TORONTO and NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 /CNW/ – Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (“Mountain Province”, the “Company”) (TSX: MPVD) (OTC: MPVD) today announces interim exploration results for its 100%-held Kennady North Project. The Kennady North Project consists of over 107,000 hectares of claims and leases that completely surround the Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine. The 2022 exploration program is focussed on finding new kimberlites based on a detailed analysis of historical technical information including ground and airborne geophysics, kimberlite indicator minerals, and geological mapping. Approximately 3,000 of the ongoing 6,000 meter winter drill program have been completed.
Exploration Highlights for the Winter Program
Kimberlite intersected in 16 of 20 drill holes
3 of 4 target areas have returned Kimberlite Intersections
Winter geophysics completed
Mark Wall, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“We began 2022 with a plan to launch an aggressive winter exploration campaign over Kennady North, and we have achieved that plan. We have discovered kimberlite in three of four targets tested to date, and completed all of our scheduled airborne and ground geophysics. In the final weeks of our winter program, we will continue to drill-test as many priority anomalies as feasible with the intent to discover more kimberlite and add value to the Kennady North Project. As a pure Canadian diamond producer and explorer, we see this as an important time to aggressively explore for new Canadian diamond production”
Of the sixteen targets identified four have been tested by drilling so far. Drilling will continue through the rest of the winter 2022 program which is expected to culminate at the end of May. Summer exploration will start in Q3 with emphasis on follow-up sampling of indicator mineral results generated from the 2021 till sampling program, which are expected to be complete by the end of Q3. A review of all winter 2022 ground geophysical data continues through Q2 with the intent to drill areas of interest (“AOI”) with land-based anomalies in the summer program.
To date, 2,935 meters from 20 drillholes have been collected from the North Anomaly, South Anomaly, KS Anomaly and G6 Anomaly. These anomalies were defined using ARRT (a high-resolution ground resistivity system developed by Aurora Geoscience Ltd., Yellowknife), and by ground gravity. Both systems recognize the physical contrast between competent country rock and country rock adjacent to kimberlite that is broken and altered from emplacement of the kimberlite. Locations for these anomalies relative to the Kelvin and Faraday kimberlites are shown in the first set of images.
Locations for the anomalies relative to the Kelvin and Faraday kimberlites (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)Locations for the anomalies relative to the Kelvin and Faraday kimberlites (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)
Seven drillholes completed at the North Anomaly have identified depth-extensive zones of highly altered country rock intermixed with intersects of hypabyssal kimberlite (‘HK’) ranging from 0.03 to 6.93 meters in thickness (average thickness 1.54m). Suspected volcaniclastic kimberlite (‘VK’) has been intersected in three drillholes and ranges from 0.16 to 2.13 meters in thickness (average 0.95m), with 3D modeling of the drilling indicating lateral continuity for the VK. For Kelvin and Faraday kimberlites at Kennady North, VK comprises the greatest volume and its presence in the exploration drilling is considered a good indication for volume potential at the North Anomaly.
At the South Anomaly all five drillholes have HK present with thicknesses ranging from 0.68 to 6.96 meters (average 3.23m). Country rock breccia consisting of highly comminuted gneiss mixed with kimberlite has also been observed, and is indicative of volume potential for the South Anomaly.
Four of six drillholes at the KS anomaly intersected HK kimberlite ranging from 0.22 to 1.49 meters in thickness. The present interpretation for the KS anomaly is that the system is lacking the kimberlitic fluids necessary to break up country rock and provide volume for VK to develop. A table of drill results for the North, South and KS Anomaly is provided below.
Drill Hole
Azimuth2
Inclination2
Kimberlite Intersect1,2 (m)
End of Hole2(m)
From
To
Length1
North Anomaly
KDI-22-008
128.5
-71.2
75.86
81.48
5.62
121.0
KDI-22-010
135.8
-49.4
83.27
86.59
3.32
127.4
KDI-22-012
47.9
-46.1
107.05
113.98
6.93
150.0
KDI-22-013
49.4
-60.7
81.56
81.75
0.19
121.0
plus
82.61
82.98
0.37
plus
83.68
83.88
0.20
plus
85.07
85.45
0.38
plus
86.10
86.13
0.03
plus
86.30
86.52
0.22
plus
87.72
88.75
1.03
KDI-22-015
45.0
-52.5
76.76
76.90
0.14
plus
77.66
78.60
0.94
plus
80.73
81.10
0.37
plus
83.90
87.00
3.10
KDI-22-016
45.0
-62.0
69.50
72.40
2.90
plus
73.15
73.70
0.55
KDI-22-019
223.7
-52.4
76.60
76.76
0.16
plus
77.13
78.83
1.70
South Anomaly
KDI-22-001
307.4
-46.1
109.00
113.13
4.13
163.0
KDI-22-002
294.3
-65.0
84.19
90.06
5.87
114.7
KDI-22-003
48.6
-45.5
115.02
121.98
6.96
142.0
KDI-22-004
46.2
-69.4
98.57
99.25
0.68
139.0
KDI-22-007
182.0
-89.0
66.03
68.42
2.39
121.0
plus
79.97
81.45
1.48
plus
85.48
86.57
1.09
KS Anomaly
KDI-22-005
35.1
-46.1
217.08
218.57
1.49
163.0
KDI-22-006
31.3
-54.7
—
—
—
114.7
KDI-22-009
26.0
-67.7
63.51
63.76
0.25
93.2
KDI-22-011
24.9
-52.5
—
—
—
152.0
KDI-22-018
27.0
-50.0
35.50
35.65
0.15
160.0
plus
37.00
37.25
0.25
plus
40.20
40.50
0.30
plus
46.46
47.71
1.25
plus
65.14
66.00
0.86
1Intersects are not true thicknesses. 2Initial measurements from field logs may change with further drillhole surveying and logging.
The target AOI were selected from recently-compiled studies of glacial geology and kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) dispersions over the project area. Additional target AOI were selected after a review of historical geophysical data for Kennady North. These datasets were reviewed during several in-house workshops held in late 2021 and early 2022, with final ranking of sixteen AOI completed in a joint workshop held with De Beers in February 2022. The sixteen AOI were scheduled for ARRT and ground gravity surveys during the winter program, with a total of 188.8 line-km of ARRT and 3,139 gravity stations completed over the targets. A map image of the AOI that received ground geophysics for drill-targeting is shown in the third image.
A map image of the AOI that received ground geophysics for drill-targeting (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)
Drilling has started at the G6 anomaly, situated on the winter spur road to Gahcho Kué Mine. The G6 anomaly is the result of a 1997 DIGHEM airborne survey that delineated the Kelvin, Faraday and Gahcho Kué kimberlites. Recent drilling over follow-up coincident ARRT and ground gravity anomalies encountered no kimberlite. Assessment of the drill data is underway.
In addition to the ground geophysical surveys, a small airborne magnetic/electromagnetic survey was conducted over an unsurveyed area located one kilometer southeast of Gahcho Kué. A total of 1,291 line-km of data were collected over the area.
In 2021 over 600 till samples were collected over the project area, including the recently staked Kennady East claims. Preliminary results for 47 samples confirm the presence of pyrope, chromite and picroilmenite in esker samples from the southern portion of the Kennady East claims. The distribution of 2021 till samples and outline of the 2022 airborne geophysics program are shown in the fourth and final image.
The distribution of 2021 till samples and outline of the 2022 airborne geophysics program. (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)
About the Company
Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kué diamond mine located in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kué Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls 106,202 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases that surround the Gahcho Kué Joint Venture property that include an indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites.
For further information on Mountain Province Diamonds and to receive news releases by email, visit the Company’s website at www.mountainprovince.com.
Qualified Person
The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province’s mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Matthew MacPhail, P.Eng., MBA, and Tom E. McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo., both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “anticipates,” “may,” “can,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “targets,” “intends,” “likely,” “will,” “should,” “to be”, “potential” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may”, “should” or “will” occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.
Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province’s business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parametres, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.
These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province’s most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.
Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed.
Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province’s Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company’s debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province’s financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board
Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – May 5, 2022) – Goldshore Resources Inc. (TSXV: GSHR) (OTCQB: GSHRF) (FSE: 8X00) (“Goldshore” or the “Company“), is pleased to announce assay results in hole MQD-22-014 from its ongoing 100,000-meter drill program at the Moss Lake Project in Northwest Ontario, Canada. Drilling is aiming to better define and expand high-grade structural zones within the Moss Lake deposit to improve the overall grade and volume beyond that of the historic mineral resource.
