Tag: Greg Johnson

Categories
Junior Mining Metallic Group Metallic Minerals Precious Metals

Metallic Minerals Announces Completion of Exploration Programs at La Plata Silver-Gold-Copper Project

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 15, 2021 / Metallic Minerals (TSX.V:MMG)(OTCQB:MMNGF) (“Metallic Minerals“, or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the successful completion of 2021 exploration activities at the La Plata silver-gold-copper project in the prolific Colorado Mineral Belt of southwest Colorado. The multi-faceted program included 1,980 meters of diamond drilling, resampling of historical drill core, and underground sampling from the Allard Tunnel, along with surface mapping and sampling across the broader property.

In addition, the Company engaged the team at Goldspot Discoveries (“GoldSpot”) to apply their proprietary Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), machine learning technology and specialized geoscience expertise in porphyry and epithermal systems to the La Plata project. GoldSpot completed their first phase analysis work on geological, geochemical, geophysical, and remote sensing data developing 16 new porphyry and high-grade epithermal priority targets for follow up work and future drilling.

2021 La Plata Exploration Program

The 2021 La Plata project work program was designed to achieve a number of important objectives:

  • Completion of confirmatory drilling and underground sampling within the main Allard porphyry target to confirm historical drill results from Rio Tinto, Freeport and others totaling 14,400 meters (“m”) in 54 drill holes drilled from the 1950s to the 1970s. This confirmatory drilling is an important step towards upgrading of the historical resource to a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate for the project;
  • Conduct surface exploration and follow-up sampling to further define the scale of mineralization along multiple identified trends that comprise multi-kilometer-scale soil and geophysical targets;
  • Undertake field confirmation of deep-penetrating Induced Polarization (“IP”) and airborne electromagnetic (“EM”) geophysical targets developed in the 2020 surveys; and
  • Initiate work with GoldSpot Discoveries to apply AI technology towards definition of priority targets to potentially accelerate the discovery process on the project.

Drilling and resampling of core in the main Allard porphyry system, along with underground sampling from the Allard Tunnel, has confirmed the tenor of copper, silver and gold mineralization from previous exploration on the property. The 3 kilometer (“km”) by 1 km mineralized system remains open to expansion at depth and along trend. This year’s work has also shown significant potential for palladium, platinum and gold associated with the porphyry system. Highlight historical drill intercepts include 395 m grading 0.57% copper equivalent (0.51% Cu, 6.3 g/t Ag, and 0.017 g/t Au) including 108 m grading 0.75% copper equivalent (0.65% Cu, 7.7 g/t Ag and 0.034 g/t Au) in drill hole LP-03 starting from surface. Final assay results for drill samples are pending.

Surface sampling has also expanded the main mineralized zone to 6 km in length and up to 1.5 km in width with anomalous copper, silver and gold in soils and rock samples. In addition, a second 4 km by 1 km target, which may represent a new porphyry and epithermal center, has been identified based on geophysics, remote sensing, and surface sampling with rock sample values in porphyry related mineralization up to 1.1% copper with 0.9 g/t gold and multi-gram silver. Rock samples of epithermal related mineralization included values up to 95 g/t silver and 10 g/t Au.

Metallic Minerals’ CEO and Chairman, Greg Johnson, stated, “We are pleased to have completed our first drill campaign at La Plata, and the first on the project in nearly 50 years, as we apply new thinking to this historic American high-grade silver, gold and copper district. Our work is confirming the potential for a multi-kilometer-scale mineralized porphyry and epithermal system – a much larger system than previously recognized – with excellent potential to expand known mineralization and to make new discoveries. Drilling, underground and surface sampling, geophysics, and satellite based remote sensing data for La Plata demonstrate real potential to become a strategic, US-based sourced of both precious and base metals, including silver necessary for solar power, and copper necessary for carbon-free energy and broader electrification of the global economy. Our 2021 work program has successfully advanced our understanding of the projects potential and is a major step towards the delineation of an inaugural mineral resource estimate. We look forward to providing additional updates including drill results from both our La Plata and Keno projects, as well as updates from our on-going work on the high-grade alluvial projects in the Klondike Gold district.”

About La Plata Silver-Gold-Copper Project

The road accessible La Plata project covers 33 km2 approximately 26 km northwest of Durango, Colorado within the historic high-grade La Plata mining district located at the southwest end of the prolific Colorado Mineral Belt. Mineralization is related to a large-scale precious-metals-rich porphyry copper system with associated high-grade silver and gold epithermal vein and replacement deposits. Historical production from some of these high-grade structures exceeded 1,000 grams per tonne (“g/t”) silver and over 15 g/t gold with some of the richest deposits delivering true bonanza grades for silver and gold1.

The La Plata district has a long and rich history of mining with the first silver deposits discovered in the 1700s by Spanish explorers. High-grade silver and gold production has been documented from the 1870s through the early 1940s from vein structures, replacement bodies and breccia zones at over 90 individual mines and prospects1. From the 1950s to 1970s, major miners including Rio Tinto (Bear Creek) and Freeport-McMoRan (Phelps Dodge) explored in the La Plata district focusing on the significant potential for bulk-tonnage disseminated and stockwork hosted mineralization2. Freeport-McMoRan retained ownership of claims in the district until 2002 when they sold their holdings to the current underlying vendors during the lows of the last metal price cycle.

A total of 56 drill holes totaling 15,200 m has been drilled on the property since the 1950s which confirm the presence of large-scale, multi-phase porphyry system with significant silver, gold and copper. This large-scale mineralized system is associated with a 10 km2 strongly magnetic signature with intense hydrothermal alteration.

Metallic Minerals is the first company to complete significant exploration on the La Plata project in nearly 50 years, applying modern technologies and deposit modeling techniques. The Company sees the potential to rapidly extend the size of the known mineralized system and to identify and expand the higher-grade zones within the broader porphyry and epithermal mineralized zones.

Foot notes: 1) Eckel, USGS Prof Paper 219, Geology and Ore Deposits of the La Plata Mining District, 1949; 2) Bear Creek Mining (now Rio Tinto), Humble Oil (now Exxon) and Phelps Dodge (now Freeport-McMoRan) company reports; 3) Christoffersen, Geological report on the Allard deposit, La Plata Mining District, Durango, Colorado, 2005.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a growth-stage exploration company, focused on high-grade silver and gold projects in underexplored, brownfields mining districts of North America. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to exploration in the Keno Hill silver district, La Plata silver-gold-copper district, and Klondike gold district through new discoveries and advancing resources to development. Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic Keno Hill silver district of Canada’s Yukon Territory, directly adjacent to Alexco Resource Corp’s operations, with nearly 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past-production and current M&I resources. In addition, exploration at the recently acquired La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado is targeting a silver and gold-enriched copper porphyry and adjacent high-grade silver and gold epithermal systems. The Company also continues to add new production royalty leases on its holdings in the Klondike gold district in the Yukon. All three districts have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise.

About the Metallic Group of Companies

The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry’s highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium, and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon’s high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Group Ten Metals in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana, and Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon’s Minto copper district. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry’s leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. The Metallic Group is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and its member companies are listed on the Toronto Venture, US OTC, and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Website: mmgsilver.com
Phone: 604-629-7800
Email: cackerman@mmgsilver.com
Toll Free: 1-888-570-4420

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding exploration projects on Metallic Minerals’ mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Jeff Cary, P.Geo., who is Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”).

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, and future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

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

SOURCE: Metallic Minerals Corp.



View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/677761/Metallic-Minerals-Announces-Completion-of-Exploration-Programs-at-La-Plata-Silver-Gold-Copper-Project

Categories
Base Metals Energy Junior Mining Precious Metals Stillwater Critical Minerals

Group Ten Metals Signs Definitive Agreement with Heritage Mining on the Black Lake-Drayton Gold Project in Ontario, Canada

November 29, 2021 – Vancouver, BC – Group Ten Metals Inc. (TSX.V: PGE | OTCQB: PGEZF; FSE: 5D32) (the “Company” or “>Group Ten”) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Definitive Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Heritage Mining Ltd. (“Heritage”) per the binding Letter of Intent (the “LOI”) announced August 26, 2021. By the terms of the Agreement, and subject to the earn-in requirements specified therein, Heritage can acquire up to a 90% interest in Group Ten’s Black Lake-Drayton gold project (the “Property”) in Ontario, Canada.

Group Ten also announces that it has initiated the exploration program required by the Agreement, with a focus on advancing and refining existing targets identified in past campaigns, as well as advancing new targets. To this end, the 2021 program includes re-sampling of core from 1996-2002 drill campaigns programs at the Moretti, Dragfold, and Bonanza targets, focused prospecting in areas of interest identified by the 2017 geophysical modelling and interpretation report, and a basal till sampling program intended to expand upon successful 2018 and 2020 programs.

Group Ten President and CEO, Michael Rowley stated, “We are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the first in what we expect will ultimately become a series of deals whereby Group Ten begins to realize value for our non-core assets. Black Lake-Drayton, like our Kluane Ni-Cu-PGE project, is a high-quality brownfields project that is district-scale in size and 100%-owned by the Company. The Agreement with Heritage Mining provides Group Ten with significant exposure to the gold market while allowing us to focus on our 100%-owned Stillwater West project in Montana, where we see terrific potential to expand our recent inaugural resource estimates of first-world nickel, copper, palladium, platinum, rhodium, gold and cobalt. Core from 2021 resource expansion drilling at Stillwater West is progressing through the assay lab and we look forward to a series of news releases announcing results starting in the coming weeks, as well as updates on other initiatives including our work in carbon sequestration.”

Heritage Mining’s CEO, Peter Schloo stated, “It is rare that a project of this size and quality becomes available, and we appreciate Group Ten’s faith in our ability to add significant shareholder value in a timely manner. We are very excited about the Black Lake-Drayton project and look forward to developing the property in a systematic manner. This is a pivotal point in Heritage Mining’s path, and we look forward to the future. We anticipate a go-public listing shortly, pending market conditions.”

Upcoming Events

Live Webinar – Amvest Capital

Group Ten Metals President and CEO, Michael Rowley, will provide an overview and update on the Company and our flagship Stillwater West battery metals and platinum group elements project during a live webinar event hosted by Amvest Capital on Monday, November 29th at 13:05 PT / 16:05 ET. To register, click here.

