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Impact Minerals Limited
Investor Insight
With a mining lease application underway and a scoping study that shows excellent economics, Impact Minerals’ game-changing, advanced Lake Hope high-purity alumina project makes for a compelling investment case.
Overview
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) is an exploration and development mining company focused on discovering and developing new resource projects within Australia. Lake Hope, a transformational acquisition by the company and its current flagship asset, is a high-purity alumina (HPA) project in Impact’s home territory of Western Australia, a tier-one jurisdiction.
This advanced-stage project allows the company to fast-track the asset toward development, firmly establishing the company on the road to production and increasing shareholder value.
HPA is a high-value product with various uses in several industries that are key to the transition to a low-carbon world. It is mainly used in LED lighting, micro-LED screens, and ceramic-coated separators in lithium-ion batteries. Both these markets are forecast to grow dramatically over the next decade, and a looming supply shortage is predicted for 2026.
HPA is also necessary for producing synthetic sapphire and scratch-resistant glass. With these ever-widening applications for HPA, demand for this resource is expected to grow from US$3.18 billion to US$12.21 billion by 2030 with a compounded annual growth rate of about 20 percent.
Lake Hope is the company’s current focus as it moves towards production, and where a very shallow, high-grade resource of HPA precursor material has been identified in the top two meters of a dry salt lake. The deposit has unique physical and chemical properties that will allow for inexpensive digging and mining, with transportation to a processing facility off-site in an established industrial area. This will accelerate the approvals processes required to get into production.
With a mining lease application pending, Impact aims to bring Lake Hope, which contains almost 1 million tons of potential HPA, into production when the forecast average price for 4N HPA (99.99 percent Al2O3) and related products is about US$20,000 per ton. The ‘4N’ designation indicates the purity grade, making it suitable for high-tech end uses.
Outstanding economics from the latest scoping study released by the company shows Lake Hope’s potential to be the lowest-cost producer of HPA globally by up to 50 percent.
Lake Hope has a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tons at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tons of alumina. The company also received heritage clearances for the entire Lake Hope deposit further de-risking the project and providing another critical component in the company’s application for a mining lease.
Impact completed a bulk sampling and test pits program at the Lake Hope project in December 2023, and later reached a key milestone by producing HPA greater than 99.99 percent (4N) purity from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope.
In February 2024, a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays was identified. Impact produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 from a low-temperature leach (LTL) process. The LTL process may lower the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process which underpinned the recent scoping study. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study in parallel with the sulphate process at marginal extra cost to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
A comparison of the LTL process and the sulphate process
The company is well funded to finance the pre-feasibility study at the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina project and exploration activities at the Arkun battery minerals project.
Impact Minerals has been awarded a $2.87 million grant for the commercialisation of its innovative process to produce High Purity Alumina (HPA) from the Lake Hope deposit. The grant is under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program which fosters short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grant is part of an estimated $6.4 million research and development project to be completed within three years and designed to provide Impact with the relevant information required to complete a definitive feasibility. A key component of the grant funding will be to construct a pilot plant, which is a key goal for 2025, and this will provide consistent material for off-take and qualification trials.
Impact Minerals was also one of the inaugural cohort of seven companies selected to be part of the prestigious BHP Xplor program. BHP Xplor, an accelerator program introduced by BHP in August 2022, is designed to help provide participants with the opportunity to accelerate their growth and the potential to establish a long-term partnership with BHP and its global network of partners.
The BHP Xplor funding was used to identify new target areas for copper and other energy metals around the Broken Hill area in New South Wales, eastern Australia, where Impact has been quietly adding to its ground position for several years.
Additionally, the company is exploring its large Arkun battery metals project, also in Western Australia which covers nearly 2,900 square kilometres. Three new exploration licence applications were submitted recently immediately north of the Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe, and the Caligula copper anomaly. These anomalies require drill testing which will occur in 2024 and is an exciting development in the emerging mineral province of southwest WA.
A strong management team with over 50 years of combined industry experience leads the company. With a mining and exploration geology degree, Dr. Mike Jones, managing director, launched a long career consulting and leading mining organizations. Peter Unsworth, the non-executive chairman, has more than 35 years of experience in multiple financial sectors, such as securities industries and wealth management. Paul Ingram, a non-executive director, has led several mining companies since 2003. Impact Minerals has the experience and expertise to lead the company to success.
Company Highlights
- Impact Minerals is an exploration and development mining company focused on rapidly moving its flagship Lake Hope high-purity alumina (HPA) project toward production.