Highlights:
Broad zone of high-grade mineralization confirming the tenor of mineralization modeled in the QES Zone with best intercepts of:
128.3m at 1.05 g/t Au from 121.3m, including
40.6m at 1.99 g/t Au from 139.4m,
3.6m at 1.80 g/t Au from 199.0m, and
22.0m at 1.25 g/t Au from 227.0m.
New high grade gold mineralization open in all directions with visible gold intersected in a northern parallel structure. This northern structure is interpreted to be the same parallel structure intersected over 100 metres further to the east (see press release dated January 28, 2022). In addition, the identification of VG in this northern structure could provide elevated milling recoveries in any future operation. The drilling returned:
16.0m at 5.31 g/t Au from 477.0m, including
5.25m at 15.8 g/t Au from 477.75m
Expanding Drill Capacity through the engagement of two additional drill contractors who are mobilizing three rigs to site in the coming week. This will enable Goldshore to increase the drilling rate at the Moss Lake gold deposit and expand the drill program to the Coldstream area to evaluate the gold deposit at East Coldstream and copper-gold-cobalt mineralization at North Coldstream.
Brett Richards, President and Chief Executive Officer of Goldshore, commented: “The drilling intercept of 128.3m at 1.05 g/t Au reaffirms our view that the Moss Lake gold project contains a significant volume of +1 g/t Au mineralization that can underpin a meaningful, economic gold deposit. The fact that we are continuing to intersect gold mineralization outside of the volume modelled in 2013 also affirms our belief that the deposit is significantly larger than previously interpreted. Separately, we are pleased to be bringing in additional drill contractors that will enable us to increase our drilling rate at Moss Lake while commencing drilling at Coldstream.”
Technical Overview
Figure 1 and Table 1 summarize the significant intercepts in MQD-22-014. Figure 2 shows the visible gold seen at 478.1 meters depth, which corresponds to the high-grade parallel structure. Figure 3 and Table 2 show the drill hole location.
Figure 1: Drill section through MQD-22-014 showing mineralized intercepts relative to the 2013 grade model
Table 1: Significant downhole gold intercepts in MQD-22-014
HOLE ID
FROM
TO
HOLE LENGTH (m)
TRUE WIDTH (m)
CUT GRADE (g/t Au)
UNCUT GRADE (g/t Au)
MQD-22-014
59.00
97.05
38.05
25
0.36
0.36
121.30
249.60
128.30
92
1.05
1.05
including
139.40
180.00
40.60
29
1.99
1.99
and
199.00
202.60
3.60
3
1.80
1.80
and
227.00
249.00
22.00
16
1.25
1.25
363.75
373.10
9.35
7
0.57
0.57
477.00
493.00
16.00
12
2.69
5.31
including
477.75
483.00
5.25
4
7.87
15.8
including
477.75
479.20
1.45
1
25.30
54.1
561.00
563.95
2.95
2
0.42
0.42
570.75
573.75
3.00
2
0.57
0.57
607.10
614.45
7.35
6
0.36
0.36
619.40
621.55
2.15
2
0.39
0.39
Intersections calculated above a 0.3 g/t Au cut off with a top cut of 30 g/t Au and a maximum internal waste interval of 10 metres. Shaded intervals are intersections calculated above a 1.0 g/t Au cut off. Intervals in bold are those with a grade thickness factor exceeding 20 gram x metres / tonne gold. True widths are approximate and assume a subvertical body.
Table 2: Location of drill holes in this press release
HOLE
EAST
NORTH
RL
AZIMUTH
DIP
EOH
MQD-22-014
670106
5379466
428
335°
-45°
686.0m
Approximate collar coordinates in NAD 83, Zone 15N
MQD-22-014 was drilled 120 meters west of MQD-21-009 (see press release dated January 28, 2022) at a -45° dip and 335° azimuth to test the 2013 resource model and twin the historic hole 90-203.
The reported significant intercept of 128.3m at 1.05 g/t Au from 121.3m occurs within a broader zone of strongly silica-sericite-chlorite±carbonate altered diorite that assays 200.75m at 0.77 g/t Au from 14m above a 0.3 g/t Au cutoff. The better grade segments (e.g., 40.6m at 1.99 g/t Au from 139.4m) are characterized by intense foliation and brecciation, which reflect numerous sigmoidal shear zones that provide the plumbing for the hydrothermal system.
These results are similar to those intersected in the historic hole, which returned 136.0m at 1.09 g/t Au from 137.0m.
Importantly, we continue to intersect parallel structures that were not previously reported. Visible gold was intersected within a 1.45-meter-wide quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite vein from 477.75-479.20m, which averages 54.1 g/t Au. This occurs within a biotite-altered diorite that returned 16.0m at 5.31 g/t Au from 477.0m.
Peter Flindell, VP Exploration, commented: “These drilling results confirm the historic drill results and help us to understand the non-linear distribution of high grades that will enable us to model the higher-grade gold resource more accurately later in the year. Our relogging work and surveying of historic drill collars will also allow us to incorporate many of the historic drillholes, which will reduce the number of holes we need to drill in this campaign. Just as we are intersecting new parallel zones of mineralization that will expand the Mineral Resource, we are also identifying mineralization in the historic holes that was previously unsampled, thereby adding assay data to our database.”
Analytical and QA/QC Procedures
All samples were sent to ALS Geochemistry in Thunder Bay for preparation and analysis was performed in the ALS Vancouver analytical facility. ALS is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for the Accreditation of Mineral Analysis Testing Laboratories and CAN-P-4E ISO/IEC 17025. Samples were analyzed for gold via fire assay with an AA finish (“Au-AA23”) and 48 pathfinder elements via ICP-MS after four-acid digestion (“ME-MS61”). Samples that assayed over 10 ppm Au were re-run via fire assay with a gravimetric finish (“Au-GRA21”).
In addition to ALS quality assurance / quality control (“QA/QC”) protocols, Goldshore has implemented a quality control program for all samples collected through the drilling program. The quality control program was designed by a qualified and independent third party, with a focus on the quality of analytical results for gold. Analytical results are received, imported to our secure on-line database and evaluated to meet our established guidelines to ensure that all sample batches pass industry best practice for analytical quality control. Certified reference materials are considered acceptable if values returned are within three standard deviations of the certified value reported by the manufacture of the material. In addition to the certified reference material, certified blank material is included in the sample stream to monitor contamination during sample preparation. Blank material results are assessed based on the returned gold result being less than ten times the quoted lower detection limit of the analytical method. The results of the on-going analytical quality control program are evaluated and reported to Goldshore by Orix Geoscience Inc.
About Goldshore
Goldshore is an emerging junior gold development company, and owns the Moss Lake Gold Project located in Ontario. Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is currently a strategic shareholder of Goldshore with an approximate 22% equity position in the Company. Well-financed and supported by an industry-leading management group, board of directors and advisory board, Goldshore is positioned to advance the Moss Lake Gold Project through the next stages of exploration and development.
About the Moss Lake Gold Project
The Moss Lake Gold Project is located approximately 100 km west of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is accessed via Highway 11 which passes within 1 km of the property boundary to the north. The Moss Lake Gold Project covers 14,292 hectares and consists of 282 unpatented and patented mining claims.
Moss Lake hosts a number of gold and base metal rich deposits including the Moss Lake Deposit, the East Coldstream Deposit (Table 3), the historically producing North Coldstream Mine (Table 4), and the Hamlin Zone, all of which occur over a mineralized trend exceeding 20 km in length. A historical preliminary economic assessment was completed on Moss Lake in 2013 and published by Moss Lake Gold1. A historical mineral resource estimate was completed on the East Coldstream Deposit in 2011 by Foundation Resources Inc2,3. In addition to these zones, the Moss Lake Gold Project also hosts a number of under-explored mineral occurrences which are reported to exist both at surface and in historically drilled holes. The Moss Lake Deposit is a shear-hosted disseminated-style gold deposit which outcrops at surface. It has been drilled over a 2.5 km length and to depths of 300 m with 376 holes completed between 1983 and 2017. The last drilling program conducted in 2016 and 2017 by Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (“Wesdome“), which consisted of widely spaced holes along the strike extension of the deposit was successful in expanding the mineralized footprint and hydrothermal system 1.6 km to the northeast. Additionally, the deposit remains largely open to depth. In 2017, Wesdome completed an induced polarization survey which traced the potential extensions of pyrite mineralization associated with the Moss Lake Deposit over a total strike length of 8 km and spanning the entire extent of the survey grids.
The East Coldstream Deposit is a shear-hosted disseminated-style gold deposit which locally outcrops at surface. It has been drilled over a 1.3 km length and to depths of 200 m with 138 holes completed between 1988 and 2017. The deposit remains largely open at depth and may have the potential for expansion along strike. Historic drill hole highlights from the East Coldstream Deposit include 4.86 g/t Au over 27.3 m in C-10-15.
