and precious metals are referred to with terms of art like store of value, safe haven, and safe asset. These terms should not be construed to guarantee any form of investment safety. While “safe” assets like gold, Treasuries, money market funds, and cash generally do not carry a high risk of loss relative to other asset classes, any asset may lose value, which may involve the complete loss of invested principal.

All data is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. 

Past performance is not an indication of future results. The information provided is general in nature and is provided with the understanding that it may not be relied upon as, nor considered to be tax, legal, accounting or professional advice. Readers should consult with their own accountants and/or lawyers for advice on their specific circumstances before taking any action. Sprott Asset Management LP is the investment manager to the Trust. Important information about the Trust, including the investment objectives and strategies, applicable management fees, and expenses, is contained in the prospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The indicated rates of return are the historical annual compounded total returns including changes in unit value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemption, distribution or operational charges or income taxes payable by any unitholder that would have reduced returns. You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of the Trusts on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) or the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). If the units are purchased or sold on the TSX or the NYSE, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units or shares of the Trusts and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer or solicitation to anyone in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. Views expressed regarding a particular company, security, industry or market sector should not be considered an indication of trading intent of any investment funds managed by Sprott Asset Management LP. These views are not to be considered as investment advice nor should they be considered a recommendation to buy or sell.

Categories
Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals

Emperor Metals Unveils Bonanza-Grade Gold Discovery: 21.7m of 35.2 g/t Au, While Expanding Ounces by Testing Previously Unsampled Historical Core

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – February 25, 2025) – Emperor Metals Inc. (CSE: AUOZ) (OTCQB: EMAUF) (FSE: 9NH) (“Emperor“) is excited to announce the reanalysis results for the previously released DQ24-12 samples (see press release, January 8, 2025), along with the final results of all prior unsampled historical core assays. Given the abundant visible gold observed in the DQ24-12 intersection and the discrepancies between the initial results and geological observations, a more representative method was used to provide a more accurate result.

CEO John Florek commented“The discovery of high-grade gold lenses, which contain visible gold and were previously thought to be lower-grade, is a highly significant development for the economics of this deposit and strengthens the potential of the project. This opens up the opportunity to add additional high-grade zones within a large gold system. The presence of abundant free gold, not well-documented in earlier drilling, presents a unique opportunity to substantially increase both the gold grade and ounces within the conceptual open pit. This is further supported by our metallurgical results, visual observations, and high gold grades with minimal sulfide content. Notably, some intercepts show that 1% pyrite corresponds to 2 g/t Au, which is ideal for low-acid-generating gold mining. With additional infill drilling, we anticipate further improvements in both grade and ounces within this type of deposit.”

The 2024 drilling program comprised 8,166 meters across 19 drill holes, alongside approximately 8,000 meters of historical core assaying. To date, 100% of both the 2024 drilling and historical sampling program, including new drilling and resampling of historical core, has been reported for the 2024 season. Figure 1Table 1, and Table 2 highlight the significant intercepts related to this press release.

Following the high-grade sample reported in our January 8 press release for DQ24-12, which recorded 2.5 meters at 57.8 g/t Au, Emperor re-assayed the interval using a larger, more representative sample than our standard protocol, employing a screened metallics method for greater accuracy. The screened metallics fire assay is a specialized technique used to accurately determine gold concentrations in samples that may contain coarse gold particles, a phenomenon known as the “nugget effect.” This method is particularly useful when traditional fire assay techniques might underestimate gold content due to the presence of large gold grains. This method is particularly beneficial in regions where coarse gold is prevalent, as it helps mitigate the risk of underreporting gold content due to the nugget effect. This result upgrades the 2.5 m interval of 57.8 g/t Au to 2.5 m of 301.1 g/t Au, representing a substantial increase of 5.2 times.

This work, combined with the discovery of visible gold-bearing lenses (shown in Figure 2) and significant low-grade bulk tonnage zones, underscores the project’s substantial resource growth potential. Emperor’s AI capability to effectively utilize this tool to generate targets was crucial for our targeting, where information is not well understood. With the results from the 2024 drilling season now complete, we will leverage our AI technology to rebuild the models, generate new targets, and develop our strategic drilling plan for 2025.

These findings are expected to make a significant contribution to the upcoming Q1 or early Q2 mineral resource estimate.