- The Lake Hope project has a high-grade maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tonnes at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3), for a contained 880,000 tonnes of alumina that can be converted to HPA.
- HPA is used throughout multiple industries, and the overall HPA market is projected to grow by a CAGR of 18.4 percent by 2030.
- A pre-feasibility study is currently in progress and scheduled to be completed by Q4 2024. A mining lease application for the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) was recently lodged with the aim of being granted by 2026.
- The company’s project portfolio also includes assets with high-grade mineral deposits of a range of base, critical and precious metals.
- Impact Mineral’s 2,000-square-mile Arkun nickel-copper-PGE project in Western Australia has produced encouraging assays that motivate further exploration. Maiden drill programmes are planned for early 2025.
- The company is also exploring its Broken Hill copper project in New South Wales following a major grant under the auspices of the BHP Xplor program in 2023..
- A strong management team leads the company with experience in geology, mining and corporate finance.
Key Projects
Lake Hope HPA Project
Impact Minerals’ Lake Hope HPA project is in Western Australia, a tier-one mining jurisdiction. HPA is a crucial component in many new and emerging technologies, creating ongoing demand for high-grade sources. The Lake Hope project is the company’s flagship as it moves toward production.
Project Highlights:
- Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate: A maiden mineral resource of 3.5 million tonnes at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tonnes of alumina has been defined at the Lake Hope HPA Project. About 88 percent of the resource, or 775,000 tonnes of alumina, is in the higher confidence indicated resource category.
- Amenable to Open-pit Mining: The Lake Hope project is a unique HPA asset amenable to shallow, open-pit mining. The deposit is soft and shallow, allowing for cheap digging and minimal infrastructure requirements. This type of deposit also lowers the environmental footprint of the operation.
- Fast-tracked to Production: A mining lease application is currently underway. Once granted, the company will begin working towards a pre-feasibility study and mini pilot plant. Impact Minerals plans to reach a complete pilot plant by 2026.
- Impressive Results of the 2023 Scoping Study: Outstanding economics show Lake Hope to potentially be the lowest-cost producer of High Purity Alumina (HPA) globally by up to 50 percent. Key outcomes from the scoping study include:
- Annual production of 10,000 tpa of 4N HPA with an initial 25-year mine life
- Annual EBITDA of A$174 million.
- 2 years construction period with 5,000 tonnes of production during the first year, 8,000 tonnes in the second year and 10,000 tonnes of production thereafter.
- US$934 million post-tax NPV8 at an IRR of 55 percent.
- Mining Lease Application: Amining lease application was lodged in mid-2024 over the West Lake resource while a miscellaneous licence application (L63/99) was lodged to cover mine infrastructure and haulage road.
The scoping study was underpinned by a sulphuric acid process allowing the company to achieve a new milestone by producing HPA with purity of more than than 99.99 percent (4N) from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope. The company further identified a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays. Known as the low-temperature leach (LTL) process, this also produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 and has the potential to lower even further the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study along with the sulphate process to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
Broken Hill Copper Project
The Broken Hill project has a significant land position of 815 square kilometers and hosts multiple targets with the potential for high-grade copper. Broken Hill is located in New South Wales, Australia, an area known for its prolific silver-lead-zinc mining operations and the giant Broken Hill deposit.
Project Highlights:
- Participant in the BHP Xplor Program: Impact was selected for the BHP Xplor program in 2023 based on its Broken Hill project. The program is designed to allow participants to accelerate growth and establish a long-term partnership with BHP.
- Potential for Additional Minerals and Deposits: As well as copper, the project has significant exploration potential for magmatic nickel-copper-PGE sulphides, and at the time the host rocks were formed, Broken Hill was located close to the world-class nickel-copper-PGE deposit of Jinchuan and the significant Lengquisheng deposit. The project area also has the potential to contain zinc-lead-silver deposits, providing even more value.
Arkun Nickel-Copper-Gold-Lithium-REE Project
The Arkun project is a 2,900-square-kilometer nickel, copper and gold project located in the emerging Ni-Cu-PGE province near the world-class Julimar Ni-Cu-PGE deposit and surrounded by Anglo American Corporation, which secured its ground holding shortly after Impact secured its asset. Anglo-American is one of the world’s top ten mining companies, and their presence in the region brings confidence in the project’s potential.
Project Highlights:
- Additional Exploration Underway: Impact plans follow-up work programs, including drilling, at its priority targets.