The historically producing North Coldstream Mine is reported to have produced significant amounts of copper, gold and silver4 from mineralization with potential iron-oxide-copper-gold deposit style affinity. The exploration potential immediately surrounding the historic mining area is not currently well understood and historic data compilation is required.
The Hamlin Zone is a significant occurrence of copper and gold mineralization, and also of potential iron-oxide-copper-gold deposit style affinity. Between 2008 and 2011, Glencore tested Hamlin with 24 drill holes which successfully outlined a broad and intermittently mineralized zone over a strike length of 900 m. Historic drill hole highlights from the Hamlin Zone include 0.9 g/t Au and 0.35% Cu over 150.7 m in HAM-11-75.
The Moss Lake, East Coldstream and North Coldstream deposits sit on a mineral trend marked by a regionally significant deformation zone locally referred to as the Wawiag Fault Zone in the area of the Moss Lake Deposit. This deformation zone occurs over a length of approximately 20 km on the Moss Lake Gold Project and there is an area spanning approximately 7 km between the Moss Lake and East Coldstream deposits that is significantly underexplored.
Table 3: Historical Mineral Resources1,2,3
INDICATED
INFERRED
Deposit
Tonnes
Au g/t
Au oz
Tonnes
Au g/t
Au oz
Moss Lake Deposit1 (2013 resource estimate)
Open Pit Potential
39,795,000
1.1
1,377,300
48,904,000
1.0
1,616,300
Underground Potential
–
–
–
1,461,100
2.9
135,400
Moss Lake Total
39,795,000
1.1
1,377,300
50,364,000
1.1
1,751,600
East Coldstream Deposit2 (2011 resource estimate)
East Coldstream Total
3,516,700
0.85
96,400
30,533,000
0.78
763,276
Combined Total
43,311,700
1.08
1,473,700
80,897,000
0.98
2,514,876
Notes:
(1) Source: Poirier, S., Patrick, G.A., Richard, P.L., and Palich, J., 2013. Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Moss Lake Project, 43-101 technical report prepared for Moss Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Moss Lake Deposit resource estimate is based on 0.5 g/t Au cut-off grade for open pit and 2.0 g/t Au cut-off grade for underground resources.
(2) Source: McCracken, T., 2011. Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Osmani Gold Deposit, Coldstream Property, Northwestern Ontario, 43-101 technical report prepared for Foundation Resources Inc. and Alto Ventures Ltd. East Coldstream Deposit resource estimate is based on a 0.4 g/t Au cut-off grade.
(3) The reader is cautioned that the above referenced “historical mineral resource” estimates are considered historical in nature and as such is based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current resources and Goldshore is not treating the historical estimates as current resources. Significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required by a qualified person before the historical estimate on the Moss Lake Gold Project can be classified as a current resource. There can be no assurance that any of the historical mineral resources, in whole or in part, will ever become economically viable. In addition, mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Even if classified as a current resource, there is no certainty as to whether further exploration will result in any inferred mineral resources being upgraded to an indicated or measured mineral resource category.
Table 4: Reported Historical Production from the North Coldstream Deposit4
Deposit
Tonnes
Cu %
Au g/t
Ag
Cu lbs
Au oz
Ag oz
Historical Production
2,700,0000
1.89
0.56
5.59
102,000,000
44,000
440,000
Note:
(4) Source: Schlanka, R., 1969. Copper, Nickel, Lead and Zinc Deposits of Ontario, Mineral Resources Circular No. 12, Ontario Geological Survey, pp. 314-316.
Peter Flindell, MAusIMM, MAIG, Vice President – Exploration of the Company, a qualified person under NI 43-101 has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For More Information – Please Contact:
Brett A. Richards President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Goldshore Resources Inc.
This news release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will,” “would,” “may,” “could” or “should” occur.
Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the exploration and development of the Moss Lake Gold Project, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company’s business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company’s securities, regardless of its operating performance; and the impact of COVID-19.
The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
Outlines Near Surface Gold at Pristine Target 800m North of Big Vein
Figure 1.
Doyle Zone plan map
Figure 2.
Big Vein Plan Map
TORONTO, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Labrador Gold Corp. (TSX.V:LAB | OTCQX:NKOSF | FNR: 2N6) (“LabGold” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the continued extension of the Big Vein Zone to the southwest with an intersection of 54.17 g/t Au over 0.95m as well as the intersection of near surface gold mineralization from initial diamond drilling of the Pristine target at its 100% controlled Kingsway project near Gander, Newfoundland. These holes were drilled as part of the Company’s ongoing 100,000 metre drill program at Kingsway.
At Big Vein, the intercept of 54.17g/t Au over 0.95m in hole K-22-122 contains visible gold and is the furthest intersection of the Big Vein Zone to the southwest drilled to date. This extends the strike length of the zone to 320m and it remains open in this direction. Hole K-22-116 targeted the HTC zone and intersected 14.67 g/t over a 1m interval that also contained visible gold.
At the Pristine target the first six holes all intersected significant near surface gold mineralization, including hole K-21-109 that assayed 3.55 g/t Au over 2.33m from 17.15m that contained visible gold and hole K-21-100 that intersected 3.89 g/t Au over 3m from 53m downhole.
The initial assays from the Pristine target, located approximately 800m northeast of Big Vein along the Appleton Fault Zone, are very similar to the first reported holes from Big Vein that assayed 1.11 g/t Au over 5.50m, 5.0 g/t Au over 0.9m and 2.26 g/t Au over 7.0m in Hole K-21-01 and 1.72 g/t Au over 3.0min Hole K-21-02 (see news release dated May 10, 2021).
The stratigraphy encountered is also very similar to Big Vein, with the mineralized Doyle Zone defined by a network of shear veining that is associated with a highly fractured sandstone in fault contact with a deformed black graphitic shale.
“We are very pleased with the initial results from the Pristine target which proves our interpretation of the existence of a gold occurrence not too far up ice from the pristine gold grains found in till. Pristine is the third of three targets tested to date to show significant near surface gold assays, a result of our systematic exploration strategy at Kingsway and the prospectivity of the Appleton Fault Zone,” said Roger Moss, President and CEO of the LabGold. “We have named the mineralized zone at Pristine the Doyle Zone after our friend and strong supporter James Doyle, who passed away suddenly, and much too early, in late 2020. James helped and advised us in every financing since the start of Labrador Gold in 2017, and gave us support in the market, often when no-one else was interested. James would have loved witnessing all the exploration activity in central Newfoundland over the last two years and would have been working the telephones daily. We will endeavour to ensure that the Doyle Zone lives up to the big personality of its namesake.”
Pristine Target and Appleton Fault Zone
The visible gold found in hole K-21-109 drilled into the Doyle Zone is the third occurrence of visible gold found, after Big Vein and Golden Glove, along the Appleton Fault Zone. The Doyle Zone is the furthest northeast, approximately 4.5km from Golden Glove which lies close to the southern property boundary. The Doyle Zone lies to the east of a fault with a major damage zone approximately 30m wide which may represent the expression of the Appleton Fault Zone in this area. Further work is necessary to determine if this is, in fact, the the case or if it is a major splay of the Appleton Fault Zone. In either case it is a significant structure associated with gold mineralization in the Doyle Zone.
The most detailed exploration along the Appleton Fault Zone to date has been over an approximately 2km section from just southwest of Big Vein to the Pristine target, leaving the remaining 10km length of the fault zone relatively underexplored. This will be a major focus of LabGold’s upcoming field program.
Hole ID
from (m)
to (m)
width (m)
Au (g/t)
Target
K-22-142
96
100
4
3.44
Big Vein
including
97
99
2
5.37
K-22-125
70
77
7
1.72
HTC
K-22-124
264
266
2
2.03
Big Vein
283
284
1
7.68
K-22-122
99
114
15
1.46
Big Vein
123.33
124.28
0.95
54.17*
K-22-116
178
179
1
14.67*
HTC
194
196
2
4.18
207
208
1
3.25
K-22-143
75
82
7
1.53
Pristine
K-22-123
23
24
1
1.98
Pristine
43
44
1
2.3
K-22-119
31
33
2
1.92
Pristine
K-21-109
17.15
18.3
2.3
3.55*
Pristine
47.45
50.45
3
1.31
54.45
59.45
5
1.48
K-21-107
48
52
4
1.16
Pristine
86
89
3
1.58
96
103
7
1.81
K-21-100
53
56
3
3.89
Pristine
Table 1. Summary of Assay Results * Interval contains visible gold. All intersections are downhole length as there is insufficient Information to calculate true width.