Resample and Historical Core Highlights: (see tables 1 and 2 for complete results)

  • DQ24-12: The discovery of visible gold (VG) within a 21.7m section grading 7.2 g/t Au prompted Emperor Metals to conduct screen metallics analysis on the VG sample rejects (286.9m to 289.4m / 2.5m). This analysis returned an exceptionally high grade of 301 g/t Au, revealing a substantial amount of gold not captured in the original split core analysis and updating the zone to 21.7 m of 35.2 g/t Au.
  • DQ06-02 (Historical Core): Sampling results have expanded three previous zones and increased mineralization to 3.0 m of 6.17 g/t Au, 2.45 meters of 1.13 g/t Au, and 7.0 meters of 2.14 g/t Au. These results were obtained from sheared and altered mafic volcanics, as well as a zone associated with altered quartz-feldspar porphyry and ultramafic sequences.
  • DO-11-21 (Historical Core): Sampling results reveal an additional 23.8 meters of 0.4 g/t Au in a completely new zone within an altered quartz-feldspar porphyry (QFP).
  • DQ06-12 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 2.35 meters of 4.2 g/t Au within a weakly brecciated mafic flow.
  • DQ95-22 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 6 meters of 2.28 g/t Au within the contact zone between altered QFP and a sheared mafic volcanic unit.
  • DQ95-31 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 6.88 meters of 1.14 g/t Au and 7.92 meters of 1.59 g/t Au, associated with an altered QFP and a brecciated flow/tu
  • DQ09-09 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 8.8 meters of 0.54 g/t Au within an altered syenite porphyry, and 2.1 meters of 3.83 g/t Au in a strongly altered QFP unit.
  • DQ94-2 (Historical core): Sampling adds 4.58 meters of 1.05 g/t Au at the contact between a weakly sheared mafic volcanic unit and a strongly sheared and fractured QFP.
  • DQ96-70 (Historical core): Sampling results show an additional 11.75 meters of 0.58 g/t Au within a highly altered diorite unit.

Emperor’s focus in 2024 was on near-surface drilling for open-pit mining, Emperor aims to economically expand its resource base by including lower grades in the conceptual open-pit environment compared to higher grades in an underground mining scenario. This allows Emperor to add ounces more rapidly to the resource. Deposits in the region with currently active open pits have been economic at grades equal 0.30 g/t Au (see Agnico Eagles press release dated Feb 15, 2024 – Detour Lake Deposit cut-off grade, pg. 52.)

Emperor is targeting a multi-million-ounce resource, utilizing a combination of conceptual open-pit and underground mining scenarios. The Property currently hosts a historical inferred mineral resource estimate of 727,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 5.42 g/t Au. Emperor is committed to delivering an updated Mineral Resource Estimate in Q1 or Early Q2 of 2025.

Figure 1: Location of High-grade Screen metallic results from DQ24-12 and Historical drill holes with reported results from previously unsampled historical core.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8461/242222_4259dbf0c4b36bd1_002full.jpg

Figure 2: Visible Gold Occurrences in DQ24-12.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8461/242222_4259dbf0c4b36bd1_003full.jpg

Strategic Plan

The 2024 drilling campaign at Emperor’s Duquesne West Gold Project in Quebec continues to identify extensive low-grade bulk tonnage zones surrounding the previously known high grade areas. These latest results further solidify the project’s immense potential and underscore the company’s commitment to unlocking substantial value for its shareholders.

The 2024 season leverages advanced exploration techniques to test several scenarios to add ounces and/or expand the footprint:

  1. Explore Lower Grade Discoveries: Target additional discoveries within the host rock containing high-grade gold lenses, focusing on the conceptual open-pit model.
  2. Increase the Thickness of the High-Grade Lenses: Incorporate previously unaccounted lower-grade gold from the margins of high-grade lenses to enhance their overall thickness.
  3. Expand Mineralized Zones: Extend the lateral footprint of mineralized zones along strike and dip.
  4. Discover New Zones: Explore potential new zones not yet included in the conceptual open-pit model, with a particular focus on eastward expansion.

These latest results continue to build on the strong momentum generated by last year’s drilling program and confirm the presences of extensive low grade bulk tonnage zones surrounding the known high-grade regions.

Table 1 – Intercept Highlights- Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%.

Hole No.From (m)To (m)Interval
(m)
Au (g/t Au)
DQ24-121258.8261.32.50.39
261.3263.82.50.13
263.8266.32.50.02
Note1266.3268.82.50.005
268.8271.32.50.01
Note1271.3273.82.50.005
273.8275.41.60.02
275.4276.416.77
276.4277.411.65
277.4278.410.09
278.4279.410.06
279.4280.410.02
280.4281.71.30.02
281.7283.051.351.47
283.05284.41.350.07
284.4286.92.50.01
Note3286.9289.42.5301.00
289.4291.92.50.005
291.9294.12.20.13
294.1295.110.13
295.1296.110.09
296.1297.110.21
Wt. Avg.38.320.0
Including (275.4 to 297.1 m)21.735.2
Including (275.4 to 289.4 m)1454.5

1Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%.
3Sample re-assayed. Screened Metallics performed at SGS.