- Significant Targets Identified: Recent soil sampling identified two new prospects:
- Hyperion prospect - Located in the northwestern part of the project area returned with rare earth element anomalism of up to 5,880 ppm (0.59 percent) total rare earth oxide (TREO+Y) and neodymium and praseodymium (Nd+Pr) of up to 21 percent.
- Caligula prospect - Initially identified on the roadside, the Caligula prospect is a large and significant target for porphyry copper mineralisation.
- Three New Exploration Licences: Impact applied for three new exploration licences expanding Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe as well as the Caligula copper anomaly.
Management Team
Peter Unsworth - Non-executive Chairman
Peter Unsworth, formerly a chartered accountant, has over 35 years of experience in the corporate finance, investment and securities industries and a wealth of management experience with public and private companies. A former executive director with a leading Western Australian stockbroking company, Unsworth has been a director of several public exploration and mining companies. He recently completed a long time serving as chairman of the Western Australian Government-owned Gold Corporation (operator of The Perth Mint). Unsworth is the founding chairman of Impact Minerals.
Dr. Mike Jones - Managing Director
Dr. Mike Jones is the founding managing director of Impact Minerals Limited, which was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in November 2006. Reporting to the board of directors, he is responsible for the company's performance as it moves towards production at its Lake Hope High Purity Alumina Project and also for implementing strategies to explore and maximize the value of the company's other extensive tenement holdings.
Since listing, he has helped raise more than $60 million to help fund the exploration of Impact’s projects and managed the company through significant adverse events, including the global financial crisis and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which affected Impact’s considerable investment in the uranium sector, a five-year global downturn in the mining sector and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul Ingram - Non-executive Director
Paul Ingram is a geologist with extensive experience managing major mineral exploration programs for several publicly listed companies and has been involved in the mining sector for over thirty years. He has designed and implemented innovative techniques for exploration in remote areas and has managed projects in countries throughout Australia and East Asia. Ingram has been a director of the following listed companies in the past three years: Polo Resources from January 2008 to January 2011; A-Cap Resources since June 2009; Consolidated Global Investments since September 2006; Caledon Resources from February 2003 to March 2008; and Australian Pacific Coal since March 2011.
Dr Frank Bierlein - Non-executive Director
Dr. Frank Bierlein is a geologist with 30 years of experience as a consultant, researcher, lecturer and industry professional. Bierlein has held exploration and generative geology management positions with QMSD Mining, Qatar Mining, Afmeco Australia and Areva NC, and consulted for, among others, Newmont Gold, Resolute Mining, Goldfields International, Freeport McMoRan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He is currently a non-executive director of PNX Metals. He was previously a non-executive director of Gold Australia NL and chaired the advisory board of a Luxembourg-based private equity fund between 2014 and 2021.
TEM | Yalgoo Update - Further Excellent Iron Results
Key Points
- Additional high-grade magnetite iron intercepted in RC drilling
- Consistent intercepts over >2 km of drilled strike length
- Identical outcropping geology mapped over a 5 km total strike length
- Potential for a large-scale iron ore deposit nearby other world-class processing facilities
Remorse Target
High-grade iron
In addition to the lab results for the first drillhole previously reported 1, the Company is pleased to announce the completion of drilling and that follow-up results in subsequent drillholes confirm the presence of high-grade iron at the Remorse Target. New results include:
WARDH00180 16m @ 32.6% Fe from 93m (pXRF)
WARDH00169 20m @ 32.3% Fe from 120m (pXRF)
and 11m @ 30.8% Fe from 182m (pXRF)
WARDH00166 7m @ 32.8% Fe from 96m (Lab)
WARDH00171 8m @ 30.1% Fe from 130m (pXRF)
* Portable XRF (pxrf) results are not comparable in reliability to authorised laboratory results and should be not relied on for quantitative purposes outside indicative demonstrations of potential order of magnitude of enrichments.
Background
TEM has completed the first phase of RC drilling at the Remorse Target of its flagship Yalgoo Project. In total, 21 RC holes were drilled for 4,005m. Samples have been Boxscanned (pXRF) and submitted to the lab and final assay results are expected in December 2024.
The previously reported iron intercept from the first hole drilled at Remorse was WARDH00160 of 32m @ 30.0% Fe from 96m (including 7m @ 37% Fe) (Lab).
The Remorse Target is part of Tempest's broader Yalgoo Project which spans over 1,000 square kilometres of prospective terrain for base metals, precious metals and iron ore.