True widths of the reported intersections have yet to be calculated. Assays are uncut. Samples of HQ split core are securely stored prior to shipping to Eastern Analytical Laboratory in Springdale, Newfoundland for assay. Eastern Analytical is an ISO/IEC17025 accredited laboratory. Samples are routinely analyzed for gold by standard 30g fire assay with atomic absorption finish as well as by ICP-OES for an additional 34 elements. Samples containing visible gold are assayed by metallic screen/fire assay, as are any samples with fire assay results greater than 1g/t Au. The company submits blanks and certified reference standards at a rate of approximately 5% of the total samples in each batch.
Qualified Person
Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., President and CEO of LabGold, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this release.
The Company gratefully acknowledges the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Natural Resources’ Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program for its financial support for exploration of the Kingsway property.
About Labrador Gold Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in Eastern Canada.
In early 2020, Labrador Gold acquired the option to earn a 100% interest in the Kingsway project in the Gander area of Newfoundland. The three licenses comprising the Kingsway project cover approximately 12km of the Appleton Fault Zone which is associated with gold occurrences in the region, including those of New Found Gold immediately to the south of Kingsway. Infrastructure in the area is excellent located just 18km from the town of Gander with road access to the project, nearby electricity and abundant local water. LabGold is drilling a projected 50,000 metres targeting high-grade epizonal gold mineralization along the Appleton Fault Zone following encouraging early results. The Company has approximately $28 million in working capital and is well funded to carry out the planned program.
The Hopedale property covers much of the Florence Lake greenstone belts that stretches over 60 km. The belt is typical of greenstone belts around the world but has been underexplored by comparison. Work to date by Labrador Gold show gold anomalies in rocks, soils and lake sediments over a 3 kilometre section of the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt in the vicinity of the known Thurber Dog gold showing where grab samples assayed up to 7.8g/t gold. In addition, anomalous gold in soil and lake sediment samples occur over approximately 40 km along the southern section of the greenstone belt (see news release dated January 25th 2018 for more details). Labrador Gold now controls approximately 40km strike length of the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt.
The Company has 156,439,526 common shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those factors discussed in filings made by us with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties, such as actual results of current exploration programs, the general risks associated with the mining industry, the price of gold and other metals, currency and interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and general economic and market factors, occur or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, or expected. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
Joining us for a conversation or legendary Rick Rule of Rule Investment Media and David Cole of EMX Royalty as will discover why mineral royalties are powerful financial instruments.
About EMX Royalty: EMX Royalty Corporation has a long-standing track record of success in exploration discovery, royalty generation, royalty acquisition, and strategic investments. Our diversified, three-pronged business approach provides exposure to multiple upside opportunities while minimizing the impact on EMX’s treasury.
EMX’s business model is designed to efficiently manage the risks inherent to the minerals exploration and mining industry. Key elements and resulting advantages of our unique approach are: We organically generate royalties through low-cost property acquisition and early-stage exploration to build value, and then develop partnerships with quality companies to advance the projects, with EMX retaining a royalty interest and receiving pre-production payments. Our organic royalty growth is supplemented by purchases of royalties from other parties, as well as strategic investments. Cash flow from royalties, advance royalties, and other property payments are supplemented by returns from strategic investments and provide “self-funding” operating capital for our ongoing business initiatives. Using this model, we sustainably grow the royalty portfolio, with minimal dilution to our shareholders. EMX’s royalty and property portfolio spanning five continents and consists of a balanced mix of precious metal, base metal, and other assets.
Joining us for a conversation are two of the most prolific names in the natural resource space, both legends in their own right, as we are joined today with Rick Rule of Rule Investment Media and David Cole of EMX Royalty.
Maurice Jackson:
I must say it’s an absolute delight to be speaking with you both today, as I hold you both in the highest regard personally and professionally, as we plan to discover why mineral royalties are powerful financial instruments. We have a lot of ground to cover today, gentlemen, so let’s get to it.
Maurice Jackson:
Mr. Rule, you have a proven track record of nearly 50 years as a wealth builder for you and your clients through resource stocks. What are you seeing right now that gives you the courage and conviction that resource stocks may present a once in a lifetime opportunity?
Rick Rule:
First of all, you’re always not wise to contradict your host, but I’ve had a couple of these opportunities in my lifetime. So I don’t think it is a once in lifetime opportunity. But I, as you point out, have been lucky enough to see the opportunity before that’s in front of me now. And it was extremely pleasant to participate in. Natural resource bull markets are wonderful financial events if you participate in them early enough.
Rick Rule:
And my own belief, is that right now we are in the latter stage of the beginning of a precious metals bull market. And we’re probably in an earlier stage in a broader natural resource bull market. And the idea to participate in two real bull markets where the outcome is a probability, not a possibility, is extraordinary.
Rick Rule:
It is seldom before in my life have the fundamental factors that are in front of me come together simultaneously that has given me the courage of my convictions with regards to the probabilities of the outcome, is what I’m talking about. And that’s what feels good to me now.
Maurice Jackson:
Given the reasons you just convey to us, investors and speculators alike are seeking prudent ways to preserve their capital, and if possible, sweeten the deal with the delivery of some nice returns. About a decade ago, you introduced me a business model that offers investors both of these virtues, and I’m referring to the concept of mineral royalties. For someone new to the conversation, would you please share what are mineral royalties and why are mineral royalty companies a strategic part of your portfolio?
Rick Rule:
What I’ve learned over time is that having an economic interest in a revenue stream where my gross is my net is a very good thing. What a royalty is, is a part of the revenue stream of a mine or an oil well or something else. But you don’t bear any establishing capital risk, any sustaining capital risk or any operating cost risk.
Rick Rule:
So to the extent, as an example, that you disagree with a management team over some of their expenses, it doesn’t matter. You just get the check. Your gross is your net. A mineral royalty too is a timeless interest pretty much. And that means that most of the surprises that you can have are pleasant surprises.
Rick Rule:
If you are lucky enough to own a royalty on a tier one mineral discovery, my experience has always been that big discoveries yield surprises and small deposits yield surprises too. But big discoveries yield pleasant surprises, and small discoveries yield unpleasant surprises.
Rick Rule:
So a mineral royalty, which is established on a, let’s say, a 1 to 1.5 million ounce gold deposit, which feels attractive over 30 years might end up producing two, two and a half million dollars. The additional exploration expense that goes into establishing the lengthening of your royalty, the operating costs, the sustaining capital costs, the taxes, all that stuff doesn’t matter. Remember on a royalty for the most part, your gross is your net, which is very pleasant.
David Cole:
With regards to mineral royalties, what also comes to mind is the concept of optionality. Mineral royalties are phenomenal financial instruments, particularly in an inflationary environment, for the very reasons that you laid out and that discovery optionality and advancement of engineering techniques, all of which are multiplicative, make royalties fantastic instruments to hold.
Maurice Jackson:
And David, if you would expand on that word optionality, that may be a new term for readers.
David Cole:
Sure. So that’s the chance that things might go super well or super bad. And the couple of guys, Black Scholes got a Nobel prize for defining a formula, how to calculate what optionality is worth and options trade in the marketplace. And with respect to royalties, what we’re talking about is the chance that things can go well.
David Cole:
And as Rick pointed out, the cost that goes into the exploration and discovery work, development work, production work et cetera, et cetera, is born by the counterparty, not by the royalty holders. So we’re exposed to all that upside optionality. And that’s one of the things that makes a portfolio of royalty so powerful.
Maurice:
Mr. Cole, you’re the CEO of the royalty generator and I’m referring to EMX Royalty. Please introduce us to the value proposition that EMX Royalty presents for investors along with your current share price.
David Cole:
Well, I’m more than happy to talk about that. And first of all, it all revolves around this concept the royalties are fantastic instruments, and different royalty companies accumulate royalties in different ways. There’s royalty financings to advance mine projects. There’s purchasing of existing royalties. And then there’s royalty generation.
David Cole:
We love to generate royalties through the prospect generation business model, acquiring prospected mineral rights around the world, adding value by doing good geology and coalescing data, selling that onto an industry, hungry for discovery opportunity. And as Rick said, I’ve never seen an industry more hungry for discovery opportunity than we have today across the periodic table.
David Cole:
And we love doing that. We love selling them on for cash shares and of course, a royalty. We also buy royalties to augment that portfolio, to create that portfolio effect and to further advance the optionality.
Maurice Jackson:
And you do that organically. That’s what I find very intriguing about your business model.
David Cole:
That is our defining factor. That’s our hedgehog, and we’ve sold by example, Maurice, 83 projects in the last four years. We have track record of just selling projects right and left. And when I’m talking about selling projects, what I mean is we stake mining claims, or we acquire mining licenses from governments, add value, and then move them onto a counterparty, junior companies, and major companies.