Table 2 – Historical core sampling Highlights- Host Structures are interpreted to be steeply dipping and true widths are generally estimated to 90%. Yellow highlighted tags represent 2024 historical core sampling previously not sampled.

Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-02D00289058341.6342.611.67
D00289059342.6343.610.28
62944343.6344.6116.55
Wt. Avg.36.17
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-02D00289103408.4410.852.451.13
Wt. Avg.2.451.13
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-026286150951010.489
6286251051110.02
6286351151210.016
6286451251310.123
62865513513.90.90.197
D00289154513.95151.10.14
D00289155515516114.95
Wt. Avg.72.28
Incl.114.95
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DO-11-21D0028639748.249.210.23
D0028639849.250.210.18
D0028639950.251.210.77
D0028640151.252.31.10.03
D0028640252.353.41.10.11
D0028640353.454.51.10.03
D0028640454.555.61.10.74
D0028640555.656.71.11.78
D0028640656.757.81.10.06
D0028640757.858.91.10.31
D0028640858.9601.10.33
D00286409606110.26
D00286411616210.24
D00286412626310.27
D00286413636410.21
D00286414646510.37
D00286415656610.36
D00286416666710.28
D00286417676810.28
D00286418686910.53
D00286419697010.13
D00286421707111.46
D00286422717210.17
Wt. Avg.23.80.40
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ06-12D00296402483.4484.851.453.79
83493484.85485.750.94.87
Wt. Avg.2.354.20
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-22836303304.141.148.57
837304.143050.860.12
D0028798430530610.005
D0028798530630710.01
D0028798630730810.005
D0028798730830913.81
Wt. Avg.62.28
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-31D00289344197.62199.51.882.93
6563199.52000.50.09
D00289345200201.91.90.04
6564201.9202.40.50.17
6565202.42030.61.65
6566203204.51.50.76
Wt. Avg.6.881.14
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ95-316580228.56229.71.147.1
6581229.7230.20.50.07
D00289347230.2231.51.30.07
6582231.52320.50.02
D0028934923223310.05
D0028935123323413.96
D00289352234235.021.020.08
6583235.02236.481.460.18
Wt. Avg.7.921.59
Incl.5.442.25
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ09-09D00296752282911.6
14067293010.005
14068303110.005
14069313210.005
D002967533233.21.20.01
D0029675433.234.41.20.005
D0029675534.435.61.20.6
D0029675635.636.81.22.01
Wt. Avg.8.80.54
Incl.2.41.31
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ09-09D00296827120.3121.41.10.14
D00296828121.4122.417.88
Wt. Avg.2.13.83
Incl.17.88
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ94-2D00295584221.92222.680.762.84
10932222.68223.180.50.06
10933223.18224.981.80.21
10934224.98226.51.521.47
Wt. Avg.4.581.05
Hole No.Sample IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au (g/t Au)
DQ96-70D00296375448.54501.51.27
D00296376450451.251.251.67
D00296377451.25452.51.250.52
D00296378452.5453.61.10.06
D00296379453.6454.580.980.24
10721454.58454.880.30.282
D00296381454.884561.120.14
D00296382456457.251.250.46
D00296383457.25458.51.250.38
D00296384458.5459.751.250.3
10722459.75460.250.50.411
Wt. Avg.11.750.58
Incl.41.16

Quality Assurance and Control

The Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) was conducted by Technominex, a geological contractor hired by Emperor Metals, which adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines for exploration related activities conducted at its facility in Rouyn Noranda, Quebec. The QA/QC procedures are overseen by a Qualified Person on site.

Emperor Metals QA/QC protocols are maintained through the insertion of certified reference material (standards), blanks and lab duplicates within the sample stream totaling approximately one QA/QC sample per 7 samples. Drill core is cut in-half with a diamond saw, with one-half placed in sealed bags with appropriate tags and shipped to the SGS Sudbury laboratory and the other half retained on site in the original core box. A dispatch list consists of 88 or 176 samples along with their corresponding QA/QC samples for a single batch. This allows complete batches (88 samples) for fire assay. A file for sample tracking records tags used and weights of sample bags shipped to the SGS Lakefield. Shipment is done by Manitoulin Transport and coordination by Technominex staff in Rouyn-Noranda.

