Appia Announces Significant Geochemical Critical REE Assay Results at Alces Lake Project, Saskatchewan, Canada

Appia Announces Significant Geochemical Critical REE Assay Results at Alces Lake Project, Saskatchewan, Canada

Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API) (OTCQX: APAAF) (FSE: A0I0) (MUN: A0I0) (BER: A0I0) (the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to announce significant initial geochemical assay results derived from the 2023 drilling program conducted on the Magnet Ridge Zone at its Alces Lake Project in Northern Saskatchewan. These promising findings mark a pivotal milestone in the Company's ongoing commitment to advancing exploration and development initiatives within the prolific Athabasca Basin area. The drilling campaign, instrumental in extending mineralization further to the south-southeast (SSE) underscores Appia's dedication to unlocking the full potential of this project.

Highlights:

  • Assays of up to 1.57 wt.% (15,700 ppm) Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO) were returned, with thickness and grades increasing to the south-southeast
  • Highest Grade Intercepts:
    • Hole 23-MR-001: 21.91 m width @ 0.366 wt.% TREO, including 2.67 m @ 0.660 wt.% TREO
    • Hole 23-MR-002: 25.5 m width @ 0.329 wt.% TREO, including 2.11 m @ 0.389 wt.% TREO and 4.68 m @ 0.520 wt.% TREO
    • Hole 23-MR-003: 30.5 m width @ 0.292 wt.% TREO, including 1.00 m @ 0.537 wt.% TREO
    • Hole 23-MR-006: 6.31 m width @ 0.267 wt.% TREO
    • Hole 23-MR-007: 9.29 m width @ 0.384 wt.% TREO, including 0.50 m @ 0.650 wt.% TREO
    • Hole 23-MR-010: 1.80 m width @ 0.246 wt.% TREO
  • Mineralization intervals occur from near surface to
  • Future exploration to continue in the west-southwest (WSW); extending downward into current intersections towards the mineralization at Magnet Ridge West (MRW)

Commencing on June 11th, 2023, Appia initiated a comprehensive 3456.72-metre helicopter-supported diamond drilling program, concluding all field operations on August 24th. Prioritizing specific areas spanning the entire property, with dimensions of approximately 20 kilometres in length and 5 to 7 kilometres in width, the drill program systematically targeted key zones. The Company has received all assay results stemming from its 2023 summer geochemical exploration initiative. Appia is engaged in the compilation, review, and interpretation of these results across all investigated areas. Updates will be disseminated as both results and interpretations become available.

Recent petrographic/mineralogical studies indicate that the Rare Earth Elements (REE) mineralization at Magnet Ridge is hosted primarily in monazite.

"The identification of the Magnet Ridge Zone following the 2022 drill campaign was a major success to further delineate potential mineralization at Alces Lake. We can now extend this zone along this segment of the structural corridor," stated Stephen Burega, President. "We completed 11 step-out holes from eight collars, and we are seeing continued mineralization with thick intercepts."

On June 24, 2023, the southern extension drilling at Magnet Ridge concluded, encompassing 11 drill holes with a combined depth of 1092 metres (see Figures 1 and 2, Tables 1, 2, and 3). A press release dated July 5, 2023, disclosed noteworthy findings, revealing that five drill holes identified significant mineralization intersections, with core intersection widths reaching up to 21.91 metres. Notably, Table 1 details two drill holes that recorded multiple intersections.

Geological and geophysical interpretation has yielded valuable insights:

  1. The down-dip extension of Magnet Ridge toward the west-southwest (WSW), remains open.

  2. Mineralization encountered terminates abruptly at the SSE end of the Thorium (eTh) anomaly, attributed to an east-northeast cross-structure-a steeply dipping fault that vertically offsets the mineralization down-dip on its southern side.

  3. The eTh radiometric high exhibits a surface expression approximately 450 metres long by 250 metres wide. The clear down-dip extension to the WSW is evident in the X-section of drill holes 23-MR-001, 002, and 003 (refer to Figure 3, with the location indicated in Figures 1 and 2). This consistency aligns with representative X-sections from prior years' drilling in the northern and central segments of Magnet Ridge (Figures 4 and 5, with locations depicted in Figure 1).