Figure 01: Section through iron mineralisation WARDH00180
Figure 02: Section through iron mineralisation WARDH00169 and WARDH00163-165.
All samples collected have been analysed using a Boxscan unit which includes a mounted portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF). Although not as accurate as laboratory analysis, pXRF data when collected in a quality and consistent manner can also exhibit high accuracy and precision. The pXRF data has been compared with assays received to date (>800 samples) and has an average variance of -4.2% and a median of -4.3%. The results indicate the accuracy is considered acceptable for current exploration reporting purposes (and potentially an overall slight underestimation by pXRF).
Remaining assay results are due in December and are expected to correlate strongly with the pxrf results announced.
As previously advised, the drill program design was focused on the strong base metal geochemical anomaly exhibited at the Remorse Target 2. The planned holes were focused strongly on testing the 'hanging wall' stratigraphy at Remorse and were not initially focused on the newly identified iron layer. However, the program did result in the 4 most northerly drill holes intercepting the main magnetite layer and numerous holes intercepting adjacent magnetite-rich layers.
The widely spaced drilling shows continuity and consistency over more than 2 kilometres and identical iron-rich stratigraphy outcrops can be traced over an extensive 5-kilometre zone correlating with the original Remorse Target footprint.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Tempest Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Brunswick Exploration
Investor Insight
With multiple significant lithium discoveries under its belt and a proven exploration strategy that yields results, Brunswick Exploration makes a compelling investment proposition in the ever- expanding lithium space.
Overview
Brunswick Exploration (TSXV:BRW,OTCQB:BRWXF,1XQ:FF) is among the only public companies aggressively and systematically conducting grassroots exploration for lithium in Canada and Greenland using state-of-the-art exploration technology to identify high-potential targets. Specifically, the company has staked major under-explored pegmatite fields across Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Greenland.
Brunswick Exploration’s team of geologists begins by compiling available data and conducting research to identify locations where they believe the potential for minerals of interest might be
found. The technical field team is dispatched to conduct a prospecting program by gathering robust observational data using tried-and-true field geology techniques. The goal of the program is to reveal the presence of mineralization that may predict the presence of an unknown mineral deposit.
The company's exploration team is guided by its executive chairman Robert Wares, who co- founded the original Osisko Mining and was responsible for discovering the Canadian Malartic bulk tonnage gold mine. That mine was subsequently developed by Osisko into one of Canada's largest gold producers. Wares is an established and award-winning professional geologist with over 40 years of experience in mineral exploration and development.
Brunswick Exploration has identified five high-priority projects in the Eeyou Istchee-James Bay region of Quebec: Mirage, Elrond, Anatacau, PLEX and Mythril. In 2023, grassroots lithium discoveries were made at Mirage, Elrond and Anatacau, which are currently the focus of drilling.
In 2024, Brunswick Exploration successfully discovered Greenland’s first lithium-bearing spodumene pegmatitewithin the Ivisaartoq pegmatite field covered by the company’s Nuuk license. The Ivisaartoq pegmatite field is Mesoarchean in age and contains amphibolites, metasediments, ultramafics, gneiss, gabbros, granites and pegmatites. Following this discovery, the company is now seeking to expand its licence in the the Nuuk area, and has acquired new landholding in new regions in Western Greenland.
Company Highlights
- Brunswick Exploration (BRW) is a Montreal-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSXV under symbol BRW. The company is focused on grassroots exploration for lithium in Canada and Greenland, a critical metal necessary to global decarbonization and energy transition.
- This has generated one of the largest grassroots lithium portfolios globally.
- BRW's board includes Robert Wares, one of the founders of Osisko Mining.
- BRW was recognized as one of the Top 50 TSX Venture listed companies in 2023.
- The company has staked hundreds of untested prospective pegmatites measuring a minimum strike length of 500 meters and within 50 kilometers of infrastructure.
- In 2023, three discoveries were made in the Eeyou Istchee-James Bay region of Quebec at the Mirage, Anatacau Main and Elrond projects.
- Sirios Resources signed an agreement with Brunswick Exploration granting it the right to purchase a 0.5 percent net smelter return (NSR) held by Sirios on eight claims that are part of Brunswick Exploration's Mirage lithium property located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay.
- In 2024, BRW announced a newly discovered pegmatite outcrop from its Nuuk License making it the first confirmed lithium discovery in Greenland.