Virtual Investor Conference – OTC Markets Group

Group Ten has been invited to present at the upcoming Mining & Metals Virtual Investor Conference hosted by OTC Markets Group on Wednesday, December 8th at 12:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM ET. Topics of discussion will include the Company’s recently announced NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate, the 2021 expansion drill campaign, and upcoming, near-term catalysts. To register, click here.

Terms of the Heritage Mining Definitive Agreement

Under the terms of the Agreement, Heritage may acquire a 90% undivided interest in the Property by making payments totaling 7.2 million shares and CAD $300,000 in cash to Group Ten, completing exploration and development work totaling CAD $5 million on the Property, granting Group Ten a 10% carried interest in the Property through completion of a feasibility study, and completing other requirements including potential success-based discovery payments, as detailed below:

  • Heritage shall issue 2,800,000 shares to Group Ten within ten (10) business days of obtaining a public listing on a specified exchange.
  • Heritage may earn a 51% interest (the “First Option”) in the Property by completing the following on or before the third anniversary of the “Agreement:
    • Issuing an additional 3.3 million shares to Group Ten;
    • Completing cash payments totaling CAD $300,000; and
    • Completing exploration work totaling CAD $2.5 million.
  • Upon completion of the First Option, Heritage may earn an additional 39% ownership interest in the Property (the “Second Option”) for a cumulative 90% interest by completion of the following on or before the fourth anniversary of the Agreement:
    • Issuing an additional 1.1 million shares to Group Ten; and
    • Completing additional exploration work totaling CAD $2.5 million.

In addition, the LOI provides the following:

  • A discovery payment of $1.00 per ounce of gold or gold equivalent shall be made on mineral resource estimates as filed from time-to-time on the Property and shall, in Heritage’s discretion, be paid in cash or shares (or a combination thereof), capped at a maximum of $10 million.
  • Upon completion of the Second Option, Group Ten will retain a 10% free carried interest in the Project, with Heritage being responsible for all Property costs until completion by Heritage of a positive feasibility study supported by a technical report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 on the Property (the “FS”).
  • The Agreement provides for the formation of a Joint Venture (“JV”) based on the then legal and beneficial ownership levels in the Property following completion of the FS. A JV may also be formed in the event Heritage does not complete the requirements of the Second Option.
  • Heritage will be required to maintain minimum exploration and development expenditures of CAD $500,000 per annum until the completion of the FS in order to maintain status as operator of the JV. Group Ten maintains certain back-in rights in the event Heritage does not meet minimum expenditure requirements.
  • Group Ten is required to complete CAD $300,000 of exploration work on the Property within the first year of the Agreement.

Black Lake – Drayton Gold Project Overview

The 100%-owned Black Lake–Drayton project consists of 137 square kilometers in the Abrams‐Minnitaki Lake Archean greenstone belt, along the northern margin of the Wabigoon sub-province in Ontario, Canada. The Property has significant exploration potential with demonstrated high-grade gold in drill results and bulk samples across more than 30 kilometers of underexplored strike in a geologic setting that is shared with Treasury Metals’ development-stage Goliath Gold Complex project in a highly active gold belt that also hosts Rainy River’s New Gold mine and other deposits. The geological models and exploration methods that have successfully proven up over 14 million ounces of gold at Treasury, New Gold, and other projects in the region since the 1990s have yet to be systematically applied at Black Lake – Drayton. Access and infrastructure are excellent on the Property, which features direct road access, and proximity to rail and power.

About Heritage Mining

Heritage Mining Ltd. is a private, well-capitalized company focused on acquiring Tier-1, advanced stage precious and base metal exploration projects and/or the junior/micro-producer project stage. Heritage’s board and management Team have a proven track record of shareholder value creation with over 100 years of combined experience in the mining and exploration sector. For more information, visit the Heritage Mining website.

About Group Ten Metals Inc.

Group Ten Metals Inc. is a TSX-V-listed Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the development of high-quality platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, cobalt, and gold exploration assets in top North American mining jurisdictions. The Company is focused on its 100%-owned, flagship Stillwater West battery metals and platinum group elements project in Montana, USA, adjacent to the high-grade PGE mines operated by Sibanye-Stillwater. In October 2021, the Company announced its inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate, with an update expected in Q1 2022 subject to results from an expansion drill campaign in 2021 from which assays are pending.

Group Ten also holds two additional district-scale brownfields assets including the high-grade Black Lake-Drayton Gold project adjacent to Treasury Metals’ development-stage Goliath Gold Complex in northwest Ontario (now subject to an earn-in by Heritage Mining), and the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu-Co project on trend with Nickel Creek Platinum‘s Wellgreen deposit in Canada‘s Yukon Territory.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Michael Rowley, President, CEO & Director
Email: info@grouptenmetals.com             Phone: (604) 357 4790
Web: http://grouptenmetals.com             Toll Free: (888) 432 0075

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding the execution of a definitive agreement, the completion of the proposed transaction and the receipt of any cash or share payments therefrom, future exploration and development expenditures, the sale of non-core assets, potential mineralization, the realization of mineral resource estimates, the timing and success of exploration activities generally or the completion of a feasibility study, the timing and results of future resource estimates, future driling activities, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Group Ten believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals (including board and stock exchange approvals), the failure to negotiate and execute the Agreement on the terms currently contemplated or at all, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Group Ten and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

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

Categories
Base Metals Energy Exclusive Interviews Junior Mining Metallic Group Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals – Advancing the Ultra High-Grade Keno Silver Project in Canada

Maurice:

Joining us for a conversation is Greg Johnson, the CEO of Metallic Minerals. It’s a great time to be speaking with you as Metallic Minerals has some exciting news for shareholders. Before we begin, Mr. Johnson, please introduce us to Metallic Minerals and the opportunity the company presents to shareholders.

Greg Johnson:

Metallic Minerals is a silver-focused, exploration development stage company. The flagship asset is in the Keno silver district, one of the world’s highest-grade producing silver districts. A second asset in the high-grade silver-gold La Plata district, and our last asset, which is our Klondike alluvial gold project. We are headed up by a group of experienced explorer developers with a track record of successful discovery and project advancement.

Maurice:

Mr. Johnson, Metallic Minerals has some great news to provide shareholders on three fronts. First on the flagship Keno silver project, as well as updates from the La Plata and the Klondike alluvial projects. Beginning in the Yukon, sir, take us onsite to the high-grade Keno silver project, which has just announced the completion of what was the most expansive exploration program to date. First off, congratulations, sir.

Greg Johnson:

The Keno silver project is our flagship. We’re a couple of years into the acquisitions and initial development of the targets, and this was one of our biggest programs to date in 2021.

Maurice:

Mr. Johnson, the Keno silver project has three main areas within the west, central, and eastern parts of the high-grade silver producing district. Beginning at the central Keno, Mr. Johnson, walk us through the 2021 exploration program, which is a multiphase program of RC and diamond core drilling. What is Metallic Minerals looking for and what are you seeing?

Greg Johnson:

Allow me to me set the stage here. The district itself is about 35 kilometers wide, and we break it into three sectors or target areas, as you said, the west, central, and eastern parts. And each one of them is about 10 to 12 kilometers long. It’s a really big area, and we see the continuity of similar styles of mineralization from one side of the district to the other. Most of the production historically has been on that western half of the district where we’ve seen over 300 million ounces of past production plus current resources. And it’s one of the world’s highest grade 43-101 resources.

Greg Johnson:

Starting in the central part of the district this year, we kicked off a program looking at our advanced target areas. This is specifically in the Caribou and Homestake areas where we targeted stepping out along the already defined structures there, where we’ve hit ore grades over minable widths. We’re stepping out, we’re building tonnage. The drilling indicates that we’ve had some really good successful hits there, some big step by outs that we’re waiting to see results come back from the assay lab, but we’re quite pleased with the ability to be able to extend those advanced stage targets in the central part district.

Maurice:

Moving on to the west Keno, what can you share with us?

Greg Johnson:

So west Keno is focused in that area of significant historic production. This is nearby Alexco, who’s going back, has just recently gone back into production, and where they’ve got several major discoveries. So our targets there, west Keno, are right on these known very high-production areas. The Formo, Silver Queen are the two main targets here. Core drilling, to again step out along areas of known mineralization that have already been intercepted and being able to continue to build on those towards a first mineral resource, both central and the western parts of the district for Metallic Minerals.

Maurice:

Let’s move on to the emerging heavyweight, which is the east Keno, where it appears to have both the Keno style mineralization of ultra high-grade veins and bulk tonnage silver mineralization, which is now new in the district. To set the stage on this unique value proposition, in 2020 Metallic Minerals previously released significant bulk tonnage style intercepts on the east Keno. Do you mind sharing those numbers with us and how it fits in with your neighbor, Alexco, which has recently gone into full production?

Greg Johnson:

Yeah, this is pretty exciting. Metallic Minerals came into the district recognizing that you’ve got all this production on the western half of the district. The geology doesn’t stop at the claim boundary. It continues onto our ground, the same geologic setting. We started to collect samples, geophysics, and soils, and rocks, and mapping and started putting this together. Last year we’d identified 12 separate multi-kilometer-scale targets. These are big targets, both soil anomalies, and geophysical anomalies. And we put the first reconnaissance holes in 2020. We hit in 26 out of 30 holes. That’s an amazing track record for a first-phase reconnaissance drill program.  A big part of this year’s program was coming back in and starting to step off from those hits last year, moving laterally, moving down dip, and we’re starting to put together an understanding of the scale of mineralization in this area.

Greg Johnson:

We also drilled the first core holes in this area this year. Deeper holes targeted at both geophysics and offsetting the reverse circulation drilling. So we’re pretty excited about what’s coming together here. The significance of what we’re seeing in the east is that not only are we seeing classic high-grade Keno style veins, which is what Alexco and most of the historic production has been based on, but we’re seeing zones up to a hundred meters or more of continuous disseminated silver mineralization. And this holds out the potential for bulk tonnage for something that could be much larger than anything that’s been seen in the district before.

Maurice:

Now along with the drilling, Metallic Minerals also completed an extensive Induced Polarization survey, and I noticed in the latest press release that Metallic Minerals made the following reference about six times: “Regional thrust vaults and associated epithermal style mineralization”. Now, as a shareholder, I’m keen to find out more. Any nuggets that you can share with us regarding the IP survey?