David Cole:
And in the junior company deals, it’s commonly cash payments and share payments. We’ve done exceedingly well with the share payments over our nearly 20-year history and always a production royalty at the end. With major companies, which we also love to do business with, we’ve done six deals with Rio Tinto, the largest mining company in the world the last four years, as one example. And there, it’s more focused on the inground expenditures, cash payments, and of course the royalty at the back end.
David Cole:
And we’re just delighted to have the capital across our portfolio being expended by our counterparties, but also their expertise employed across that portfolio, which is enhancing this concept of discovery optionality, which is where the big win comes from. Of course, there’s commodity price optionality as well, which is a hot topic in an inflationary environment.
Maurice Jackson:
Now, before we delve into specific projects, multi-pronged question. Mr. Cole, how many projects are in the EMX property bank and how many of those projects are now in the harvest mode of generating royalties?
David Cole:
So when you use the word bank, that’s probably a good word to use. So we have approximately 300 mineral property positions globally, more than a dozen countries. We’ve always taken a broad approach. We’ve cast a broad net to find value, and that’s a very strong base of pyramid.
David Cole:
And then EMX does have half dozen producing assets or assets that are just about to become producing at the top of the pyramid. And we’re at the transitionary point where we’re going from a junior company that’s been building a portfolio of mineral property positions and royalties to one that has strong cash flow. And we’re right at that tipping point this year.
Maurice Jackson:
And we’re going to highlight five of those here in just a minute. Rick, in the resource space, precious metals seemed to dominate the conversation. But I’d like to get your thought on base metals and in particular, the outlook for copper.
Rick Rule:
I think the two easiest things to think about is that the driver for copper is the ascent of humankind to the extent that there are almost eight billion people on earth and more people every day. And to the extent that humankind has a responsibility, I believe, to take the poorest half of humanity and increase their wellbeing, that automatically comes to copper.
Rick Rule:
Many readers may not know that 1.2 billion people on earth have no access to electricity. And another 2 billion people on earth have access to intermittent or unaffordable electricity. We’ve done a great job as humankind the last 30 years in increasing the material a lot of the poorest of the poor. But we have a lot more to do, and an important transition from a subsistence lifestyle to a more fulfilling lifestyle, at least part of the material translation is electricity, and electricity is copper.
Rick Rule:
At the same time that we need to continue to increase access to electricity for the poorest half of humanity, the other half of humanity wants to increase their electrical consumption too electric vehicles, power, gadgets, all those types of things. All requires copper. While this happens, in other words, while demand for copper is inexorably higher and where the rate of increase is probably increasing, we have under-invested as an industry in copper exploration production for 30 or 35 years.
Rick Rule:
The truth is most of the world’s great copper mines are a bit like me. They’re old, they’re past their prime. Bingham Canyon has been producing for 120 years. Chuquicamata has been producing for 105 years. Grasberg has producing for my whole lifetime, which is to say 69 years. You don’t stand at the top of a pit, throw in fertilizer and water and have it grow more copper. That’s not the way it works.
Source: https://wikitravel.org/en/Chuquicamata
Rick Rule:
So five years from now, what you see is that these old behemoths become longer and longer and longer of tooth. While as a consequence of three decades of under investment and exploration production, there’s nothing to take their place. And if there is something to take their place, increasingly, there are political and economic roadblocks put in front of them. There’s a wonderful copper deposit here in the United States called Resolution that the world’s been talking about for 20 years. And it’s probably 10 years away from permitting and production, not in time to make any difference in a supply outlook.
Rick Rule:
So, to the extent that one is able to make a copper discovery, the appetite among the major copper producers to buy these projects, to replace the old behemoths, which are long of tooth. And the incredible interest that governments and consumers have about increasing the material wellbeing of their citizens, which is a fancy way of saying increasing demand for copper, means that an intelligently constructed copper exploration royalty development program, I say intelligently crafted. Part of the problem in the last 30 years has been that not only haven’t we invested enough money, we’ve invested most of the money that we’ve invested stupidly.
Rick Rule:
So we’ve been both unwitting and unscrupulous in the mining business with regards to copper. But the result of that is that successful efforts in the copper business pay absolutely tremendous rewards and will continue to, I think. Most people in the west when they think about copper, they think about Tesla or something like that. And that’s fine. That’s wonderful.
Maurice, I’ll point out if you don’t mind that Dr. Richard Schodde is our consulting and advisor on the mineral economic side out of Australia, MinEx Consulting. He believes that conservatively, the planet will consume as much copper in the forthcoming 20 to 25 years as has been consumed by humanity throughout all the history cumulatively.
David Cole:
And when you think about that with respect to the under-capitalized situation in the copper industry, it’s very, very dynamic situation. It’s very difficult not to be extraordinarily bullish copper. And Rick mentioned that Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open pit mines in the world is where open pit mining was first invented. The globe currently consumes the entire endowment of that deposit annually. So it’s an interesting situation for the copper business.
Maurice Jackson:
Sticking with copper, Mr. Cole, let’s visit the EMX property banking, and get acquainted with some of your royalties beginning in Chile at the Caserones Mine where EMX recently increased its position there. Tell us about the royalty and why the increase.
David Cole:
So well, first of all, as said, we’re very bullish copper, have always believed in having a diversified portfolio and copper has been a key component to that. Scott Close who heads our investor relations team, likes to call Caserones, Casherones. This is a very long live asset. Officially, it’s a 17-year-mine life, but as geologists, we’ve looked at it. We see 25-plus years of production here just from the existing deposit as it is open ended at depth, and copper cutoff grades have a long history of decreasing over time because of these various factors that we’re pointing out.
David Cole:
So this is a very long lived assets. It’s like having a 30-year bond that pays in pounds of copper. And we do see a little bit of upside with respect to production coming from that, but we’re very bullish copper prices. And we did have the opportunity to buy at a fair valuation, a 0.4% royalty on that deposit. And then the opportunity came along for us to augment that as additional family members who owned this royalty wanted to sell and liquidate.
“We have under-invested as an industry in copper exploration production for 30 or 35 years”. ~ Rick Rule
David Cole:
And so we had the chance to increase that, and we did it as that next bite was larger than we could afford by ourselves. We brought in Franco-Nevada as a partner, and we have a huge amount of respect for Franco-Nevada. They’re the leader in the mining royalty space. And if you would’ve asked me who’s the best company to be a strategic investor in EMX, I would’ve said Franco-Nevada.
David Cole:
Very happy to get them across the line and become a shareholder in EMX, part and parcel to us taking that further bite and increasing our exposure to Caserones. And that’s not our only copper exposure in the world. Of course, we have a royalty on the Timok Project, which is one of the largest ongoing copper-gold discoveries on the planet.
Maurice Jackson:
Why would Franco Nevada the biggest, most successful company in the mineral royalty sector want shares in EMX?
“I think there is going to be an increasing demand for electrification for well to do people. But the real opportunity is increasing the material living standards for the bottom half of humanity. We have an obligation to do it. We’ve done a good job of it over the last three decades, it’s going to continue. And the driver is going to be copper”. ~ Rick Rule
David Cole:
And we’re delighted to have them on board. They’ve been giving us accolades for the royalty generation work for many years. We know these folks well from our history. I used to work with some of them at Newmont Mining Corporation, and they would come up to me. David Harquail once said, “Dave, we believe that your royalty generation work is topnotch and hats off to you for doing that.”
David Cole:
And ultimately, it was that that carried him across the line and got them to invest in the company. But ironically, it was associated with a royalty purchase. But Franco Nevada recognized the power and the integration of buying royalties as well as growing them organically to build your portfolio.
Maurice:
All right, I’ve thrown you some softballs here. Here’s a tough one. EMX has recently deployed a substantial amount of capital lately acquiring cash flowing and/or soon to be cash flowing royalties and taking on debt to do so. Does this really make sense in the long-term health of the company? I mean, is this really in the best interest of the shareholders?
David Cole:
Absolutely, absolutely. So, our calculated risk adjusted internal rate of return on the monies that we’ve invested into purchasing these portfolio of royalties vastly exceeds the cost of that capital. And speaking of cost of capital, one of the important goals here is to populate the top of the pyramid, increasing our cash flow, and enabling us to move across that border from a junior company to a mid-tier company with strong cash flows, which will significantly reduce our cost of capital as we able to form a relationship with major senior banks. And we’re in those discussions now.
David Cole:
So this is all part of our strategy to prudently grow our portfolio. And particularly in an inflationary environment, paying a 7% coupon rate to borrow some money to buy things that have double digit internal rates of return is smart business.
Maurice:
Rick, as a shareholder, how significant is it when you see Franco-Nevada paying a premium to own a 3.5% stake in EMX?