"The first three holes successfully intercepted pebbly biotite schist (glimmerite) mineralization from 32 to 70 metres depth along core axis," affirmed Dr. Irvine Annesley, VP of Exploration, "Ongoing drilling in 2023 consistently suggests the potential for the down-dip extension of the mineralization to extend WSW, potentially reaching depths connecting to Magnet Ridge West (MRW)."

The Company is poised to explore mineralization at MRW within a fold structure, with plans to conduct grid/drill testing at depths ranging from 50 to 175 metres. This strategic initiative reflects Appia's commitment to advancing exploration to uncover valuable critical mineral resources.

"The 2023 Alces Lake exploration campaign completed a successful season of prospecting, channel sampling, and diamond drilling across the entire large property. Specifically, here at Magnet Ridge, our team was able to delineate the SSE-most extent of the Magnet Ridge mineralization (see Figures 1 and 2)," says Lead Geologist Kahlen Branning, "Our prospecting team has uncovered a multitude of new, potential drill targets on the property that necessitate further detailed exploration, many of these display anomalous radioactive counts, from 5,000 counts per second (cps) to 40,000 cps. These new zones match our original hypothesis regarding the location of low-to-high-grade mineralization along the main regional shear zone and within the fold nose/hinge zone area of a large regional fold structure."

After concluding operations at Magnet Ridge, the drill was relocated to the Jesse Zone where the Company completed 9 diamond drill holes (DDHs). Subsequently, the drill was directed to a particularly promising anomaly within the Western Anomalies area, leading to the completion of 3 diamond drill holes. Advancing further, the drill was repositioned to explore the Hinge and WRCB Zones, to test new targets, exhibiting count rates of up to 30,000 cps, as delineated by the ongoing 2023 prospecting and channel sampling program. Notably, certain targets underwent drilling using both a diamond drill and a backpack drill, the latter validating emerging RAMP-HD targets at the surface for subsequent drilling initiatives.

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Figure 1. Location map of 2023 Magnet Ridge drilling with previous 2021 and 2022 DDH from Magnet Ridge and Magnet Ridge West (MRW). Area outlined in blue is the surface expression of the interpreted down-dip mineralization (at depth) to Magnet Ridge.

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Figure 2. Detailed map of 2023 Magnet Ridge drilling.

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Figure 3. X-section of the 23-MR-001, 23-MR-002, and 23-MR-003 drill holes. The intersection in 23-MR-001 is interpreted to be close to true width.

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       Including
Hole ID numberFrom (m)To (m)Drilled Length (m)TREO wt%Ga2O3 wt%ZoneFrom (m)To (m)Drilled Length (m)TREO wt%Ga2O3 wt%
23-MR-00132.567.134.60.240.004Magnet Ridge32.4754.3821.910.3660.005
      Magnet Ridge46.8849.552.670.6600.005
23-MR-00232.257.725.50.3290.005Magnet Ridge32.2035.213.010.3090.005
      Magnet Ridge39.5941.702.110.3890.005
      Magnet Ridge52.5557.234.680.5200.006
23-MR-00338.569.7431.240.250.005Magnet Ridge39.2469.7430.500.2920.005
      Magnet Ridge45.1746.171.000.4300.005
      Magnet Ridge50.1751.171.000.5370.005
      Magnet Ridge55.1956.191.000.3630.005
23-MR-00671.1977.56.310.2670.004Magnet Ridge     
23-MR-00774.6483.939.290.3840.004Magnet Ridge77.3777.870.500.650.004
      Magnet Ridge80.7880.920.140.8800.004
23-MR-0103233.81.80.2460.004Magnet Ridge     

 

Table 1. Summary of Highlighted Drillhole Composites from 23-MR-001, 002, 003, 006, 007, 010.