Key Projects
Mirage Project
The Mirage project comprises 427 claims with a total surface area of 21,230 hectares (staked and optioned claims), located roughly 40 kilometers south of the Trans-Taiga Highway in Quebec’s James Bay region. Fruitful discussions with a geologist that worked the area twenty- five years ago for gold exploration led to the staking of the BRW claims, as he recorded the presence of several angular pegmatitic glacial boulders hosting well-defined, decimetric spodumene crystals. The largest observed boulder measured 8 meters by 4 meters by 3 meters. In the fall of 2023, BRW discovered several high grade spodumene outcrops over a 2.5 kilometer trend as well as an adjacent 3.0 kilometer spodumene boulder train that has different mineralogy than the discovered outcrops.
In 2023, BRW completed a 5,000-meter drill program at the Mirage project. Phase 1 of the 26- hole program, aimed to test the continuity and widths of the six widest spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes that have been discovered to date on the property over a total cumulative strike length of 2,500 meters. Final drill results from the 2023 program at the Mirage project have outlined two new spodumene mineralized dykes (MR-5 and MR-6) with significant thickness and grade, all within the Central Zone. MR-23-28 intersected high-grade mineralization of 1.80 percent Li2O over 37.2 meters starting from surface in newly discovered dyke MR-6 located 500 metres northeast of MR-3. Evidence of potential stacking of dykes in Central Zone where MR-23-35 intercepted 11.5 meters grading 1.1 percent Li2O approximately 100 meters south of MR-3 in new dyke MR-5.
In H1 2024, a Phase II drilling campaign, containing 35 holes was completed at the Mirage project by targeting the extensions of known pegmatite dykes (MR-1 to MR-6) while new prospective outcrops have yet to be drill-tested. Results have generated up to 58.10 meters of 1.59 percent Li2O.
In 2024, Brunswick Exploration signed an agreement with Sirios Resources to repurchase an existing 0.5 percent NSR on certain claims within the Mirage project.
Elrond Project
The Elrond Project comprises 136 claims with a total area of 7,048 hectares, located roughly 12 kilometers east of the Billy Diamond Highway in Quebec’s James Bay region. Elrond is part of the Mythril option agreement with Midland Exploration whereby BRW can earn a maximum of 85 percent interest in the project.
In the fall of 2023, BRW uncovered a new, undocumented spodumene-bearing pegmatite, known as the Arwen showing, that is exposed over a surface area measuring approximately 250 meters by 100 meters, dipping very shallowly to the north. The pegmatite remains open in all directions.
The Arwen outcrop is well mineralized in spodumene throughout the showing with an apparent higher-grade zone, containing up to 30 percent spodumene, which has a visible extent of approximately 75 by 15 meters. The spodumene crystals are well formed and up to 30 centimeters in length with an off-white color and were confirmed through LIBS analysis and UV light.
In early 2024, the company completed a maiden drilling campaign at the Elrond project to test the Arwen spodumene-bearing pegmatite. The Arwen pegmatite is well mineralized and three representative grab samples returned values between 1 and 3 percent Li2O. A high-resolution airborne magnetic survey was flown in the fall of 2023 and suggests that the Arwen showing is emplaced in a favorable structural corridor that is 4 kilometers long and 500 meters wide. The target area is proximal to infrastructure, located approximately 12 kilometers from the Billy- Diamond Highway and drilling activities will be ground supported via a winter road.
Anatacau
Comprising the Anatacau Main and Anatacau West projects, these assets are under an option agreement with Osisko GP, a subsidiary of Osisko Development, under which Brunswick Exploration can earn a 90 percent interest in the projects. The Anatacau property is located just east of Arcadium’s (NYSE:ALTM) James Bay Lithium deposit (previously known as the Cyr deposit), which has a total mineral resource of 110.2 million tons (Mt) at 1.30 percent lithium oxide and a total ore reserve of 37.3 Mt at 1.27 percent lithium oxide.
BRW completed a maiden drill program at the Anatacau West property totalling 3,712 meters. 17 of the 18 drilled holes intersected spodumene mineralization that generated up to 26.5 metres at 1.51 percent Li2O.
In the summer of 2023, Brunswick discovered a significant lithium pegmatite outcrop, measuring at least 100 meters long by 15 meters wide known as the Anais showing in Anatacau Main. The outcrop is within a larger cluster of pegmatite dykes all of which contain high-grade lithium mineralization.
This discovery is located 22 kilometers east of Anatacau West and Arcadium’s James Bay project along a large-scale E-W deformation corridor which is host to the known lithium-bearing pegmatite dykes in the region.