Rick Rule:
I like good partners. I’ve been a Franco-Nevada shareholder on and off because of course they disappeared for a while since 1982, and I hold them in very high regard. Dave has done a good job, I think, of attracting other sophisticated shareholders in EMX.
Rick Rule:
But certainly, I’m attracted to EMX as a shareholder. What price they paid is really a matter of their own concern, the fact that they paid a premium. I think if you look at the nature of the royalty transaction, the premium was explained.
“That’s what separates us from the crowd. And that’s why we’re the only junior or mid-tier royalty company that Franco Nevada has ever bought stock in and hold stock in currently“. ~ David Cole
Rick Rule:
But the truth is that in Franco-Nevada, EMX has a partner that should they have an opportunity that is time sensitive and attractive, they have a partner that could stroke a $250 million check or a $350 million check overnight without blinking an eye. And a partner that has the sophistication and the courage to be able to do that, that’s what’s important.
Maurice:
Rick, we just highlighted copper. What is your outlook on the opportunity before us in nickel?
Rick Rule:
Well, nickel, you could also say is also an electric metal. It’s in tighter supply than copper. Most of the marginal nickel production that we’ve seen in the world in the last 30 years is lateritic nickel, which is nickel that occurs in tropical environments, often Indonesia and the Philippines. And the production of lateritic nickel is extremely environmentally degrading and also extremely energy intensive. So you need to break down nickel between lateritic nickel and primary sulfide deposits.
Rick Rule:
Primary nickel sulfide deposits are very rare and extraordinarily valuable. A primary nickel mine, even at today’s nickel, makes an awful lot of money. In the very near term, the nickel price looks inexorably higher because the world’s most important nickel producer is Russia. The political difficulties between Russia and the rest of the world, including the fact that because Russia has been kicked out of the SWIFT banking systems means that even if they sell nickel, they can’t get paid for it in any currency that they can spend.
Rick Rule:
But looking beyond that, the uses of nickel in batteries, in stainless steel, in metallurgical applications, nickel is tied very, very directly like copper to the ascent of humankind. But primary nickel deposits are even rarer than high-quality primary copper deposits.
Maurice Jackson:
David, about two weeks ago, EMX announced that it had made a strategic investment in privately held Premium Nickel Resources, which holds a trio of defunct nickel, copper and cobalt mines in Botswana of all places. Now, this seems to be a big deviation from the EMX business model. What’s going on there?
David Cole:
Well, it’s actually a key part of our business model to make strategic investments. And so it’s quite synergistic with our royalty generation work. We’ve got smart economic challenges around the world, identifying properties to acquire. And occasionally, they come across an opportunity to invest in a company where we cannot, not buy the stock.
David Cole:
And you may recall the investment that we had in Russia of all places, that we liquidated at a substantial profit. That was a strategic investment in an ongoing copper and gold development story. We did exceedingly well on and happy to have our money out of Russia back in 2018 and have not gone back, I’ll point out.
David Cole:
But that’s an example of us making strategic investments. Our track record over a nearly 20-year pathway here has been quite good. We’ve netted out over 50 million USD from our strategic investments. And we’ve had a couple bumps on the chin. We’re comfortable with taking risk and the wins have far outweighed the losses.
David Cole:
This is our next major strategic investment, absolutely delighted for the very reasons that Rick pointed out to have that nickel exposure. And we think that the premium nickel asset in Botswana is going to be in the top five nickel sulfide systems on the planet. We’re very bullish about that opportunity.
Maurice Jackson:
Multimillion dollar question here, can you provide us with an update on the situation with Zijin Mining in Serbia at the giant Timok copper-gold mine?
David Cole:
Everybody wants to know the answer to that. Of course, I can selectively disclose information, but I can say that we are in negotiations with Zijin. They’ve been quite professional and communicative to work with, and I’m confident that we’ll come to a mutual agreement.
Maurice Jackson:
All right. The Balya silver-lead-zinc mine in Turkey, it’s been ramping up for a while now. What’s the latest there?
David Cole:
So the exploration results have been phenomenal. The deposit continues to grow. They’ve decided that they will build a second mill, which we’re delighted that will substantially enhance our cash flow long-term. And they are entering into commercial production now. I expect the first royalty check to come in within the next couple of months, actually. And I do expect production to ramp up from multiple underground headings over the course of the next five years. Five years from now, it’s going to be a substantial annual royalty for us.
Maurice Jackson:
Can you give us an update on the Gediktepe gold oxide and polymetallic mine? And when will this royalty start cash flowing?
David Cole:
That one’s also just a couple months away, Maurice. And so that’s an interesting royalty in that the royalty on the upper oxide zone, which is gold and silver enriched, is 10%. That was part of the sales price when the predecessor to SSR sold that on to the current operator, Lidya, and that 10% kicks in after 10,000 ounces have been poured. And we’re right at 4,000 ounces right now. They are in production, they’re placing ore on the pad. They did have a tough winter season, so that slowed them down a little bit, but they’re only a few weeks behind.
David Cole:
And we’re seeing greater in production as they head into summer. As soon as they cross the 10,000th ounce, which will be just a few months out, probably June or July, then we’ll start to receive royalty payments on that, and that is a 10% royalty. And that’s on the upper oxide zone, which we believe will have about a five-year mine life. And then it goes into the polymetallic sulfide zone, which is dominated by zinc and copper, two commodities we love. And that’s a 2% royalty in perpetuity on that zone.
David Cole:
So that’s another key asset within the portfolio that starts to cash flow in a few months.
Maurice Jackson:
Now that 10% is just remarkable. With all the new royalty cash flow and pending royalties poised to begin paying, what will the cash flow look like for EMX for the remainder of 2022?
David Cole:
Yep. So we will be coming out with guidance in two quarters, and we’re diligently working on that. And our bankers are talking to us about that. And that’s part of our shelf filing that we’re also in the process of, and this is all part of our maturing from a junior company that’s been building a portfolio to a mid-tier company with strong cash flows. And so, as soon as we provide that guidance, Maurice, you’ll be one of the first to know.
Maurice Jackson:
Right, looking forward to it. Leaving the property bank, Rick, I know you have a very stringent, selective criteria for companies that make the grade, if you will, before you will commit your capital. Now, we just heard Mr. Cole referenced that EMX has five attractive royalties and more on the way along with an attractive share price, in my opinion.
Maurice Jackson:
That all sounds compelling, but you taught me years ago that the competitive advantage for a shareholder is found in the board of directors, management, and technical team. Why are the people equally, if not more, important to you as a shareholder than the given project, and specifically the team that comprises EMX royalty?
Rick Rule:
Bad people can screw up good rocks. If the wrong team controls the cash flow, they get it and the shareholders don’t, simple as that. The second thing of course, is that luck favors the trained observer. And you need luck in exploration. Dave has done a great job over 20 years. He’s a geologist himself, but I would say his true talent is hiring and motivating and keeping very good geologists.
Rick Rule:
So, what has always attracted me to EMX has been the technical IQ per dollar of market cap. The fact that although the team has done a decent job of buying royalties, what I think the real secret sauce is the fact that they have generated royalties by generating 300 exploration concepts that other people have bought into. It can take a decade for prospect generation to work for you. But prospect generation, in my own portfolio, has been by far the most capital efficient exploration speculation that I have done. What the EMX team did is they figured out a better payments mechanism.
Rick Rule:
For most of my life, I invested in teams that had great intellectual capital that generated projects, and they ended up getting a carried interest in the project. The problem with that is that they sometimes didn’t have the ability to carry the load as the project went into production. And well, they had a lot of exploration expertise, they maybe didn’t have construction or development expertise.
Rick Rule:
What David did is he really simplified the way they got paid. Rather than get paid in the ability to own on a subsidized basis, a minority interested in operation that they may not know how to operate, he developed a circumstance where they got paid a carried interest by way of a royalty, which is ultimately a safer and probably a more valuable instrument.
Rick Rule:
The same intellectual capital that he has hired and deploys in the exploration business can be used to both source and evaluate either merchant banking opportunities, which is to say those companies that he invests in strategically or royalties. So I think it’s important that the exploration IQ that has been assembled within EMX turns out to be a strategic advantage in moving their asset base forward.
Maurice Jackson:
Now, Rick, we’ve heard you convey the merits of owning mineral royalties, and we’ve heard the virtues that EMX royalty presents to the market. Before we close, what did I forget to ask?
Rick Rule:
Well, I think, the important question to ask any company that’s beginning to mature is how are the capital allocation decisions made. What would be as, an example, the capital cost assumptions around the debt that they took on and what sort of pro forma delta would occur between cost of capital to return on capital employed? How strategically will the decision be made internally as to whether to emphasize the merchant banking business, the royalty generation business, or the royalty acquisition business?