Greg Johnson:

Yeah, so this is an example of our effort to try to take a known productive district to extrapolate into the areas that have been less explored, and then to bring in new exploration targets, target types, models, and new modern exploration techniques. This is the first time we’ve ever applied what’s called induced polarization geophysics. This is where you put a charge in the ground, these were multi-kilometer-long lines, they allow you to sense as deep as 800 or a 1,000 meters from the surface, and this allows us to be able to start to map the subsurface even before we start drilling.

Greg Johnson:

And what’s exciting about this, is that that work over the east Keno targets was demonstrating that we’re getting conductors in the subsurface rocks that are correlating spatially with these big soil and magnetic features. The significant reason is if we’re hitting silver mineralization in the shallow drilling, and we’ve got a geophysical target that continues to 800 meters or more, and we’ve got multiple targets in the kilometric scale, it’s starting to suggest we’ve got a very strong plumbing system and that this could be a target that could really have the scale to it and potentially build this out to something significant.

Maurice:

Now that the exploration is complete this year at the Keno silver project, when can we expect to see results, and what determines success?

Greg Johnson:

We started in the central part of the district, that’ll be the first area that we’ll start to see numbers. Then on the Eastern side of the district with both RC and Diamon Core. And then last we wrapped up with the western part of the district with core drilling. We’re right now finalizing our interpretation on the IPE geophysics, so that’ll be integrated, and I could see us seeing numbers starting here really any time and continuing early into the new year. It’s going to be an exciting period. We’re starting to see a turnaround in the market and the interest over in gold, again, after more than a year of corrupt consolidation and correction. So this will be a great time in terms of catalyst from the news coming from the Keno silver project.

Maurice:

Let’s move south to Colorado, to the La Plata silver gold-copper project, where the season is just about wrapped up, and this is an emerging asset for Metallic Minerals. It has all the merits and hallmarks of a flagship project in its own right. Now Metallic Minerals just completed its first drilling in decades on the La Plata to bring up the La Plata up to NI 43-101 standards. It’s a project that was recognized and worked on by some of the majors in the past. Please tell us a bit about the project and the 2021 program and when we might expect to see results.

Greg Johnson:

I’m excited about the La Plata Project. This was an opportunity that came in through our network. It’s a project area that, very similar to Keno Hill, had a history of high-grade silver and gold production from these high-grade veins, much like Keno. Located in the Southwestern part of the US, in Southwestern Colorado. That mining on the high-grade veins occurred from the 1800s to the 1940s. Then after World War II, we didn’t see the small miners come back, but we saw first Rio Tinto’s exploration group come into the district, recognizing that not only was there this high-grade production and occurrences, but that there was potential for bulk tonnage silver, gold, and copper. And they drilled several holes that really started to define that there was a porphyry system that sent in the center of this epithermal vein district.

Greg Johnson:

Following on that work, we had Phelps Dodge, which is now Freeport McMoRan coming to the district, and they continued to drill through the early 70s. And then Phelps Dodge sat on the project until 2002. The low in the last commodity price cycle, the group that we opted it from has held it for over 20 years. We’re the first to have an opportunity to take a look at this exciting project. We’re taking a very holistic approach. We’re going to be focused on both the bulk tonnage part of the system that’s related to these porphyries, as well as the high-grade silver and gold component. We’re bringing all the layers of modern geology and techniques for exploration to the table.

Greg Johnson:

This year’s program was focused on continuing to collect geophysics and soils and a very first confirmatory drilling and sampling that’s been done on the project in decades. We are just wrapping up that program now. I would expect to see results starting to come out fairly soon to move this quite rapidly to take the historic resource on the project and advance it with sufficient work to a modern 43-101. Again, this is going to be a project that’s going to have a series of news events in the relatively near future that are quite significant in advancing that into 2022.

Maurice:

Finally, let’s discuss the big year that Metallic Minerals has had on the Klondike alluvial gold royalty portfolio.

Greg Johnson:

This is an interesting one. It’s not the main focus of the company, but we had an opportunity a couple of years ago to pick up a portfolio of unmined Klondike alluvial ground. This is upstream from some of the biggest open-pit operations in the Klondike, in the Yukon, that produce over 50% of the Yukon’s gold from those mines each year. We’ve invited experienced operators on the ground. We’ve got three license areas currently that is fully permitted for production, two operators that have done significant work drilling, bulk sample testing. They are rapidly advancing this towards first production, and Metallic Minerals would take a production royalty. Anywhere from a 10% to a 15% royalty, depending on the stage of those license areas. We’re excited to see this advancement over this year’s work, and we’re anticipating very high potential that we’ll see these move into first production in 2022 for next season, and that’ll move to cash flow for Metallic Minerals on those properties.

Maurice:

Leaving the property bank, let’s look at some numbers. Sir, please provide the capital structure for Metallic Minerals.

Greg Johnson:

Metallic Minerals has about 136 million shares out, roughly a $65 million market cap. So we’re now out of that micro-cap area where we’re starting to get attention from some of the big investors. We’re well funded well into 2022 with the current treasury. We have no debt, so we’re in great shape to have been able to have an aggressive program on all three projects this year and moving into next year to continue our business model, which is one to define resources, grow resources, and advance those and de-risk them, creating value along the way. Very similar to what the team did with Novagold in the last metal price cycle.

Maurice:

Speaking of big investors, you have a great shareholder list. Could you comment on that, and the recent ownership by Eric Sprott?

Greg Johnson:

Yeah, we’re in this period now where the company is moving from a very early stage, exploration stage, to resource stage. And with that, we’re seeing interest from some of the bigger investors. We’ve got US Global, we’ve got Crescat, we’ve got OTP Funds. These are all specialist funds that understand this part of the business for mining exploration and have taken significant stakes. In addition, Eric Sprott is our largest individual shareholder. He’s one of the largest holders in Novagold as well, so we’re really happy to have him in as an investor. And he just increased his ownership by exercising all of his warrants in the company, bringing in over CAD $1.5 million dollars.  We’re pleased with that continued support from Eric. He is very bullish long-term on silver, and his investment in the company was focused on our exposure to silver in the Keno silver district, and a potential upside from our other assets.

Maurice:

Now I’m no Eric Sprott, but I am proud to share that I did exercise my warrants as well.

Greg Johnson:

I believe all those that participated in the financing exercised their warrants as well. Metallic Minerals is pleased to see that continued support from shareholders, and I’m pleased to see the market starting to come back alive for silver and gold. It’s been a bit of a painful 14 month plus period here with the market last peaking back in August of 2020. But I think we’ve turned the corner, and I’m quite bullish that we’ve put this consolidation behind us. It’s a great time for investors to be looking at high-quality names and silver in particular. And I think we’ve got real promise with a strong fundamental backing for Metallic Minerals in terms of the work we’re going to be undertaking to create value, and I think with our leverage to silver, gold, and potentially to copper as well here shortly.

Maurice:

I was going to ask you if you have any comments for shareholders, but I think that may just suffice. How about this, sir, any question that I forgot to ask you today, sir?

Greg Johnson:

No, I think we covered the gamut here, Maurice. It was great to be able to speak with you. I think that it’s an exciting time for investors and for those who are new to Metallic Minerals, we would invite people to contact us through our website.

Maurice:

Please share that website for Metallic Minerals.

Greg Johnson:

The website is MMGsilver.com.  

Maurice:

sir. Mr. Johnson, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Wishing you and Metallic Minerals the absolute best, sir.

Before you make your next bullion purchase, contact me at 855.505.1900 or email maurice@milesfranklin.com. I’m a licensed representative for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, where we provide a number of options to expand your precious metals portfolio from physical delivery to offshore depositories and precious metal IRAs. Finally, we invite you to subscribe to www.ProvenandProbable.com, where we provide Mining Insights and Bullion Sales.

The information presented on Proven and Probable is provided for educational and informational purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial investment or trading advice, or any other advice. You should not make any financial investment or trading decision based on any of the information presented without first undertaking independent due diligence and consultation with a professional broker or competent financial advisor.

Categories
Junior Mining Metallic Group Metallic Minerals Precious Metals

Metallic Minerals Announces Completion of Exploration Programs at Keno Silver Project and $1.56 Million Warrant Exercise by Resource Investor Eric Sprott

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 22, 2021 / Metallic Minerals (TSX.V:MMG | OTCQB:MMNGF) (“Metallic Minerals“, or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its 2021 exploration programs at the Company’s 100%-owned Keno Silver project, adjoining Alexco Resource’s high-grade silver mines in the Keno Hill silver district of Yukon, Canada. The multi-phase program consisted of Reverse Circulation (“RC”) and diamond core drilling, Induced Polarization (“IP”) geophysics, surface sampling, and district-wide stratigraphic and structural mapping across the 35-kilometer-wide district. The program, which began in June, was the Company’s most extensive exploration campaign on the project to date, with 53 holes totalling nearly 6,200 meters (“m”) along with 20.3 line-kilometers of deep-penetrating IP geophysical surveys.

The 2021 Keno Silver work program was designed to achieve a number of important objectives:

  • Expand the extent of drill-defined mineralization at the advanced target areas in the central and western parts of the Keno Hill silver district, namely Caribou, Homestake, and Formo towards initial resource estimates;
  • Conduct follow-up drilling at the new discovery areas identified at East Keno in 2020 in order to begin to define the scale of mineralization along trend and to depth within these multi-kilometer-scale soil and geophysical targets;
  • Complete first-pass reconnaissance drilling on additional untested multi-kilometer-scale targets in the eastern and central parts of the district; and
  • Use new deep-penetrating IP geophysics, in conjunction with detailed surface mapping, to more accurately determine the potential scale of these newly identified mineralized systems.