Note to Table 1. Highlighted TREO assay composites from 2023 diamond drillholes in the Magnet Ridge Area. wt.% TREO = ([CeO2 ppm] + [Dy2O3 ppm] + [Pr6O11 ppm] + [La2O3 ppm] + [Nd2O3 ppm] + [Sm2O3 ppm] + [Eu2O3 ppm] + [Gd2O3 ppm] + [Tb4O7 ppm] + [Ho2O3 ppm] [Er2O3 ppm] + [Yb2O3 ppm] + [Lu2O3] ppm + [Y2O3 ppm] ) / 10000

Final NameEastingNorthingElevationAzimuthDipEOH
23-MR-001668214.8376616712.684440.99245-46.4887
23-MR-002668214.8376616712.684440.99245-71.0290
23-MR-003668214.8376616712.684440.99245.02-89.59105
23-MR-006668312.896616663.925441.42844.54-44.55102
23-MR-007668312.896616663.925441.42844.72-70.5290
23-MR-010668383.5636616317.018413.05844.77-44.64102

 

Table 2. Drill hole collar details for DDH 23-MR-001, 23-MR-002, 23-MR-003, 23-MR-006, 23-MR-007, 23-MR-010.

Table 3. The complete assays results are available by clicking on this link.

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Figure 4. Representative X-section from northern part of Magnet Ridge (see Figure 1 for location).

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Figure 5. Representative X-section from central part of Magnet Ridge (see Figure 1 for location).

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About the Alces Lake Project

The Alces Lake project encompasses some of the highest-grade total and critical* REE and gallium mineralization in the world, hosted within several surface and near-surface monazite occurrences that remain open at depth and along strike.

* Critical rare earth elements are defined here as those that are in short-supply and high-demand for use in permanent magnets that enable modern electronic applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines. The "magnet alloy" rare earths are neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb).

The Alces Lake project area is 38,522.43 contiguous hectares (95,191.00 acres) in size and is 100% owned by Appia.

All lithogeochemical assay results of core samples were provided by Saskatchewan Research Council's Geoanalytical Laboratory, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (CAN-P-4E) certified laboratory in Saskatoon, SK. All analytical results reported herein have passed internal QA/QC review and compilation.

The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (Appia)

Appia is a publicly traded Canadian company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The Company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, as well as exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 113,837.15 hectares (281,297.72 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres), with rare earth elements and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario. Lastly, the Company holds the right to acquire up to a 70% interest in the PCH Project which is 40,963.18 ha. in size and located within the Goiás State of Brazil. (See January 11th, 2024 Press Release - Click HERE) The Company successfully added 23,412.11 ha to the PCH project's total hectares bringing the overall project size to 40,963.18 ha.

Appia has 136.3 million common shares outstanding, 144.1 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-Looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, visit www.appiareu.com.

As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages.

To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here.

Contact:

Tom Drivas, CEO and Director 
(c) (416) 876-3957
(f) (416) 218-9772
(e) tdrivas@appiareu.com

Stephen Burega, President
(c) (647) 515-3734
(e) sburega@appiareu.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/194242

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Energy Fuels Inc. is an industry leader in uranium and rare earth elements production for the energy transition. (CNW Group/Energy Fuels Inc.)

As previously announced , on November 28, 2024 , the Madagascar Council of Ministers, as Chaired by the President of Madagascar , lifted the suspension on the Toliara Project, which was originally imposed in November 2019 . The lifting of the Suspension allows the Company to continue development of the Project, re-establish community programs, and advance activities necessary to achieve a positive final investment decision (" FID ").