Rick Rule:
And then finally, I think, the royalty acquisition business is extremely competitive. I would ask Dave to describe the competitive advantage that he may feel against the 30-some odd other players in the mineral royalty space.
Maurice Jackson:
All right, Mr. Cole. So, you know what’s up for our next interview.
David Cole:
It boils down to our alpha, which is on the technical side. And we believe that astute business decisions are rooted in solid technical understanding. And we’ve always had a strong technical team here at EMX to drive those business decisions so that we can have that astute allocation of capital.
Maurice Jackson:
Last question for you, Rick, tell us about the Rule Symposium, which will be held this year at the beautiful Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, Florida, July 26th through the 29th.
And I thought you’d never ask, Maurice. As both of you know, or all of you, frankly, to have put on natural resource investing conferences, the majority of those, the live ones took place in Vancouver, BC. A couple years ago because of COVID, we had to discontinue that one for a while. And we’d like to bring it back to BC, but the truth is with the COVID circumstance and public health administrations and two countries doing their level best to thwart my franchise, we decided to bring the conference down to the United States because most of the attendees are, in fact, American.
Rick Rule:
We searched around the country for a resort that was of the same quality that we expected, and one that had the facilities that we needed. And we found one in Boca Raton. The Boca Resort has a long and fabled history. It’s just undergone a spectacular renovation. They put hundreds of millions of dollars in it. They’re renting rooms to our attendees for $295 a night. Their rack rate is about a thousand, truly spectacular location.
Rick Rule:
The conference itself has a long and storied history. We’ve always had great speakers. We have Jim Rickards, Danielle DiMartino Booth, Doug Casey, the normal sort of gurus. But what’s always made our conference set apart is really two things. One, we have always had what I call the living legends, which is to say, we’ve always had the speakers, people who have built multi-billion dollar businesses in natural resources from scratch. It isn’t all gurus. There’s a lot of jockeys there and they are great jockeys. We’ll have that this year.
Rick Rule:
In addition to that, every exhibitor at our conference is owned either in Sprott managed accounts or in my own account. That doesn’t mean sadly that every stock I own goes up. What it does mean is that my attendees can rest assure that every exhibitor has been vetted. We know them well enough that we in fact, own them.
Rick Rule:
The important part of a live conference is that you get to see the interaction between the exhibitors and the speakers. I remember four years ago, I guess in Vancouver, following at a discreet different distance, Robert Friedland, one of the best resource entrepreneurs in history. And I watched him walk around the exhibit hall. I watched him speak to exhibitors. I took note of which exhibitors he talked to and which exhibitors made him smile and which exhibitors made him frown. I think the opportunity to follow Robert Friedland on a resource stock shopping trip is worth the price of admission.
Rick Rule:
By the way, with regards to the price of admission, every investment product, every investment education product that Rule Investment Media has ever offered over the last 30 years has come with a complete money back guarantee. If you come to the conference, you pay the tuition, and you don’t think it was worth your money? Email me. I’ll give you your money back.
Maurice:
One important factor that maybe you forgot to highlight there is the intellectual capital that you get from other investors. And the lifelong relationships that I’ve had an opportunity to forge has just been, I can’t put a price tag on that.
Rick Rule:
Oh, that’s a very good point. There’s going to be 500 high net worth investors there. And the idea that all the IQ in the room flows from the dais to the room is stupid. Watching fellow investors, listening to the questions that they ask the exhibitors, listening to the questions and the conversations they have amongst each other, listening to the conversations in the workshop, absolutely invaluable. And as I say, if you aren’t prepared to make money on it, there’s a money back guarantee.
Maurice:
Now I know the next question everyone has is how do I register? We’ve got that taken care of for you CLICK HERE. Check the description box below. Also, just visit www.provenandprobable.com. And the link will be on the right side of our homepage just below the weekly precious metal special through Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments. Mr. Cole, before we close, what would you like to say to shareholders?
David Cole:
Buy the depths, yeah. As Rick likes to say, you want to use the cycles to your advantage rather than be used by the cycles.
Maurice:
Mr. Cole, for someone that wants to learn more about EMX royalty, please share the website address.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 3, 2022 / Granite Creek Copper Ltd. (TSXV:GCX)(OTCQB:GCXXF) (“Granite Creek” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce that it has retained SGS to complete an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) on the Carmacks project. The PEA will use the 2022 Resource Estimate (Table 1), consisting of 36.2 million tonnes (Mt) in Measured and Indicated categories (M&I), grading 1.07% CuEq (0.81% Cu, 0.26g/t Au, 3.23g/t Ag and 0.011% Mo) for a total of 651 million pounds (Mlbs) of contained M&I copper and an additional 38 Mlbs Cu Inferred as the main input. Building off a 2017 PEA(1), the updated study will encompass the following:
Significant Increase in Contained Copper – The 2022 resource estimate marked a 43% increase in contained copper over the previous estimate referenced(2)
Inclusion of Sulphide Processing – As of the publication of the 2022 resource estimate the Carmacks project consists of roughly 50/50 sulfide and oxide resources by contained metal. The Company sees the inclusion of sulphide resources as a significant potential value driver having a positive impact on the economics of the project; and
High Proportion of Resources Modeled in Three Conceptual Open Pits – 96% of the 2022 resources are contained within the conceptual pits (Figure 1). With a high percentage of current resources reporting in conceptual pits the cash cost per pound of copper is expected to be significantly lower when compared to a similar sized underground operation.
Timothy Johnson, Granite Creek President & CEO, stated, “The launch of the updated Preliminary Economic Assessment study marks a major milestone in the development of the Carmacks deposit at a time when commodities demand is seeing rapid growth. The Carmacks project is well-positioned by its location, access to infrastructure, and proximity to the operating, high-grade Minto mine just to the north. Both copper and molybdenum have been deemed by the Canadian government to be ‘critical minerals‘ based on their role in the transition to a low-carbon economy which we expect will provide prolonged price strength well into the future. We look forward to continuing to bring positive news as we develop this high-grade copper project.”
Upcoming Events
OTC Markets Mining and Metals Virtual Conference – Tim Johnson, President & CEO, will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on May 5th, 2022 at 10am PT | 1pm ET. To register, click here.
Vancouver Resource Investment Conference – Granite Creek Copper will join fellow members of the Metallic Group of Companies at the 2022 VRIC event at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 17-18. Visit us in Booth 111.
2022 Technical Report Filing
Granite Creek also announces that further to its news release dated March 15, 2022 it has filed on SEDAR a National Instrument 43-101 technical report (the “Technical Report”) for the Carmacks project, located in the Yukon, Canada.
The report, entitled “Technical Report on the Updated Mineral Resource Estimates for the Carmacks Cu-Au-Ag Project Near Carmacks, Yukon, Canada”, has an effective date of February 25, 2022. The Technical Report was authored Allan Armitage Ph.D., P.Geo of SGS Geological Services(“SGS”) an independent Qualified Person and was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
The Technical Report is available under the Company’s profile at www.sedar.com and will also be available on the Company’s website at www.gcxcopper.com.
Table 1 – 2022 Carmacks Copper Project Mineral Resources
Granite Creek Copper Ltd., Tuesday, May 3, 2022, Press release picture
Cu=copper, Au=gold, Mo=molybdenum, Ag=silver, Mt=millions of tonnes, Mlbs=millions of pounds, klbs=thousands of pounds, koz=thousands of ounces. Mineral Resources are reported using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards. Mineral Resources are reported within a conceptual constraining pit shell that includes the following input parameters: Metal prices of $3.60/lb Cu, $1,750/Au, $22/oz Ag, $14/lb Mo and pit slope angles that vary from 35° for overburden to 55°for granodiorite host. Metal prices are in US$. Metallurgical recoveries reflective of prior test work that averages: 85% Cu, 85% Au, 65% Ag in the oxide domain and 90% Cu, 76% Au, 65% Ag in the sulphide domain. Mo recovery is assumed to be 70% in both oxide and sulphide domain. Tonnes are metric tonnes, with Cu and Mo grades as percentages and Au and Ag grades as gram per tonne units. Cu and Mo metal content is reported in lb and Au and Ag content is reported in troy oz. Totals and Metal content may not sum due to rounding and significant digits used in calculations. Cu Eq calculation is based on 100% recovery of all metals using the same metal prices used in the resource calculation: $3.60/lb Cu, $1,750/Au, $22/oz Ag, $14/lb Mo.