Metallic Minerals’ 166 square kilometer Keno Silver project is the second-largest land position in one of the world’s highest-grade silver districts, directly adjoining the operations of Alexco Resource Corp. The Keno Hill silver district has nearly 300 million ounces of silver in past production1 and current M&I resources2, with excellent existing infrastructure, including grid power, road access and nearby community services. The restart of mining operations at Keno Hill was the third mining operation to start producing in the Yukon Territory over the past two years.https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-10-0/html/r-sf-flx.html

Greg Johnson, Chairman and CEO, stated: “We are very pleased with what we were able to achieve from the largest program to date at our flagship Keno Silver project. Our team made significant progress at the advanced-stage target areas in Central and West Keno and completed ground-breaking work that significantly enhanced our understanding of the geologic controls related to the new discovery areas at East Keno. The combination of the new insight that has come from the recognition of the much greater importance of regional-scale thrust faults with epithermal style silver mineralization and the very compelling data from the deep-sensing IP survey demonstrates that we have a highly effective tool kit for exploration in the under-explored parts of this prolific, high-grade silver district.”

“After an extraordinarily active period for the Company, the 2021 field season, which included significant campaigns on three separate projects, has concluded at our flagship Keno Silver Project, and will soon be wrapping up at our La Plata silver-gold-copper and Klondike alluvial gold projects. Significant and substantive news flow is expected to follow, including IP and drill results from Keno Silver, drill results from La Plata and updates with respect to activity on our holdings in the Klondike goldfields. In addition, we are seeing a recognition in the marketplace of the importance of our metals of focus as important for the transition towards non-carbon-based energy and as hard-asset stores of value and natural inflation hedges.”

“We would also like to acknowledge that Mr. Eric Sprott has exercised all of his Metallic Minerals common share purchase warrants from the Company’s October 2019 private placement financing for total proceeds to the Company of $1,562,500 CDN. Following the completion of the warrants exercise, Mr. Sprott (through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him) holds and controls 21.5 million shares, representing over 16% of the issued and outstanding shares on a non-diluted basis. We appreciate the continued support of Mr. Sprott, our largest shareholder, and this recent warrant exercise will aid the continued advancement of our exciting projects.”

2021 Exploration Program Overview

The 2021 Keno Silver drill program was designed to follow up on the successes of the 2020 program by building on the discoveries at East Keno and continuing to expand drill-defined mineralization at advanced-stage targets in the central and western parts of the Keno Hill silver district. In 2020, RC drilling intercepted significant silver mineralization in 26 of 30 reconnaissance holes, which effectively expanded the known extent of drill-defined mineralization by 10 kilometers to the east and demonstrated the potential for major new discoveries in this underexplored part of the district.

Drilling in 2021 was comprised of a two-phase program, beginning with a first phase of RC drilling focused on reconnaissance drilling of untested soil and geophysical targets, along with follow-up drilling along strike and down dip on the new East Keno discoveries. The phase one program included 4,300 m of RC drilling in 45 holes focused on the East Keno and Central Keno target areas. This was followed by a second phase of deeper diamond core drilling program totalling 1,900 m in 8 holes in the East Keno and West Keno target areas.

In addition to the focused drill program, Metallic Minerals undertook a comprehensive effort to expand the coverage of its detailed geologic and geophysical data coverage, particularly over the less-explored eastern half of the Keno Hill silver district where the Company has identified 12 separate multi-kilometer-long high-level soil and magnetic anomalies. This effort included district-wide stratigraphic and structural mapping focused in these important target areas for exploration and led to the identification of previously unrecognized regional scale thrust fault structures and associated styles of epithermal mineralization which have major implications for bulk tonnage potential that has not been previously investigated in the Keno Hill silver district.

In conjunction with the detailed geologic mapping program, Metallic Minerals completed the first-ever application of deep-sensing IP geophysics using Simcoe Geoscience’s Alpha IPTM system. This system has been used with great success on other Metallic Group projects and has the capability to image down to more than 800 meters depth from surface. Five separate multi-kilometer IP profiles were collected over the discovery areas at East Keno, as well as other targets in the central part of the Keno district, covering significant soil and magnetic anomalies. The 2021 survey was successful in identifying major conductive features that are spatially associated with areas with kilometer-scale soil and magnetic anomalies and with newly mapped regional thrust faults. The surveys yielded 35 high-priority targets that will be investigated in the upcoming 2022 program. Additional review and interpretation of this data is underway and a detailed discussion of the IP survey results, including relevant structure images, is expected in a subsequent news release.

The following provides a snapshot of the activities completed at each of the major target areas on the Keno Silver project and are presented in the order that assay results are anticipated to be received and reported:

Central Keno

Drilling activity in 2021 began in the Central Keno target area, which covers the central 12 km of the 35 km wide Keno Hill silver district and includes 90 million ounces of past production1 and current M&I resources2 from 8 separate deposits, including the namesake Keno Hill mine. A total of 37 RC holes were completed in the Central Keno target area which focused on expansion of drill defined mineralization at the advanced stage Caribou and Homestake targets, along with step-out drilling along trend and within several newly identified soil anomalies that remain open along trend from historically drilled areas. Two deep IP lines were also completed across the area which identified significant conductive features that spatially correspond with regional scale thrust fault structures and associated epithermal style silver mineralization.

Assay results remain pending, and additional drilling is already planned at Caribou and Homestake in 2022 to advance both areas towards an initial resource estimate.

East Keno

Drilling in the East Keno target area included 12 RC and diamond core holes and focused on step-out drilling along trend and down-dip of the discovery zones intersected in 2020 at Fox, Zone 2 and UKHM, in addition to reconnaissance drilling at the previously untested North Fox and West Cobalt targets. Metallic Minerals’ drilling at East Keno has confirmed the presence of significant high-grade and bulk tonnage silver mineralization in this underexplored part of the Keno Hill silver district.

Two 6-kilometer-long IP lines were completed over East Keno with one survey over the greater Fox target area (Fox to UKHM) and a second over the West Cobalt to Cobalt target area. The IP lines identify a number of major conductive anomalies that are open to depth and that spatially overlap with multi-kilometer soil anomalies, mapped regional scale thrust structures and epithermal style mineralization.

Drilling at East Keno in 2021 has confirmed the presence of significant structural zones with epithermal style mineralization with continuous structural zones exceeding 100 meters in thickness that correspond spatially with conductive anomalies in the IP geophysics. Follow-up 3D modelling will be completed on the 2020 and 2021 drilling at East Keno to better determine the geometries of this major new discovery area and to vector towards areas with the highest silver grades and thickness. Assay results remain pending.

West Keno

In April, the Company announced the first results from modern drilling at the advanced-stage Formo target, where diamond drill holes intercepted very high-grade Keno-style silver mineralization, which remains open to expansion in all directions. Formo is the site of an historical high-grade open-pit mine that saw production from the 1920s and 30s. Metallic Minerals drilled four additional diamond core drill holes this fall at Formo to test the extension of drill-defined high-grade mineralization along strike and down dip. Two new targets have been also identified along the same structural corridor within parallel greenstone sills and will be the target of drilling in 2022. Assay results remain pending, and additional drilling is planned at Formo in 2022 to advance this area towards an initial resource estimate.

Detailed mapping at the Silver Queen target has demonstrated a close relationship between regional thrust faults and epithermal-style silver mineralization at West Keno. The adjacent Silver King deposit, which was one of the highest-grade mines in the Keno Hill silver district, is also dominantly epithermal-style mineralization. These findings will be incorporated into new modelling and drill targets for West Keno in 2022.

About the Keno Silver Project

Exploration by Metallic Minerals at the Keno Silver project continues to systematically build on the Company’s 3D geologic database covering the east, central and western portions of the prolific Keno Hill silver district. The project includes eight high-grade, shallow past-producing mines that have yet to be subjected to modern exploration due to previously unconsolidated land ownership. Along the known, historically productive trends in the central and western parts of the district, the Company has advanced three targets to step-out drilling stage and several additional targets to drill-ready status. In addition, recent exploration has defined 12 new priority multi-kilometer-scale early-stage targets for reconnaissance drilling in the under-explored eastern and southern parts of the district where initial drilling has returned significant high-grade Keno-style mineralization as well as identified the potential for bulk-tonnage style silver mineralization.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a growth-stage exploration company, focused on high-grade silver and gold projects in underexplored, brownfields mining districts of North America. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to exploration in the Keno Hill silver district, La Plata silver-gold-copper district, and Klondike gold district through new discoveries and advancing resources to development. Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic Keno Hill silver district of Canada’s Yukon Territory, directly adjacent to Alexco Resource Corp’s operations, with nearly 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past production and current M&I resources. In addition, exploration at the recently acquired La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado is targeting a silver and gold-enriched copper porphyry and adjacent high-grade silver and gold epithermal systems. The Company also continues to add new production royalty leases on its holdings in the Klondike gold district in the Yukon. All three districts have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise.

About the Metallic Group of Companies

The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry’s highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium, and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon’s high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Group Ten Metals in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana, and Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon’s Minto copper district. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry’s leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. The Metallic Group is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and its member companies are listed on the Toronto Venture, US OTC, and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Phone: 604-629-7800
Toll-Free: 1-888-570-4420
Website: mmgsilver.com
Email: cackerman@mmgsilver.com

Footnotes

1) Cathro, R. J., Great Mining Camps of Canada 1. The History and Geology of the Keno Hill Silver Camp, Yukon Territory. Geoscience Canada, Sept. 2006. ISSN 1911-4850. 2) Alexco Resource Corp Technical Report, titled “NI 43-101 Technical Report on Updated Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimate of the Keno Hill Silver District” with an effective date of April 1, 2021 and issue date of May 26, 2021.

References to adjoining properties are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the exploration potential, extent or nature of mineralization or potential future results of the Company’s projects.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding exploration projects on Metallic Minerals’ mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Scott Petsel, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration, who is Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”).

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting timelines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

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

SOURCE: Metallic Minerals Corp.

Categories
Base Metals Energy Granite Creek Copper Junior Mining

Granite Creek Copper Holds $2.5 Billion Worth of Copper

Bob Moriarty
Archives
Nov 4, 2021

Granite Creek Copper (GCX-V) has 100% ownership of a 176 square km copper/gold/silver property named the Carmacks project located in the Minto Copper Belt in the Yukon. The high-grade copper project is on trend with the Minto copper mine. We shall see why that is very important to the future of the company shortly.

The project had completed a 43-101 in 2018 showing an M&I resource of 23.76 MT of 0.85% Cu, 0.31 g/t Au and 3.41 g/t Ag. A 12,000-meter drill program has been completed in 2021 directed at expanding the resource and converting inferred sulphides material to M&I. An updated 43-101 is expected in early 2022 based on results from the 2021 program. In addition there will be an updated PEA in the first half of 2022 to include both oxide and sulphide material.