The MOU announced today is the culmination of extensive negotiations over several years with the Malagasy Government on fiscal and other terms applicable to the Toliara Project and a major step forward in advancing the Project. While the Company is progressing towards an FID, which is expected to be made in approximately 14 months, the Company will continue working with the Government of Madagascar to formalize the terms and conditions set out in the MOU through the implementation of a " Stability Mechanism " consisting of one or a combination of the following: (a) submittal of an Investment Agreement to the Madagascar Parliament for approval as law and certification of the Toliara Project (" Project Certification ") under existing law establishing a special regime for large scale investments in the Malagasy mining sector (the " LGIM "); (b) promulgation of amendments and revisions to the existing LGIM (the " LGIM Amendment ") in a form that provides for the necessary certainty of financial and legal terms, and reasonable financial, operational and legal requirements, for large-scale projects and have Project Certification under the amended LGIM, together with an Investment Agreement (if reasonably required) submitted to Parliament for approval as law; and/or (c) another agreed upon mechanism that achieves the necessary certainty of financial and legal terms, and reasonable financial, operational and legal requirements, applying to large-scale mining projects.

Mark S. Chalmers , President and CEO of Energy Fuels commented: "As I've said before, I believe the Toliara Project is a 'generational' critical mineral project that has the strong potential to operate well beyond many of our lifetimes. Therefore, it is vital to Energy Fuels, and to our Base Resources subsidiaries, that the Republic of Madagascar and the communities in the vicinity of the Project enjoy significant benefits that go beyond jobs, economic development, and sustainable operations that respect human rights, local culture, and the environment. To achieve this vision, the MOU signed today creates the framework for a long-term mutually beneficial partnership between a U.S. critical mineral company and the people of Madagascar . We look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Madagascar to formalize the terms of the MOU and grow our relationship with what we believe will be the largest U.S. investment in the country's history."

Key Terms and Conditions of the MOU

Under the MOU, the Company has agreed to pay a five percent (5%) royalty (and no other) on mining products and deliver US$80 million after Project Certification in development, community, and social project funding, including a total of $30 million within 30 days after Project Certification, another $10 million within 30 days after achieving a positive FID and an additional $40 million by the fourth year of operations. In addition, the Company has agreed to spend at least $1 million prior to FID in the Atsimo Andrefana Region on community and social investments, and $4 million annually thereafter, indexed at 2% per annum, from commencement of construction after a positive FID. The Company has also committed to developing the Toliara Project in an environmentally, socially and fiscally responsible manner, and to observe the specific protections set out in the MOU.

The payments described above are not expected to have a material effect on the economics of this potentially multi-billion project, which (along with the appropriate disclaimers related to technical disclosure) are described in the Company's April 2024 press release . The Company is in the process of updating the September 2021 definitive feasibility study and December 2023 prefeasibility study on the Toliara Project, along with the White Mesa Mill's 2024 prefeasibility study on rare earth oxide production, to reflect current economics.

The Government has agreed in the MOU, among other things, to:

  • assist the Company with obtaining all necessary administrative authorizations for the purpose of adding REE-bearing monazite recovery to existing permits;
  • certify the Project as eligible under the LGIM (or amended LGIM, if applicable) as soon as the LGIM eligibility conditions are met; support the prompt development of the Toliara Project, including (without limitation) by causing all relevant State authorities to timely consider and grant all complete applications for permits, licenses or authorizations necessary or desirable for the development and operation of the Toliara Project in accordance with the laws of Madagascar ;
  • maintain the fiscal, legal and customs stability of the Toliara Project;
  • not, directly or indirectly, receive, take or have an interest (including an economic interest or form of production sharing arrangement, and whether carried or free-carried) in the Company or any of its assets, including the Toliara Project;
  • provide active and public support for the Toliara Project, including by publicly announcing the State's support for the Toliara Project and its development; and
  • undertake any LGIM amendments in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Company, to ensure that such amendments (or similar instruments with legislative force) provide the necessary certainty of financial and legal terms to address the reasonable financial, operational and legal requirements of large-scale mining projects, and otherwise supports the bankability of the Toliara Project and the ability of the Company to achieve a positive FID.

In addition, under the MOU, the Company's agreement to pay a 5% royalty on revenues and its commitments to pay the US$80 million in development, community and social funding are conditional on:

  • the terms of the Stability Mechanism being adopted in a form that is satisfactory to the Company;
  • Project Certification having been obtained; and
  • prior to Project Certification having been obtained, there being no change to the laws of Madagascar (as they apply to the Company and the Toliara Project as at the date of the MOU) that is adverse to the Company or the Toliara Project.