BRW reported multiple high spodumene grain countson the Anatacau West property during a till sampling campaign undertaken in the summer of 2024. These highly encouraging results (up to 1,225 spodumene grains in a single sample) further reinforce lithium potential in the bedrock and delineate a new, highly prospective unexplored area at the Anatacau West property beyond the previously drilled pegmatites.
Greenland
Since its confirmation of Greenland’s lithium potential, Brunswick Exploration has a renewed focus on further strengthening its targets in Greenland. The company now controls one of the most significant grassroots exploration portfolios in the country and is the only company actively exploring for lithium in Greenland, according to president and CEO Killian Charles.
Nuuk Expansion
The Nuuk holdings host the new Ivisaartoq discovery within the Ivisaartoq belt. The company has applied to stake the adjacent Ujarassuit amphibolite belt that is up to 1 km in width and roughly 40 km in strike length. The company has also staked additional amphibolite belts within the Fiskefjord Complex, 95 kilometers north of Nuuk, and 75 kilometers southeast of the community of Maniitsoq. These belts are up to 4.5 km in width and 20 km in strike length. In total, the new claims contain hundreds of mapped and interpreted pegmatite outcrops including six that are between 500 and 2,000 meters in strike length for a total license expansion area of 33,138 hectares.
Disko Bay
The Disko Bay licenses are located roughly 30 to 80 km from the coastal city of Ilulissat, which is the third largest city in Greenland. The licenses are near multiple seaports and container terminals, including Ilulissat. The area is situated within the Aasiaat domain, part of the Paleoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian Orogen, sandwiched to the south by the Archean North Atlantic Craton and to the north by the Archean Rae Craton. The Orogen extends west into the Trans-Hudson orogeny of Canada that continues to the lithium deposits near Snow Lake Manitoba and the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Multiple amphibolite and metasedimentary belts were acquired with some belts being over 20 km in strike length. The new claims have hundreds of mapped and interpreted pegmatite targets with a total license area of 49,639 hectares.
Uummannaq
The licenses are located roughly 70 km from the coastal city of Uummannaq, about 80 km north of Ilulissat. Uummannaq has a population of about 1,660, an airport and a ferry terminal as well as a nearby container terminal. The area is located within the Archean Rae Craton that is intermixed with the Paleoproterozoic Rinkian fold-thrust belt, both of which are in contact with the Paleoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian Orogen to the south.
The new license contains multiple amphibolite and metasedimentary belts with dozens of mapped and interpreted pegmatites with a total license area of 9,770 hectares.Management Team
Robert Wares - Executive Chairman
Robert Wares is a professional geologist with more than 35 years of experience in mineral exploration and development. He was responsible for discovering the Canadian Malartic bulk tonnage gold mine, which was subsequently developed by Osisko Mining into one of Canada's largest gold producers. Wares was a co-winner of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's "Prospector of the Year Award" for 2007. He was also named one of the "Mining
Men of the Year" for 2009 by the Northern Miner. He has a bachelor of science and an honorary doctorate in Earth sciences from McGill University.
Killian Charles - President and CEO
From 2017 to 2021, Killian Charles worked as VP of corporate development for Osisko Metals. Charles was previously the manager of corporate development at Integra Gold Corp, which was an advanced-stage gold development company until it was acquired by Eldorado Gold in July 2017. He worked as a mining analyst at Industrial Alliance Securities and Laurentian Bank Securities. Charles covered small and mid-cap exploration and production companies as a mining analyst. Charles holds a bachelor of science with a major in Earth and planetary sciences from McGill University.
Anthony Glavac - CFO
Anthony Glavac has more than 17 years of experience in financial reporting, including over 12 years in the mining industry. Since August 2017, Glavac has served as vice-president, and corporate controller for Falco Resources, and previously served as director, financial reporting and internal controls at Dynacor Gold Mines. Glavac spent 10 years at KPMG, working with both public and private companies, providing audit, taxation, strategic advisory and public offering services. Glavac is also involved with other public companies in the mining industry.
François Goulet - Exploration Manager, Quebec
François Goulet holds a master’s degree in structural geology from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). In recent years he was president and CEO of Harfang Exploration, a gold project generator in the James Bay region. He has extensive experience working in the James Bay region of Quebec as well as international experience in a variety of exploration projects.
Goulet has worked for Virginia Mines, Unigold, Maya Gold and Silver, the Canadian Malartic Partnership, Glencore Canada and several other junior companies. He is a member of the board of directors of l’Association de l’exploration minière du Québec (AEMQ) and a registered geologist with the Ordre des géologues du Québec since January 2011.