Figure 1 – Oblique view of 2022 resources and proposed pits (total strike length of 2,950 m)
Granite Creek Copper Ltd., Tuesday, May 3, 2022, Press release picture
Qualified Persons
The Carmacks project 2022 Resource Estimate was prepared by Allan Armitage, P.Geo., of SGS Geological Services, an independent Qualified Person, in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) with an effective date of February 25, 2022. Armitage conducted a site visit to the property on November 9, 2021.
Ms. Debbie James, P.Geo., a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure not pertaining to the resource estimate contained in this news release. Ms. James is a Senior Geologist with TruePoint Exploration and a Project Manager at Carmacks.
1PEA: “NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report on the Carmacks Project, Yukon, Canada” Effective Date 12 October 2016. Report Date: 25 November 2016. SEDAR Filing Date: 9 February 2017
1News Release: “Copper North Expands Oxide Mineral resources at Carmacks” Published on SEDAR 9 April 2018.
About Granite Creek Copper
Granite Creek, a member of the Metallic Group of Companies, is a Canadian exploration company focused on the 176 square kilometer Carmacks project in the Minto copper district of Canada’s Yukon Territory. The project is on trend with the high-grade Minto copper-gold mine, operated by Minto Metals Corp., to the north, and features excellent access to infrastructure with the nearby paved Yukon Highway 2, along with grid power within 12 km. More information about Granite Creek Copper can be viewed on the Company’s website at www.gcxcopper.com.
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 Granite Creek Copper 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 Granite Creek Copper 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.
Hear Andy go live and talk three topics that our important to the precious metals industry with a live Q&A for the last fifteen minutes Andy’s Live Wednesday, March 23 · 8:00 – 9:00pm Google Meet joining info Video call link: https://meet.google.com/dxu-apjt-qww
In this interview, I share the 3 groups of precious metals investors, their habits, and results. 1 of the 3 groups has results that are unmatched compared to the other 2. This is an absolute must watch before you invest in precious metals. Is silver investment the best move for you? Which type of precious metals investor are you?
Concerned about the effects of inflation? Want to learn about some of the biggest silver stacking mistakes? Are you interested in owning gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and or rhodium; and how to spot a buying opportunity and sell precious metals like the pro’s? At Miles Franklin we offer all of the above physical delivery directly to you, along with Precious Metals IRA’s, storage with BRINKS. To place an order: 855.505.1900 or email: maurice@milesfranklin.com
Proven and Probable Where we deliver Mining Insights & Bullion Sales. I’m a licensed broker for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments under our President Andy Schectman. Where we provide unlimited options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical deliver, offshore depositories, precious metals IRA’s, and private blockchain distributed ledger technology. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900 or you may email maurice@milesfranklin.com.
Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – December 20, 2021) – EMX Royalty Corporation (NYSE American: EMX) (TSXV: EMX) (FSE: 6E9) (the “Company” or “EMX”) is pleased to provide an update on its Balya North lead-zinc-silver royalty property in northwestern Turkey. EMX retains an uncapped 4% NSR royalty on the Balya North development project. EMX representatives recently visited the Balya North operations to tour the project area and meet with operator Esan Eczacibaşi Endüstriyel Hammaddeler San. ve Tic. A.Ş. (“Esan”).
Esan has informed EMX that the development ramps to be used for production at Balya North are nearly complete with the first ramp having reached a length of 520 meters at an 8% grade to access the uppermost bodies of mineralization in the Balya North deposit (approximately 50 meters depth below the surface). A ventilation shaft that will also serve as a secondary escapeway (for safety purposes) has also been completed and initial production is underway.
During ramp development, approximately 18,000 tonnes of lead-zinc-silver mineralized material were intersected by the workings and have been stockpiled on site. This material is now being processed at Esan’s nearby mill facility.
In addition, Esan has multiple drill rigs on site, testing the down-plunge extensions of the Balya North deposit and infill drilling the mineralized zones to improve their level of confidence. Esan has informed EMX that approximately 35,000 meters of exploration drilling have been completed thus far in 2021, and an additional 5,000 meters are planned to be completed in the current campaign. The new drilling is materially expanding the zones of known mineralization along trend and at depths in the system(s) (see Drilling Update below).
In addition to the development work and ongoing drill programs, Esan is also reconfiguring portions of the processing lines at its nearby milling and concentrating facilities to accommodate the feed of new material from the EMX royalty property. This includes modifications to the lines that feed the fine material stockpiles and the addition of an automated sampler to collect representative samples of the Balya North materials as they are fed to the processing systems. It is expected that this work will be completed in early 2022.
Drilling Update. Highlights from recent drilling completed by Esan are shown in Table 1 below. These include several notable intercepts from deep levels in the system (depths of greater than 700 meters), which show that mineralization at Balya North continues to be robust at depth and remains open in multiple directions. Intercepts from these depths have not yet been included in the in-house resource models, as more drilling will be needed to define the extents and limits of mineralization at deep levels.
Also evident were multiple thick intervals of mineralization at shallower levels in the Balya North deposit. Like other parts of the system(s), silver tends to be highly enriched in lead-rich (galena) zones of mineralization, and this is nicely demonstrated by the recent drill results. Esan has informed EMX that it intends to continue its aggressive drill program in 2022.
Table 1: Highlights from recent Balya North drilling
Drill Hole
From
To
Length (meters)*
Pb %
Zn %
Ag ppm
BKS-005
830.6
837
6.4
8.61
0.16
96.82
BKS-020
388.5
408.6
20.1
8.05
3.61
101.15
BKS-031
783.5
787.4
3.9
10.30
5.08
342.00
BKS-057
313.6
330.6
17
5.83
4.93
61.28
BKS-057
343.4
366.9
23.5
16.24
5.24
243.08
BKS-066
570.7
596.2
25.5
2.80
3.51
163.91
*as measured in drill core; true widths not reported and remain unknown
Balya North Royalty Property Overview. EMX retains a 4% net smelter return (“NSR”) royalty on its Balya North royalty property, which is situated in the historic Balya mining district of northwestern Turkey. Mining at Balya has taken place since antiquity, with several generations of historical operations. The district contains extensive zones of shear-zone hosted and carbonate replacement style (“CRD”) lead-zinc-silver mineralization in addition to skarn and more copper-rich styles of mineralization developed at depth.
Esan acquired the EMX royalty property at the end of 2019 (See EMX news release dated January 7, 2020) and is a private Turkish company that operates 40 mines and eight processing plants. Most importantly, Esan operates a lead-zinc mine and flotation mill on the property immediately adjacent to EMX’s Balya North royalty property.
EMX congratulates Esan on its ongoing development progress at Balya North and looks forward to additional updates as production progresses.
Comments on Sampling, Assaying, and QA/QC. ESAN’s drill samples were collected in accordance with industry standard best practices. The samples were submitted to ALS laboratories in Izmir, Turkey and Vancouver, Canada (ISO 9001:2000 and 17025:2005 accredited) for sample preparation and analysis. Silver and base metal analyses are determined by four acid digestion and ICP MS/AES techniques. Over-limit analyses are performed by atomic absorption, and in some cases (>30% Pb and >30% Zn) by volumetric titration techniques. ESAN performs routine QA/QC analyses on their assay results, including the utilization of certified reference materials, blanks, and duplicate samples.
Dr. Eric P. Jensen, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and employee of the Company, has reviewed, verified and approved the disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release.
About EMX. EMX is a precious, base and battery metals royalty company. EMX’s investors are provided with discovery, development, and commodity price optionality, while limiting exposure to risks inherent to operating companies. The Company’s common shares are listed on the NYSE American Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol EMX, as well as on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol “6E9”. Please see www.EMXroyalty.com for more information. For further information contact:
David M. Cole President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (303) 973-8585 Dave@EMXroyalty.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” that reflect the Company’s current expectations and projections about its future results. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding perceived merit of properties, exploration results and budgets, mineral reserves and resource estimates, work programs, capital expenditures, timelines, strategic plans, market prices for precious and base metal, or other statements that are not statements of fact. When used in this news release, words such as “estimate,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “will”, “believe”, “potential”, “upside” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which, by their very nature, are not guarantees of the Company’s future operational or financial performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors may include, but are not limited to: unavailability of financing, failure to identify commercially viable mineral reserves, fluctuations in the market valuation for commodities, difficulties in obtaining required approvals for the development of a mineral project, increased regulatory compliance costs, expectations of project funding by joint venture partners and other factors.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date otherwise specifically indicated herein. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified in this news release, and other risk factors and forward-looking statements listed in the Company’s MD&A for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 (the “MD&A”), and the most recently filed Annual Information Form (“AIF”) for the year ended December 31, 2020, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. More information about the Company, including the MD&A, the AIF and financial statements of the Company, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC’s EDGAR website at www.sec.gov.