The MOU and its terms are expressly subject to the foregoing conditions set out in the MOU. It should be noted that there can be no assurance that the foregoing conditions will be satisfied or as to the timing of satisfaction of those conditions, or the timing for approval of the addition of monazite to the mining permit. If such conditions are not satisfied, this could delay any FID in relation to the Toliara Project or prevent or otherwise have a significant effect on the development of the Toliara Project or ability to recover Monazite from the Toliara Project.

ABOUT Energy Fuels

Energy Fuels is a leading US-based critical minerals company, focused on uranium, REEs, heavy mineral sands ("HMS"), vanadium and medical isotopes. The Company has been the leading U.S. producer of natural uranium concentrate for the past several years, which is sold to nuclear utilities that process it further for the production of carbon-free nuclear energy and owns and operates several conventional and in situ recovery uranium projects in the western United States. The Company also owns the White Mesa Mill in Utah, which is the only fully licensed and operating conventional uranium processing facility in the United States. At the Mill, the Company also produces advanced REE products, vanadium oxide (when market conditions warrant), and is preparing to begin pilot-scale recovery of certain medical isotopes from existing uranium process streams needed for emerging cancer treatments. The Company also owns the operating Kwale HMS project in Kenya which is nearing the end of its life and is developing three (3) additional HMS projects, including the Toliara Project in Madagascar, the Bahia Project in Brazil, and the Donald Project in Australia in which the Company has the right to earn up to a 49% interest in a joint venture with Astron Corporation Limited. The Company is based in Lakewood, Colorado, near Denver, with its HMS operations managed from Perth, Australia. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels' common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol "UUUU," and the Company's common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR." For more information on all we do, please visit http://www.energyfuels.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "Forward Looking Information" and "Forward Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: any expectation that the Company will maintain its position as a leading U.S.-based uranium and critical minerals company or as the leading producer of uranium in the U.S.; any expectation that the Company will re-commence development activities on the ground, re-establish the Company's community programs or progress the other activities necessary to achieve a positive FID for the Toliara Project; any expectation that the Toliara Project is a 'generational' critical minerals project or that it has the strong potential to operate well beyond many of our lifetimes or at all; any expectation that the Company will continue working with the Government of Madagascar to formalize fiscal and other terms applicable to the Project through an investment agreement, amendments to existing laws or other mechanisms as appropriate; any expectation that rare-earth element production will be added to the existing mining permit; any expectation that the financial and legal stability of the Toliara Project will be maintained; any expectation that the Toliara Project will attain Project Certification or that the other conditions to the Company's funding obligations will be satisfied; any expectation that a positive FID will be made for the Toliara Project and the timing of any such positive FID; any expectation that the Toliara Project will be developed; any expectation that the MOU will create the framework for a long-term mutually beneficial partnership between a U.S. critical mineral company and the people of Madagascar ; and any expectation that the Company will be successful in recovering certain medical isotopes from existing uranium process streams needed for emerging cancer treatments. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects," "does not expect," "is expected," "is likely," "budgets," "scheduled," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "anticipates," "does not anticipate," or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will be taken," "occur," "be achieved" or "have the potential to." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, herein are considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements express or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with: commodity prices and price fluctuations; engineering, construction, processing and mining difficulties, upsets and delays; permitting and licensing requirements and delays; changes to regulatory requirements; legal challenges; competition from other producers; public opinion; government and political actions; the failure of the Company to provide or obtain the necessary financing required to develop the Project; market factors, including future demand for REEs; and the other factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available for review on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml , on SEDAR at www.sedar.com , and on the Company's website at www.energyfuels.com . Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. 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. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law.

Cision View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/energy-fuels-and-madagascar-government-execute-memorandum-of-understanding-to-further-advance-toliara-critical-mineral-project-in-madagascar-302323924.html

SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.

Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2024/05/c6155.html

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