At today’s price of copper, that 43-101 resource is worth $104.26/tonne in the ground. Naturally copper going any higher will make this project far more desirable. As we see from the ongoing COP26 conference there seems to be a general agreement that the world needs to reduce its carbon footprint by using more “Green Energy.”

Well, Green Energy requires enormous quantities of copper, lithium and graphite, far more than today. The world is short of copper now and is going to run even shorter. Prices will have to go up. Granite Creek Copper is in the catbird’s seat ready to move to production.

As I mentioned above Minto Exploration is important to GCX for several reasons. Minto is about to build a mill and is in the process of going public imminently. Minto has only three years reserves at presently planned production. In their financing pitch deck they clearly refer to GCX with references to potential M&A activities within the Minto Copper Belt. Guess whom they are talking about?

A week ago Granite Creek released the final results from the Phase 1 of three different phases. The Phase 1 program was designed to add sulfide tonnage to the existing oxide resource. It consisted of 19 diamond core drill holes and totaled 6355 meters. Results from the Phase 2 and Phase 3 programs are still in the lab. Phase 2 did 20 RC holes and about 3000 meters in total. Phase 3 was using the diamond core rig again and did about 2700 meters.

Granite Creek is a really easy call. As of today the company has a $22 million market cap with $1 million in cash and $500,000 in callable warrants. In addition there are a bunch of $.15 warrants expiring in January 2022 so the company is well cashed up.

I’m not a big expert on copper but Granite Creek has to be one of the lowest market cap copper stories with a real asset. When Minto goes public and goes into production, I am certain they will pay attention.

Granite Creek is an advertiser. I have participated in the last private placement so naturally I am biased. Do your own due diligence.

Granite Creek Copper
GCX-V $.18 (Nov 02, 2021)

GCXXF-OTCQB 121 million shares

Granite Creek website

###

Bob Moriarty
President: 321gold
Archives

321gold Ltd

Categories
Base Metals Energy Exclusive Interviews Junior Mining Metallic Group Precious Metals Stillwater Critical Minerals

Group Ten Metals – Maiden 43-101 Nickel-PGE Resource Update

Maurice:

Joining us for a conversation is Michael Rowley, the CEO of Group Ten Metals. Glad to be speaking with you today, as you have a big announcement for shareholders regarding the Black Lake–Drayton gold project. Before we begin, Mr. Rowley, please introduce us to Group Ten Metals and the opportunity the company presents to shareholders.

Michael Rowley:

Group Ten is focused on advancing our Stillwater West project as a premier source of low-carbon ‘green metals’ in Montana’s Stillwater district, beside Sibanye-Stillwater’s mine complex. Within the next few weeks, we expect to debut our maiden resource estimates of nickel, copper, palladium, platinum, rhodium, gold and cobalt, on that project which we expect will compare favorably with our peers and position us for growth based on this years drill campaign.

Along with owning half of the iconic Stillwater district in Montana, Group Ten also has two other district-scale land positions, the Black Lake Drayton gold project in Ontario that you mentioned a minute ago, and the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu-Co project in the Yukon.  All three of these are big brownfield land positions in great districts, and they are 100% owned by Group Ten because we were acquiring them strategically during the bear market when great assets were available inexpensively. We are focused more than ever on Stillwater, and with that our non-core assets are effectively up for sale or spin-out in the first in a series in that regard.

Maurice:

Well, let’s begin today in Ontario is Group Ten Metals has just announced (Press Release) a letter of intent with Heritage Mining on the sale of the Black Lake–Drayton gold project. Congratulations, sir.

Michael Rowley:

Thank you, we are excited about the potential we see there.  Heritage Mining is a new listing with an excellent team, and they are well equipped to focus on Black Lake and give it the attention it deserves while granting excellent exposure to that success.

Black Lake is a rare asset that is hard to find in this current, improving market with increasing activity in junior exploration.  It checks all the boxes.  It is a big land position that shares an emerging district with a 3Moz development-stage high-grade gold project, yet is underexplored. So there is lots of smoke, someone just needs to find the fire.  Treasury Metals has done great work to the west of us consolidating the rest of the district, and Rainy River, farther to the west is now in production with New Gold. This whole belt was late to the game because of limited access and shallow ground cover, but developments at Rainy River in the 1990s changed that, and now there is over 14Moz in the belt, and growing.

Maurice:

All right, let’s get into the exciting stuff, sir. Please share the terms of the agreement with us and in particular, the cash and share compensation that group 10 metals will be receiving along with the carried interest in the potential for discovery payments.

Michael Rowley:

It’s a great deal for both parties. Group Ten will gain a major share position in a newly listed company that’s focused on precious metals and focused on developing tier one assets, developing resources. And we get that 10% free carried interest through to feasibility study. So we can be at the table at a later stage to negotiate the sale of that during a possible broader consolidation play in the district. We received $320,000 in cash payments in the first two years of the deal as well. And we receive bonus payments of $1 for every ounce of gold that is formerly brought on the books in any category at any time and even in multiple stages. That has a $10 million cap on that, the district already hosts more than 10 million ounces. So that figure is certainly possible given the area.

Maurice:

So that we better appreciate the terms. Would you please provide us with a quick bio on Heritage Mining and what they bring to the table?

Michael Rowley:

Heritage Mining is a very experienced team with an excellent track record of raising cash and advancing projects, especially in Ontario and Quebec. Heritage is familiar with this geology. They’re keen to hit the ground, which is very pleasing to us because the point of this deal is that we want someone else to raise the $5 million and advance this asset the way we think it can be advanced. So they certainly appear to be capable of that. They have an excellent record of proving ounces, developing mines, operating companies, and marketing, raising capital.

Maurice:

Where will this transaction put Group Ten Metals in terms of ownership, percentage on the share structure for Heritage Mining?

Michael Rowley:

Well, we’ll have to see what their first placement looks like once they’re trading and that’s a couple of months out from now. But we expect to be about 10% of the company initially, and then maintain between the 5% and 10% level from there. A key point on that note also is that we have that bonus structure having a carried interest. Therefore, we are not relying solely on our share position for value. We’ve got several avenues here to be exposed to that success that we expect them to have.

Maurice:

And when does Group Ten Metals expect the transaction will close?

Michael Rowley:

We look good to close around the 60-day mark around mid-October.

Maurice:

Leaving Ontario and onto the Yukon where Group Ten Metals has another non-core asset within his property bank that is equally has been receiving a lot of interest from prospective buyers. And I’m speaking of the Kluane PGE, nickel, copper project in the Yukon. Sir, any updates for us?

Michael Rowley:

The Kluane is another explored project. We have over 250 square kilometers in the under-explored Kluane Belt, which is a fantastic belt of deposits. Another ultramafic system like Stillwater reaching from BC through into Alaska. The most advanced one. There is Nickel Creek Platinum, formerly Wellgreen. And the news there is that they’ve been increasingly active in the past year. And that’s good to see. They’ve been drilling, they’ve been doing geophysics and they’ve been doing it up on the northwest end of the system towards us, which is music to our ears. We’ll be seeing them at Beaver Creek and we’re looking forward to further activity from them. You’re correct that we’re getting more interested in those projects and that they like Black Lake are effectively for sale. We just have low carrying costs. Then we’re taking our time looking for the right deals.

Maurice:

Leaving the Yukon less visit Montana, which hosts your flagship Stillwater West project. But before we get into the latest news on the Stillwater West, would you please remind us about the unique value proposition before us on your flagship project?

Michael Rowley:

The Stillwater West is fantastic.  In 2017, the opportunity was presented to us to own half of the iconic Stillwater District, which sounds too good to be true in a way. But thanks to several factors that came together at the right time. Most of all, a local vendor who had spotted a bankruptcy that left these claims available, and he was quick, he bought the data from the past operators and he tied up the claims. We’ve since tripled land position. We now own half the district we’ve built a terrific database, predictive geologic model. The point is that we are well on our way to proving ourselves as a primary source of green metals, battery-grade nickel, copper, cobalt, with platinum group elements, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and also gold.

In a US district beside three mines and a smelter complex. These are big disseminated, sulfide deposits. They convert easily and cleanly to nickel sulfate. And we are weeks away from our first resources on the project, which is a very exciting moment for any junior exploration company. This will be a solid debut, it’ll position us nicely among our peers. And we see terrific room to grow from there. If you’ve seen our news release back in April, where we related the 3D models from our IP survey, the emerging images of our Resource models, and the potential we have for expansion.

Maurice:

The Stillwater West is currently undergoing its largest exploration program to date, which is a 10,000-meter drill program there recently added a second drill rig, sir, take us on-site and get us up to speed on the program.

Michael Rowley:

We have 2 rigs turning, which is music to our ears. We’re hitting sulfide very nicely in both, massive sulfide in places, net texture, and disseminated in others. The predictive model that we’ve been working up the past few years is working beautifully. And that’s a key point. We’re now hitting with a high degree of predictability, which is what geologists want to see. The district is well mineralized.  Our neighbor has 87 million ounces in current resources, reserves, and 14 million ounces in past production of the highest-grade palladium-platinum in the world.

That’s a single magmatic pulse laid down across 40 kilometers. These things are staggering in scale, and it’s also a nickel-copper-sulfide deposit that is worth noting. We are just below them in that stratigraphy. And we’re seeing similar continuity of these horizons. We are hitting new ones all the time, they seem to run for great lengths and it’s easy to add ounces and pounds. The program that you mentioned that’s underway now should do very nicely for expanding the inaugural resources as fast as we can in 2022. So we’ll debut numbers here in summer 2021, and then look to expand them as fast as possible in 2022.

Maurice:

All right, you have two truth machines drilling away. Do you already have some core in the lab and any timeframe on when we may receive some assays?

Michael Rowley:

The first one and a half holes are in the labs, include some nice-looking core. The labs are saying six weeks though, give me into October to get those into a news release.

Maurice:

Now we will hold you to that, but we will hold the labs to that. All right, switching gears, let’s look at some numbers. Sir, please provide the capital structure for Group Ten Metals.