Charles Kodors - Exploration Manager, Atlantic Canada
Charles Kodors is the Manager, Atlantic Canada at Brunswick Exploration Inc. and has been with the company since January 2021. Having 15 years of experience in the mining and exploration industry, he most recently served as an exploration manager for Osisko Metals and a senior exploration geologist for Kirkland Lake Gold. Charles Kodors received his B.Sc. from Brock University and is a registered professional geologist within the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Simon Hébert - Vice-president, Development
Simon Hébert is a professional geologist with over 13 years in the mining exploration industry. He began his career with Virginia Mines and Osisko Mining. Hébert has worked on several
metallogenic projects and in various environments, mainly in the Baie-James territory, Nunavik and the Northwest Territories. He was a mining director in April 2019 where he participated in the formation of NQ Mining Investment, where he subsequently became general manager in 2023. Hébert is a registered professional geologist and a member of the Ordre des Géologues du Quebec since 2012. He has sat on the AEMQ board of directors since 2019, serving as vice- president. He is president of the board of directors of the Table Jamésienne de concertation minière. Hébert holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Université Laval.
Rio Silver
Investor Insight
Rio Silver’s value proposition leverages a wholly owned 4,300 hectares of mineral concessions in a historic Peruvian mining district, a management team holding a 29 percent stake and over two decades of local experience, extensive exploration data and promising historical drill results.
Overview
Rio Silver (TSXV:RYO) is a precious metals mining and exploration company with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metals deposits in South America. The company is currently focused on advancing its 100 percent-owned Niñobamba silver-gold project in Peru. The company has decades of experience navigating the mining regulatory landscape of Peru and considers itself to be well-positioned for the coming mining cycle.
Rio Silver’s flagship Niñobamba property is located in the Department of Ayacucho about 330 kilometers southeast of Lima. The 4,300-hectare property is wholly owned by the company and the project is drill ready. The Niñobamba project partially comprises a 2,200 hectare property which was previously owned by Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) and Southern Peru Mining. The balance was held by AngloGold Ashanti and Bear Creek Mining but has since been strategically acquired and consolidated into Rio Silver’s property.
The Ninobamba project engulfs a collapsed caldera, an ancient volcano, where the Niñobamba North and South zones were mineralized in a hot spring environment within the wall rock of the caldera surrounded by areas that contain high-sulfidation mineralization with near surface silver and gold deposits modeled for Rio Silver using leapfrog 3D software. The neighbouring Jorimina deposit, 6.5 kilometers to the west, where Newmont spent more than US$7 million, concluded an internal, positive, preliminary economic assessment, detailing a predominantly gold-rich, low to mid-sulfidation deposit found in the floor structure of this collapsed caldera.
The company’s management and advisory team is made up of experienced industry veterans, some with as many as 25 years of experience working in Peru. The team has an in-depth understanding of the regulatory processes associated with mining exploration in the country.
To date, Rio Silver and other historical operators have completed US$10 million in exploration expenditure on the Niñobamba property. The company has low overhead expenditure and strong alliances in Peru that are helping it achieve new initiatives for enhanced sustainability.
The company now holds a 3 percent net smelter return (NSR) royalty with guaranteed minimum payments from a recent property sale and these initiatives enable more exploration by helping Rio Silver with sustaining costs.
Company Highlights
- Rio Silver owns six mineral concessions covering 4,300 hectares of wholly-owned land in a historic Peruvian mining district.
- The property was historically surrounded by big-name miners (Newmont, Southern Peru Copper) and is now wholly owned by Rio Silver.
- Experienced management team with more than two decades of mining experience in Peru.
- Extensive trenching completed at the Niñobamba zone.
- The management team holds a 29 percent stake in the company.
- US$10 million in exploration expenditure completed to date by Rio and historical operators.
- All the historical data has been collected from previous owners.
- Historical drilling on the Niñobamba property intersected 130 meters of 2.55 oz/t silver and 72.3 meters of 1.19 g/t gold.
- New gold zone identified include 56 meters at 98.9 g/t silver and 21.77 meters at 1.32 g/t gold, 102.46 g/t silver.
Key Project
Niñobamba Silver Project, Peru
Located 330 kilometers southeast of Lima in the Department of Ayacucho, the Niñobamba property is 100 percent wholly owned by Rio Silver. The property includes six mineral concessions covering 4,300 hectares. The district has historically been mined by major international gold miners including Newmont Goldcorp and Southern Peru Mining.