The third-party laboratory, SGS prep laboratory in Sudbury Ontario, processes the shipment of samples using standard sample preparation (code PRP91) and produces pulps from the specified samples. The pulps are then sent off to SGS Burnaby for analysis. Chain of custody is maintained from the drill to the submittal into the laboratory preparation facility all the way to analysis at the SGS Burnaby B.C. laboratory.

Analytical testing is performed by SGS laboratories in Burnaby, British Columbia. The entire sample is crushed to 75% passing 2mm, with a split of 500g pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are then analyzed using Au – ore grade 50g Fire Assay, ICP-AES with reporting limits of 0.01 -100 part per million (ppm).

High-grade gold analysis, based on the presence of visible gold or exceptional fire assay results exceeding 100 ppm, is conducted using the screened metallics method by Fire Assay, AAS/ICP/Grav. In this process, a 1000 g sample is pulverized and then screened to a 106-micron size. The entire plus fraction is analyzed to extinction, while two 50 g samples from the minus fraction are also analyzed. The weighted average of these results is reported.

About the Duquesne West Gold Project

The Duquesne West Gold Property is located 32 km northwest of the city of Rouyn-Noranda and 10 km east of the town of Duparquet, Quebec, Canada. The property lies within the historic Duparquet gold mining camp in the southern portion of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in the Superior Province.

Under an Option Agreement, Emperor agreed to acquire a 100% interest in a mineral claim package comprising 38 claims covering approximately 1,389 ha, located in the Duparquet Township of Quebec (the “Duquesne West Property”) from Duparquet Assets Ltd., a 50% owned subsidiary of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (GMX-TSX). For further information on the Duquesne West Property and Option Agreement, see Emperor’s press release dated Oct. 12, 2022, available on SEDAR.The Property hosts a historical inferred mineral resource estimate of 727,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 5.42 g/t Au.[1][2] The mineral resource estimate predates modern Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) guidelines and a Qualified Person on behalf of Emperor has not reviewed or verified the mineral resource estimate, therefore it is considered historical in nature and is reported solely to provide an indication of the magnitude of mineralization that could be present on the property. The gold system remains open for resource identification and expansion.

A reinterpretation of the existing geological model was created using AI and Machine Learning. This model shows the opportunity for additional discovery of ounces by revealing gold trends unknown to previous workers and the potential to expand the resource along significant gold- endowed structural zones.

Multiple scenarios exist to expand additional resources which include:

  1. Underground High-Grade Gold.
  2. Open Pit Bulk Tonnage Gold.
  3. Underground Bulk Tonnage Gold.

QP Disclosure

The technical content for the Duquesne West Project in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person pursuant to CIM guidelines.

About Emperor Metals Inc.

Emperor Metals Inc. is a high-grade gold exploration and development junior mining company focused on Quebec’s Southern Abitibi Greenstone Belt, leveraging AI-driven exploration techniques. The company is dedicated to unlocking the substantial resource potential of the Duquesne West Gold Project and the Lac Pelletier Project (currently under purchase agreement) both situated in this Tier 1 mining district.

The company is led by a dynamic group of resource sector professionals who have a strong record of success in evaluating and advancing mining projects from exploration through to production, attracting capital and overcoming adversity to deliver exceptional shareholder value. For more information, please refer to SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), under the Company’s profile.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

s/ “John Florek”
John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol
President, CEO and Director
Emperor Metals Inc.

Contact

John Florek President/CEO
T: (807) 228-3531
E: johnf@emperormetals.com

Alex Horsley Director
T: (778) 323-3058
E: alexh@emperormetals.com
Website: www.emperormetals.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved the content of this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the company and there is no assurance that the actual results will meet management’s expectations. Forward-Looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as “anticipates,” “believes,” “targets,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “could” or “would.”

Forward-Looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.


1 Watts, Griffis, and McOuat Consulting Geologists and Engineers, Oct. 20, 2011, Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate Update for the Duquesne-Ottoman Property, Quebec, Canada, for XMet Inc.

2 Power-Fardy and Breede, 2011. The Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) constructed in 2011 is considered historical in nature as it was constructed prior to the most recent CIM standards (2014) and guidelines (2019) for mineral resources. In addition, the economic factors used to demonstrate reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction for the MRE have changed since 2011. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to consider the MRE as a current MRE. Emperor is not treating the historical MRE as a current mineral resource. The reader is cautioned not to treat it, or any part of it, as a current mineral resource.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/242222