Michael Rowley:

Group Ten Metals has 163 million shares outstanding at today’s price. That puts us around a $50 million market cap. We feel that significantly below where we could be based on our peers. I think a good peer might be Canada Nickel, for example. Noting of course they don’t have the platinum group element component that we have. However, they are four or five times our market cap with a similar, large, lower-grade nickel project. And we think that makes it a compelling comparison. We have$ 6 million cash in the bank and we have $13 million in the money options and warrants. Those are priced between .21 and .30 cents. No placements are planned for the foreseeable future and a fully funded, fully permitted for this year’s program. And even into next year at this point.

Maurice:

Speaking of those warrants. Expect for me to go ahead and exercise mine. Speaking of the shares, Group Ten Metals recently upgraded its DTC eligibility. What does that mean for shareholders? I

Michael Rowley:

I had to look into it myself to be reminded. DTC is an electronic clearing service. This simplifies the process of trading and enhances liquidity For American traders, which we have a really good US shareholder base. So this is, meaningful in terms of fast and efficient settling of those trades.

Maurice:

Before we close Mr. Rowley, what would you like to say to shareholders?

Michael Rowley:

This is an exciting time for Group Ten Metals! If you’re familiar with the Lassonde Curve value creation in junior miners were at that just pre-discovery phase where you get that rapid increase in value. And it’s quite a privilege to be here. It’s exciting to be systematically exploring the Stillwater Complex, which is famously metal-rich, and yet also under-explored and it’s remarkable, but the 215 drill holes to date across 32 kilometers of claims, 61 square kilometers. That’s not a lot. And we’re testing things all the time that have never been drilled and we’re finding nice-looking sulfides there. So to be the ones systematically adding value and looking like, in terms of the market, that we’re on the left end of the Lassonde Curve, but knowing that we’re much farther along in terms of having comfort about some size and grade here. Pretty exciting.

Maurice:

Last question. What did I forget to ask?

Michael Rowley:

Well, it’s probably a good point to touch on the broader commodity markets and you know metal markets are going sideways at the moment but there are the fundamentals are in place perhaps more than ever for a really good steady increase. We’re looking for all the metals in our suite of commodity baskets to resume their upward momentum likely this fall. We’ve got the FED meeting behind us today. Things look positive the fundamentals are there and we’re looking forward to increased value for all our commodities, especially, in nickel. We’re hearing increasingly of the coming shortfall in nickel sulfide, in particular clean nickel that’s good for batteries or rather makes nickel sulfate in the most environmentally friendly manner. We’re excited to be part of that and we’re looking forward to that renewed momentum. This is a good buying opportunity to buy shares in Group Ten Metals. 

Maurice

Sir, for readers that want to get more information on Group Ten Metals, please share the website address.

Michael Rowley:

www.grouptenmetals.com

Maurice:

Mr. Rowley, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you today, wishing you and Group Ten Metals the absolute best sir.

Categories
Base Metals Energy Exclusive Interviews Granite Creek Copper Junior Mining

Granite Creek Copper – Resource Expansion on the High-Grade Copper Carmacks Project

Maurice:

Joining us for conversation is Tim Johnson, the CEO of Granite Creek Copper (TSX.V: GCX | OTCQB: GCXXF).

Tim Johnson:

Thank you, Maurice. It’s always a pleasure to be here.

Maurice:

What an exciting time to be speaking with you as Granite Creek Copper has just released some very exciting results to the market, which look to further extend the resource at the high-grade Carmacks copper-gold project. Before we begin, Mr. Johnson, please introduce us to Granite Creek Copper and the opportunity the company presents to shareholders.

Tim Johnson:

Granite Creek Copper is an exploration stage copper-focused company. We’re focusing on our Carmacks project in the center of Yukon, Canada, which is a great jurisdiction for development and we have excellent access to power and a highway. And just released some very exciting news of which we are very pleased and I appreciate this opportunity to discuss them and put them into context for readers.

Maurice:

Granite Creek Copper began its inaugural drill campaign back in November, which was quite successful, yielding 127 meters of 0.85% copper equivalent at Carmacks’s zone 13, and 4.6 meters of 7.5% copper equivalent at Carmacks north zone A, which was followed up in May with phase one of three drill programs slated for 2021.

In July, Granite Creek released the first string of asset results from phase one and the results were quite impressive. Just the other day, the company released a single hole, hole 11, which has some spectacular results. It would seem that there will be much more bluesky on the horizon on the Carmacks deposit. Mr. Johnson, I have table one from the press release before us. Please walk us through the asset results and in particular, hole 11.

Tim Johnson:

Hole 11 was a bit of an eye-opener for us. It was targeted in zone 2000 south. When we went into the campaign, we knew that there was some significant potential to grow the resources in 2000 South, and  I must say Hole 11 delivered, along with a few other holes drilled in the 2000 south zone all intercepted mineralization well below the current resource model, so giving us the potential to significantly expand that resource. We’re pretty pleased. We think not only can we expand the resource, but if you notice that, looking at the resource table in the news release, that just about all the intercepts are of a higher grade than what’s in the table. That gives us the potential to not only grow the resource and as far as tonnage, but also potentially deliver a higher-grade resource on an updated resource estimate that we’re working on right now.

Tim Johnson:

Hole 11 intercepted 105 meters at 1.18% copper on an equivalent basis and above 0.97% copper on its own. Within that, there were 22 meters of over 2% copper. Those grades are pretty spectacular, and we think, again, that’s going to make a significant upgrade to the resource once we can complete a few more holes and model that. We don’t think this is a one-off hole. We think from the geophysics and what we’re seeing that we will be able to expand the resource in a much higher grade. Of course, we’ve got some more drilling to do to be able to deliver that, but we’re pretty bullish about that. We’ve refocused our phase three program, which we expect to start in a week or two, to target that area of 2000 south, and also to see if we can connect the 2000 south up to some of the other zones at Carmacks to make a more continuous ore body.

Maurice:

Now sticking with zone 2000 south, I have table two before us. What do these results seem to indicate?

Tim Johnson:

Table two is a resource calculation done by previous operators. This was published in 2017. You can see it’s quite a small resource, about 600,000 tons in the sulfide domain, which readers should know that the sulfide domain is what we’re targeting. The oxide, there is limited oxide in 2000 south. I think this is one of the reasons why this target is still here, because previous operators, again, we’re more focused on a small oxide operation. So they weren’t targeting the sulfide, but we see the real potential here to be the sulfide. This hole seems to verify that. Again, the grade on this hole is above what the grade of the resource, the current resource is. So good delivery on a couple of fronts, both potential tonnage increase, and potential grade increase.

Maurice:

And I do wish to highlight the geological acumen of Granite Creek Copper, as the Carmacks has had over 50,000 meters of exploration in the past and they were not able to locate the success you have in hole 11.  What does that say about GCX and the success of the company moving forward?

Tim Johnson:

There’s a couple of reasons for that. The previous operators and there was nothing wrong with this, felt they had an economic resource in the oxide. The oxide is fairly near surface. Therefore, there was a lot of drilling done to prove up that resource, but there was very little drilling done to expand the resource into the sulfide material or to look for adjacent potential like we have at Carmacks North. Previous operators had quite a small land package for various reasons. They had to let some go in some of the tougher times in the industry, and we benefited from that, by having that land package available for us when we acquired it and then subsequently acquired coper north, of course, to consolidate the district.

Tim Johnson:

So yeah, you’re right. I mean 50,000 meters have been drilled, but a lot of it, as I said, was very near-surface, oxide focused, and left us the opportunity to come in and recognize the potential for significant expansion beneath the oxide into the sulfide, and really not that deep. The transition zone from oxide to sulfide occurs about 200 meters plus or minus below surface, so still well within an economic mining range, and really, a lot of bluesky left and a lot of discovery potential on the combined land package.

Maurice:

In previous interviews, we’ve discussed resource expansion. How does today’s press release increase the impact on the pending 43-101 mineral resource estimate?

Tim Johnson:

It significantly impacts mineral resource estimate.  When consider where Hole 11 fits in relation to the current resource, and the entirety of the 105 meters of significant mineralization is below the current resource. So giving us up to 100, maybe 120 meters of down-dip extension on that resource. Now, we do need to infill around it. You can’t build a resource on a single hole, but some of the other holes that we’ve had that we released in July also support that down-dip extension of the resource. So we see significant growth potential here in this zone.

Tim Johnson:

We did drill again this year on Zone 13. We’re still waiting for those assays, but we see potential to grow in 13 as well. We also see potential to grow in the sulfide portion of Zone 1, which some of those assays were also released in our first release in July. So basically, three zones that we have resource growth potential, and we’re working on modeling those right now. We’re working with a third party to bring that resource into view, and we hope to be able to deliver that to the market in a fairly timely manner.

Maurice:

I referenced that Granite Creek will embark on three drill programs this year. When can shareholders expect the remaining results from phase one?

Tim Johnson:

That’s a really tough question to answer. As we move into the fall, the labs get busier and busier. So it’s really hard for me to nail down, but we would expect hopefully by late September to early October, we’d have final results on phase one. The phase two program we’re currently going on is an RC or a reverse circulation program. It’s targeting some of the earlier stage targets both at Carmacks north, which is a northern extension of our land package, and some of the earlier stage targets around the Carmacks deposit itself. Then the phase three program, which is now being re-imagined in and around 2000 south, will be starting in the coming weeks. Then that should give us fairly good assay flow and be able to continue to deliver results to the market as we move through the fall and into the winter months.

Maurice:

By the way, is phase three, is that an RC or is that diamond core, sir?

Tim Johnson:

Phase three is a diamond program. What we did this year, we budgeted for 10,000 meters. We completed 6,300 meters in the initial program, and we kept back some meterage to get the results in and to understand the geology of the orientation of the deposits. Now that those results are coming in as I said, we’re refocusing our efforts to build out where we have the best results and try to get … increase the tonnage and increase the grade in the zones that we think are going to make the most difference to the resource.

Maurice:

When we last spoke, Granite Creek Copper announced that it had entered into a contract with Sedgman and Mining Plus. What are the latest developments there?

Tim Johnson:

We working forward with Sedgman and Mining Plus. One of the big reasons we brought them in is two-fold. One of the reasons we brought them in was to optimize the process for both the oxide and sulfide processing that was initially developed in the 2017 PEA, and then also to develop a mine plan that would bring the sulfide in as well. The previous PEA only spoke to the oxide resource. It contemplated about a 7 mine life. We saw at least double that in the sulfide resource, but there was no mine plan for it. Sedgman and Mining Plus are working very hard to bring that into view. What’s going to happen, we’ll take that information and that will inform our next economic study to be done on the project. We will look at updating the preliminary economic assessment once we have all the results in both from the work that Sedgman and Mining Plus are doing, and of course, with an updated resource that is being currently worked on to bring both the tonnage and the mine plan and the processing plan all into one economic study.