The property was initially explored by AngloGold (JSE:ANG) in 2001. Anglo drilled five widely-spaced core holes totaling 861 meters focusing in an area of intense hydrothermal surface alteration. AngloGold’s drilling highlights included assay results of 87.0 grams per tonne (g/t) silver over a drilled interval of 130 meters starting from a depth of 9 meters reported from drill hole DDH-2 and 54.0 g/t silver over a drilled interval of 96 meters starting from 23 meters reported from the AN-04 drill hole.
Adjacent zones acquired from major miners
In 2016, Rio Silver consolidated its property by acquiring the surrounding 2,200 hectares of adjoining land from Newmont Mining and Southern Peru Copper. These included the 2,000 hectare Jorimina zone, which is located about 6.5 kilometers west of the Niñobamba and is believed to be part of the same high-sulfidation silver-gold system identified in the main Niñobamba zones. Along with the property came an extensive database of information including results and reports from an exploration program by the mining majors which encompassed 553 hectares. Newmont’s exploration included mapping, 2,147 rock samples and induced polarization geophysics. This historic exploration indicated a gold anomalous area of more than 700 meters by 1,000 meters as well as four strong chargeability anomalies coinciding with gold-silver in rock anomalies.
Newmont’s historic data includes samples of 17.4 meters of 3.06 g/t gold and 200 meters of 0.26 g/t gold. Historic exploration in the Jorimina zone conducted by Newmont in 2009 and 2010 shows highlights of 72.3 meters of 1.19 g/t gold starting at 53-meter depth.
In 2024, Rio Silver completed a surface access agreement with the local community for one year at the Jorimina project after an environmental impact study and community workshops were also completed to represent the final steps of the drill permitting application process.
Exploration and trenching results
To date, extensive trenching has been completed by Rio Silver on the Niñobamba property. In 2012, the company began conducting surface trenching in areas proximate to historical drilling locations. Exploration has focused primarily on the north and south zones of silver mineralization approximately 400 meters apart with variable thicknesses. Surface sampling near trenches in the north zone returned highlights of 1.32 g/t gold and 102.46 g/t silver. Sampling near trenches in the south zone returned highlights of 42.62 meters of 130.98 g/t silver. Additional highlights can be found on Rio Silver’s website.Management Team
Chris Verrico - President, CEO, and Director
Chris Verrico has extensive experience with rural-remote infrastructure construction and contract mining throughout BC, the Yukon, Alaska and Nunavut. He has been a director for a dozen startup junior mining companies, most of which have become public companies. Verrico has managed numerous exploration projects in North America, Mexico and throughout western South America. He is currently the director of Juggernaught Exploration.
Christopher Hopton - CFO
Christopher Hopton has over 25 years of experience in senior accounting and financial roles. He is currently the CFO of Sirona Biochem.
Steve Brunelle - Chairman
Steve Brunelle is the former officer and director of Corner Bay Silver, which was acquired by Pan American Silver. He has 35 years of experience in mineral exploration throughout the Americas and is currently an Officer and Director for several TSXV companies.
Jeffrey J Reeder - Advisor
Jeffrey J Reeder is a professional geologist with more than two decades of experience working in Peru. Reeder possesses an in-depth understanding of the rules, practices, and processes involved in conducting mining and exploration in the country and is currently the president of Peruvian Metals that owns a custom toll milling facility in northern Peru.
Jim McCrea – Adviser
Jim McCrea has more than 30 years’ experience in exploration, mining geology and mineral resource estimation. He worked for junior mining/exploration companies and engineering companies SRK and Snowden. His geological expertise ranges from technical review and due diligence to resource estimation and feasibility studies. McCrea has experience in a range of commodities, but primarily gold, silver and copper, with particular focus on North and South America. He has performed ore body modeling and resource estimation for the successfully targeted takeover company Cumberland Resources by Agnico-Eagle Mines. More recently, McCrea completed many mineral resource estimations underpinning acquisitions such as Minera San Cristóbal S.A. of Bolivia, Arena Minerals and Montan Mining, to mention a few.
Edward J Badidaa, - Director
Edward J Badidaa is a professional accountant with over 40 years of financial management and corporate governance experience. He currently serves as a director for Patagonia Gold.
Richard Mazur - Director
Richard Mazur is the co-founder and past managing director of RLG International operating in over 30 countries worldwide with more than 300 employees.
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