Maurice:

Leaving the Carmacks project, sir, please provide us with an update on the capital structure for Granite Creek Copper.

Tim Johnson:

Granite Creek Copper has 127 million shares issued and outstanding. We’ve have warrants that are right at the strike price of the warrants, about $4.8 million in cash value of those warrants with the strike price at 20 cents. We see strength in the market moving into the fall, and we expect those warrants to assist the company in continuing on with our economic studies and upcoming programs. Meaning that we won’t be looking to conduct a dilutive financing in the near term. We expect strength in the copper market hopefully will allow us to delay any large financing for a while.

Maurice:

Before we close, Mr. Johnson, what would you like to say to shareholders?

Tim Johnson:

I think the copper space is an excellent space for speculative shareholders to be to be looking we think that the copper market is going to have strength moving through the remainder of this year and into next year.  We’ve got an excellent project with excellent exposure to copper and to precious metals as well in a very good jurisdiction. I think it’s worth adding granite creek copper to your watch list and making sure you follow along with our story.

Maurice: Last question sir what did i forget to ask?

Tim Johnson:

Well as usual Maurice, you did an excellent job.  I think the questions you asked are very good and I appreciate your time.

Maurice:

Thank you sir. Mr Johnson for someone that wants to get more information on granite creek copper please share the contact details.

Tim Johnson:

Please visit us at www.gcxcopper.com.

Maurice:

Mr. Johnson is always a pleasure to speak with you wishing you and Granite Creek Copper the absolute best sir.

And as a reminder, I am a licensed representative to buy and sell precious metals through Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, where we have several options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical delivery of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium, to offshore depositories, and precious metals IRA’s. Give me a call at 855.505.1900 or you may email: Maurice@MilesFranklin.com.  Finally, please subscribe to www.provenandprobable.com, where we provide: Mining Insights and Bullion Sales, subscription is free.

Categories
Base Metals Breaking Energy Exclusive Interviews Metallic Group Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals – 2 Drill Programs, La Plata and Keno Silver projects, Plus Royalties

Joining us for a conversation is Greg Johnson, the CEO of Metallic Minerals (TSX.V: MMG | OTCQB: MMNGF). Sir, we are thrilled to have you back as Metallic Minerals has several exciting developments to provide shareholders. Before we begin, Mr. Johnson, please introduce us to Metallic Minerals and the opportunity the company presents to shareholders.

Greg Johnson:

Metallic Minerals is a silver-focused exploration and development stage company. We are a member of the Metallic Group of Companies. Many of us were part of the original founding of NovaGold. The group is backed by renowned resource investors, such as Eric Sprott. We started putting together the Metallic Group at the bottom of the metal price cycle. Our focus was on brownfields, past-producing, high-potential districts with MMG being focused on silver. Over the past five years, we’ve acquired and explored three exceptional assets, including our flagship Keno Silver Project, the La Plata Project, and our Klondike Royalty Portfolio.

Maurice Jackson:

Speaking of Colorado, sir, take us onsite to the La Plata Silver-Gold-Copper Project located just outside of Durango, as Metallic Minerals has just announced the commencement of its initial drill campaign on the La Plata, which is the first significant exploration in over 50 years in the historic high-grade La Plata Mining District. Before we get into the press release, Mr. Johnson, please acquaint us more with the La Plata Project and the value proposition before us.

Greg Johnson:

So we’re pretty excited about this. We see this as an amazing opportunity. The La Plata Project is a high-grade silver and gold district originally discovered in the 1700s with over 90 different mines and prospects that were developed from the 1800s to about the 1940s, all of these producing bonanza-grade silver and gold. Major miners such as, Rio Tinto and Freeport, have come into the district in the 1950s, recognizing the bulk-tonnage potential in the central part of this precious metals-rich porphyry system. This system is a lot like the Galore Creek Project that was operated by NovaGold and our team was part of driving the success, that was recently sold to Teck and Newmont. Our team is particularly excited about applying our new modern toolkit to this opportunity in this historic high-grade district.

Maurice Jackson:

Metallic Minerals is embarking on Phase One of your 2021 drill program on the La Plata, which will be 2,000 meters of diamond drilling on the central porphyry, which hosts the historic resource. What is the goal for this campaign? And can you talk about the historical resource and what it looks like?

Greg Johnson:

This is the first drill campaign on this project in, as you said, in nearly 50 years. It’s designed to confirm the historic drill work on the project, which is only in the central porphyry system and particularly the precious metal values, which were historically under-sample. With 54 historic drill holes comprising nearly 15,000 meters of drilling, we see the potential here at La Plata to rapidly advance the system to a modern 43-101 resource. That historic resource indicates that we have the potential for a multi-billion-pound copper system with tens of millions of ounces of silver. And that historic resource doesn’t include any of the work surrounding the area in the high-grade epithermal silver-gold structures that were the focus of historic mining.

Maurice Jackson:

How will Metallic Minerals measure success for this drill program and when can the market expect results?

Greg Johnson:

What we’re looking for here is to confirm the past work, which was done by really high-quality players like Rio Tinto and Freeport, with the potential to be able to not only show what they did, but to build on that and show significant expansion. We should start to see results coming out over the next couple of months with continued 3D modeling going into the fall with an objective, ultimately, of delivering an inaugural 43-101 resource on this project.

Maurice Jackson:

Leaving Colorado, let’s visit Metallic Minerals’ flagship Keno Silver Project, which is adjacent to Alexco Resources, located in the historic silver-rich Keno Silver District of the Yukon in Canada. Back in April, Metallic Minerals announced a high-grade silver intersect with 4.1 meters resulting in 2,536 grams per tonnes silver equivalent. That has now been followed up with a 10,000-meter drill program. How are things coming along and are there any updates that you can pass along to us?

Greg Johnson:

This is an exciting program. Our exploration program kicked off this year in June with the first drill. We’re looking to add a second here. This is going to be one of our largest programs to date on the Keno Silver Project with 10,000 meters planned on multiple targets and following up on the success from last year. In addition, we’re running a deep IP geophysical survey across the large targets on the eastern part of the district, which could start to give us a sense of scale and potential on those discoveries from last year’s program.

That historic resource indicates that we have the potential for a multi-billion pound copper system with tens of millions of ounces of silver. And that historic resource doesn’t include any of the work surrounding the area in the high-grade epithermal silver-gold structures that were the focus of historic mining.

Maurice Jackson:

When can we expect results from the drill program and what will determine success?

Greg Johnson:

Results should start coming out any time and continue over the next several months and well into the fall. What we’re hoping to do here is to build and expand on the areas we’ve already identified mineralization, both in terms of the high-grade systems and the bulk tonnage, and to continue to build towards that inaugural resource estimate for the project.

Maurice Jackson:

Finally, let’s discuss the highly innovative Klondike alluvial gold properties in the Yukon. Do you have any updates there?

Greg Johnson:

We were pleased actually to see significant progress on the Alluvial Gold Portfolio. This is in the historic Klondike Gold Fields, which produced over 20 million ounces historically. And today that production is from these large-scale, modern open-pit operations. We’ve had major drill campaigns completed by a couple of our operators this spring and going into the summer. The next steps here are the initiation of bulk-sample processing, which is like test mining of the ground. And from that work, we could potentially see two or three of the blocks advance quickly to commercial gold production, including the potential for the first significant production royalties to Metallic Minerals this year from gold produced on those projects.

Maurice Jackson:

Oh, that sounds exciting. All right. Leaving the project sites, what is the next significant milestone for Metallic Minerals?

Greg Johnson:

With three active programs, we’ve got a lot of activity that I would expect to see strong news flow coming from each of the projects. Each one of them has kind of its milestones, but drilling, geophysical results, and then, ultimately, culminating in initial resource estimates and potentially gold production from the Alluvial Portfolio.

Maurice Jackson:

Let’s look at some numbers. Sir, please provide us the capital structure for Metallic Minerals.

Greg Johnson:

The company is well structured. 126 million shares outstanding. No debt. Got about 6 million in cash and significant in-the-money warrants that could bring in as much as another $12 million for the next year. We’re well-positioned to carry out this year’s program and we’re well-positioned into 2022 for follow-up programs.

Maurice Jackson:

In closing, Mr. Johnson, what would you like to say to shareholders?

Greg Johnson:

I think it’s worth talking about the current markets for precious metals and particularly how it fits in with the historic seasonality for the sector. We believe that a major bottom in the commodity and precious metal sector was put in, in that 2016 to 2020 period and that we’re now in the very early stages of a multi-year commodity cycle. I believe it has the potential to eclipse the last cycle that ran from 2001 to 2011. Typically, during these decade-long cycles, we’re going to get extended, healthy consolidations that can take significant periods to resolve. Gold and silver equities have been consolidating since August of last year. On top of that, we’re currently in what’s typically the weakest seasonal period for silver and gold with the strongest period generally starting in the fall.

The next steps here are the initiation of bulk-sample processing, which is like test mining of the ground. And from that work, we could potentially see two or three of the blocks advance quickly to commercial gold production, including the potential for the first significant production royalties to Metallic Minerals this year from gold produced on those projects.

Greg Johnson:

I think this presents an opportunity for astute investors to be picking up shares of high-quality, precious-metal companies at terrific values. With such long recent consolidations, but such very bullish fundamentals, I think we’re winding the spring here for a very bullish period ahead with likely another five to ten years of bull markets still to come. I should mention that with over 30,000 meters of drilling underway in the three Metallic Group of Companies, this gives investors exceptional exposure to silver, battery metals, and copper in what is looking to be an exceptional time in the marketplace for people to be picking up value in our group.

Maurice Jackson:

Mr. Johnson, last question and that is, what did I forget to ask?

Greg Johnson:

I think this has been an amazingly comprehensive coverage and interview. I would recommend that if investors have questions that they go to our website, which is mmgsilver.com, or give us a call and the numbers listed on that website. We’re happy always to talk with investors and to answer questions.

Maurice Jackson:

Mr. Johnson, it has been a pleasure speaking with you. Wishing you and Metallic Minerals the absolute best, sir.

Greg Johnson:

Thanks a lot. Been a pleasure to be back with you.

Maurice Jackson:

And as a reminder, I am a licensed representative to buy and sell precious metals through Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments, where we have several options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical delivery of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium, to offshore depositories, and precious metals IRA’s. Give me a call at 855.505.1900 or you may email: Maurice@MilesFranklin.com.  Finally, please subscribe to www.provenandprobable.com, where we provide: Mining Insights and Bullion Sales, subscription is free.

Categories
Base Metals Junior Mining Metallic Minerals Precious Metals

Metallic Minerals Announces Start of First Phase Drilling at La Plata Silver-Gold-Copper Project in Southwest Colorado, USA

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 20, 2021 / Metallic Minerals (TSX.V:MMG |OTCQB:MMNGF) (“Metallic Minerals“, or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the start of the first phase of drilling of up to 2,000 meters at the La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwest Colorado along with an update on exploration activities to date. This initial diamond core drill program is designed to test and confirm mineralization in the central porphyry system, which hosts an historical resource estimate, as the first steps toward developing a new NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate.

The road accessible La Plata project covers 33 km2 approximately 26 km northwest of Durango, Colorado within the historic high-grade La Plata mining district located at the southwest end of the prolific Colorado Mineral Belt. Mineralization is related to a large-scale precious-metals-rich porphyry copper system with associated high-grade silver and gold epithermal vein and replacement deposits.

Project Highlights

  • Drilling to date within the central porphyry system has defined a northeast trending, near vertical zone of copper-silver-gold mineralization covering an area of at least 3 km by 1 km with over 1 km of vertical relief that remains open to expansion along trend and to depth with excellent potential for additional discoveries (see Figure 1).
  • Surrounding the central porphyry system is an associated high-grade silver and gold-rich epithermal system measuring at least 8 km by 2 km that hosts 56 identified vein, replacement, and breccia structures.
  • Historical production from some of these high-grade structures exceeded 1,000 grams per tonne (“g/t”) silver and over 15 g/t gold with some of the richest deposits delivering true bonanza grades for silver and gold1.
  • Drill hole LP-03 intersected 395 m of porphyry style mineralization grading 0.57% copper equivalent (0.51% Cu, 6.3 g/t Ag, and 0.017 g/t Au) including 108 m grading 0.75% copper equivalent (0.65% Cu, 7.7 g/t Ag and 0.034 g/t Au) starting from surface and with the hole ending in mineralization.
  • Exploration in 2021 is designed to expand known zones of mineralization and to advance a new NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate for the central porphyry system.

Project History

The La Plata district has a long and rich history of mining with the first silver deposits discovered in the 1700s by Spanish explorers. High-grade silver and gold production has been documented from the 1870s through the early 1940s from vein structures, replacement bodies and breccia zones at over 90 individual mines and prospects1. From the 1950s to 1970s, major miners including Rio Tinto (Bear Creek) and Freeport-McMoRan (Phelps Dodge) explored in the La Plata district focusing on the significant potential for bulk-tonnage disseminated and stockwork hosted mineralization2. Freeport-McMoRan retained ownership of claims in the district until 2002 when they sold their holdings to the current underlying vendors during the lows of the last metal price cycle.

A total of 54 drill holes totaling 14,400 m have been drilled on the property since the 1950s which confirm the presence of large-scale, multi-phase porphyry system with significant silver, gold and copper (see Table 1). This large-scale mineralized system is associated with a 10 km2 strongly magnetic signature with intense hydrothermal alteration.

Metallic Minerals is the first company to complete significant exploration on the La Plata project in nearly 50 years applying modern technologies and deposit modeling techniques. The Company sees the potential to rapidly extend the size of the known mineralized system and to identify and expand the higher-grade zones within the broader porphyry and epithermal mineralized zones.

Fieldwork completed by Metallic Minerals at La Plata to date has focused on resampling of drill core and underground sampling, surface mapping, and soil sampling. In addition, the Company has flown airborne resistivity and magnetics, completed a preliminary ground-based induced polarization survey and analysis of multi-spectral remote sensing data to establish mineralized anomalies and domains for the various styles of mineralization. This work has identified at least 25 anomalous targets within four broader target zones showing excellent potential to extend resources outside of the main historically recognized mineralized areas.

Allard Zone

Drilling to date on the Allard zone within the central porphyry system has defined a northeast trending zone of copper-silver-gold mineralization that begins at surface and continues to a depth of at least 850 m and more than a kilometer of strike. Recent underground chip channel sampling by Metallic Minerals within the Allard tunnel has confirmed a true width of 98.2 m grading 0.55% Cu Eq. across the zone including 61.6 m grading 0.65% Cu Eq. Historical drill hole LP-03 intersected 395 m of porphyry style mineralization grading 0.57% copper equivalent (0.51% Cu, 6.3 g/t Ag, and 0.017 g/t Au) including 108 m grading 0.75% copper equivalent (0.65% Cu, 7.7 g/t Ag and 0.034 g/t Au) starting at surface with the hole ending in mineralization.

Copper Hill Zone

Copper Hill is one of several additional parallel zones of copper and precious metals mineralization have been intersected in drilling, located 1.5 km to the southeast of the Allard zone it is also associated with significant platinum and palladium mineralization. The Company completed systematic analyses of unsampled core from the Copper Hill target area which returned significant results in an area with little previous drilling. Two zones of copper and precious metals mineralization were encountered in this drilling with an upper zone grading 0.27% Cu Eq. over 207 m and a lower zone of mineralization grading 0.44% Cu Eq. over 44 m with associated gold, platinum, and palladium mineralization. The Copper Hill target area represents a significant platinum group element-enriched copper mineralized target more than a kilometer vertically below the high-grade surface mining at the Copper Hill prospect and is completely outside of the historic resource area.

Figure 1– La Plata Long Section

Greg Johnson, President and CEO of Metallic Minerals, stated, “Metallic is the first company to complete significant exploration on the La Plata silver-gold-copper project in nearly 50 years and we are very excited to be kicking off this inaugural drill campaign. Our work to date has confirmed the multi-kilometer scale of the mineralized porphyry and epithermal system at La Plata through surface sampling, geophysics and satellite based remote sensing. This initial work has demonstrated the potential for the La Plata system to be much larger than previously recognized, with excellent potential to expand zones of known mineralization and to make new discoveries. We have begun 3D modelling of drilling and geophysical data with the objective of advancing towards a NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate for the project. We look forward to providing additional updates on drilling and modelling work in coming weeks and months at La Plata, as well as updates from our on-going work on the high-grade Keno Silver project and alluvial projects in the Klondike Gold district.”

Table 1 – Highlight significant mineralized drill and underground sample results from La Plata porphyry system

Hole IDFrom mTo mWidthCuEq.%Cu %Au g/tAg g/tPt g/tPd g/t
LP-010.0854.4854.41, 20.2612
Including573.9828.4254.51, 20.4112
Including623.0638.215.20.450.360.0346.863,5
Including743.7764.420.71, 21.1512
LP-031.5396.8395.30.560.5116.263, 5
Including1.5109.1107.60.720.6517.693, 5
Including172.8199.927.10.860.76111.543, 5
LP-041.5304.8303.30.440.4014.683, 5
Including4.6102.898.20.740.6915.743, 5
Including69.5102.733.20.940.8618.703, 5
C-011.1416.9415.81, 20.2612
Including299.336363.71, 20.4212
CA-030.0304.8304.81, 20.3912
HEN-02076.476.40.50.310.2294.355
HEN-040.091.991.90.760.360.5205.505
95-1680.2887.5207.30.270.210.0302.140.030.025
995.21039.444.20.440.150.0301.460.140.105
1005.91027.221.30.50.210.0472.050.190.165
Allard UG48.6146..898.20.550.460.0304.764, 5
Including51.7113.361.60.650.550.0305.554, 5

Table notes: 1 – incomplete gold assay data; 2 – incomplete silver assay data; 3 – gold and silver assay data from sample composites 6.1 to 12.2 m in length; 4 – Allard tunnel sawn channel samples collected in 2020; 5 – Cu Eq. % calculated using $3.25 lbs. Cu, $1,650/oz Au, $20/oz Ag, $1,000/oz Pt and $2,000/oz Pd in US$.

OTC Metals and Mining Virtual Conference

Metallic Minerals will be presenting at the upcoming Green Energy and Precious Metals Investor Conference hosted by OTC Markets on July 29 at 2:30pm ET. Chairman & CEO, Greg Johnson, will provide a comprehensive overview of the Company, including an update on 2021 exploration activities to date and upcoming newsflow, followed by a Q&A. To register, click here.

Foot notes: 1) Eckel, USGS Prof Paper 219, Geology and Ore Deposits of the La Plata Mining District, 1949; 2) Bear Creek Mining (now Rio Tinto), Humble Oil (now Exxon) and Phelps Dodge (now Freeport-McMoRan) company reports; 3) Christoffersen, Geological report on the Allard deposit, La Plata Mining District, Durango, Colorado, 2005.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a growth-stage exploration company, focused on high-grade silver and gold projects in underexplored, brownfields mining districts of North America. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to exploration in the Keno Hill silver district, La Plata silver-gold-copper district, and Klondike gold district through new discoveries and advancing resources to development. Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic Keno Hill silver district of Canada’s Yukon Territory, directly adjacent to Alexco Resource Corp’s operations, with nearly 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past-production and current M&I resources. In addition, exploration at the recently acquired La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado is targeting a silver and gold-enriched copper porphyry and adjacent high-grade silver and gold epithermal systems. The Company also continues to add new production royalty leases on its holdings in the Klondike gold district in the Yukon. All three districts have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise.

About the Metallic Group of Companies

The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry’s highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium, and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon’s high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Group Ten Metals in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana, and Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon’s Minto copper district. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry’s leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. The Metallic Group is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and its member companies are listed on the Toronto Venture, US OTC, and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Website: mmgsilver.com

Email: cackerman@mmgsilver.com Toll Free: 1-888-570-4420
Phone: 604-629-7800

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, and future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Group Ten and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com

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

SOURCE: Metallic Minerals Corp.