The Conversation (0)
Silver47 Exploration Corp. (TSXV: AGA) ("Silver47" or the "Company), has identified anomalous concentrations of several elements listed by both the United States and Canada as 'critical metals.' Following the 2024 drill program, a full review of historic and recent drill assays was undertaken with a focus on critical mineral potential. In addition to the high-grade zinc-silver-gold-lead-copper defined in the inferred resource, elevated amounts antimony (Sb), gallium (Ga), niobium (Nb), and vanadium (V) were found to occur within the Dry Creek (DC) and West Tundra Flats (WTF) resource zones.
Highlights
The highest grades of antimony, gallium and vanadium occurs at the Dry Creek zone with up to 6,230 parts per million ("ppm") (0.623%) antimony and 116.4 ppm gallium and 1110 ppm vanadium
The most significant interval drilled at the Dry Creek zone was from hole DC18-77, which returned 6.8 metres of 2,928.4 ppm antimony, 81.7 ppm gallium, 938.7 g/t silver, 1.5 g/t gold, 3.5% zinc, 1.7% lead, 0.4% copper including;
4.3 metres of 4,432.2 ppm antimony, 96.7 ppm gallium, 1434.8 g/t silver, 2.2 g/t gold 4.8% zinc, 2.3% lead and 0.5% copper
CEO Gary R. Thompson, stated: "The identification of gallium and antimony, among other critical minerals, within the resource zones has the potential to add significant value to our Red Mountain project. While we are focused on growing the silver-gold and base metals resource at Red Mountain, further assessment of these critical minerals, which are used in a myriad of high-tech applications, is planned to better understand the potential contribution that they may have on the project."
High antimony and gallium assay values consistently occur within previously reported intervals of high-grade silver-zinc-gold-lead-copper massive sulfides and are distributed throughout the resources. Niobium and vanadium highs occur primarily in the western portion of Dry Creek.
Figure 1. Red Mountain Project Location.
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Table 1. Select drilled intervals containing high antimony and gallium at the Dry Creek Zone.
| Drill Hole | Interval | Antimony | Gallium | Silver | Gold | Zinc | Lead | Copper |
| ID | (m) | (ppm) | (ppm) | (g/t) | (g/t) | (%) | (%) | % |
| DC24-105 | 14.3 | 725.8 | 57.8 | 222.0 | 1.2 | 8.4 | 3.7 | 0.2 |
| DC24-106 | 24.5 | 114.0 | 35.8 | 55.5 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| including | 2.5 | 334.0 | 22.1 | 249.5 | 15.0 | 22.0 | 7.0 | 0.4 |
| DC18-76 | 23.6 | 547.5 | 77.4 | 106.9 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| including | 4.1 | 993.2 | 84.1 | 84.6 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 0.2 |
| DC18-77 | 6.8 | 2,928.4 | 81.7 | 938.7 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.4 |
| including | 4.3 | 4,432.2 | 96.7 | 1434.8 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 0.5 |
| DC18-79 | 4.6 | 1,074.0 | 55.9 | 233.3 | 1.8 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 0.2 |
| and | 6.1 | 743.4 | 35.0 | 384.6 | 5.5 | 15.9 | 6.3 | 1.2 |
| including | 4.7 | 868.4 | 29.8 | 466.0 | 6.9 | 19.5 | 7.8 | 1.5 |
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Table 2. Select drilled intervals of high antimony and gallium at the West Tundra Flats Zone.
| Drill Hole | Interval | Antimony | Gallium | Silver | Gold | Zinc | Lead | Copper |
| ID | (m) | (ppm) | (ppm) | (g/t) | (g/t) | (%) | (%) | % |
| WT24-33 | 2.90 | 919.6 | 14.5 | 417.4 | 0.7 | 9.1 | 4.8 | 0.1 |
| WTF83-17 | 1.90 | 954.5 | 9.8 | 620.7 | 3.6 | 16.5 | 6.7 | 0.4 |
| WT18-28 | 3.50 | 991.2 | 9.8 | 517.5 | 2.1 | 15.1 | 6.7 | 0.2 |
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Notes: Reported intervals in Table 1 and 2 are drilled intervals not true widths.
Alex Walls, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, stated: "The high antimony and gallium content within both existing resource zones shows that there is more value to unlock at Red Mountain as we continue drilling to grow the already impressive polymetallic resource."
China is the world's largest producer of many critical minerals and has recently imposed a ban on the export of gallium, antimony, and other essential materials, further straining global supply chains. Critical minerals are vital to the economies of Canada and the U.S. and have now become a matter of national security, shedding light on the vulnerabilities within our supply chains. According to consultancy Project Blue, China controls 98.8% of the global supply of refined gallium, while China and Russia together dominate 70% of the world's supply of antimony.
Gallium is used in a variety of high-tech and energy-efficient applications, including AI technologies, data centers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), magnet manufacturing, semiconductors, microchips, clean energy solutions, consumer electronics, communications, and thin-film solar technologies.
Antimony plays a critical role in several military and industrial applications, such as fire-retardant materials, ammunition, night vision goggles, nuclear weapons, anti-tank missiles, and armor-piercing bullets. It is also essential in the production of infrared sensors, precision optics, laser sighting, explosive formulations, hardened lead for bullets and shrapnel, ammunition primers, tracer ammunition, tritium production, flares, military clothing, and communication equipment. Additionally, antimony is crucial in the creation of tungsten steel and the hardening of lead bullets.
About the Red Mountain VMS-SEDEX Project - Alaska, USA
Silver47's flagship Red Mountain property covers 633 square kilometres of Alaska State-managed land 100 kilometres south of Fairbanks, Alaska. The project is well situated for infrastructure, 30 kilometres east of the community of Healy which has power, rail and state highway access to Alaska Route 3, providing a valuable connection to the port of Anchorage and tide water. The Company has an approved permit to conduct advanced exploration across the project.
Red Mountain hosts a NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource estimate of 15.6 Mt at 7% zinc equivalent ("ZnEq") for 1Mt of ZnEq or 335.7 g/t silver equivalent ("AgEq") for 168.6 Moz AgEq at the Dry Creek (DC) and West Tundra Flats (WTF) resource areas as combined open pit and underground. DC and WTF are the two most advanced mineralized zones at Red Mountain, with at least 20 additional mineralized prospects discovered on the property to date over the 60 kilometres of highly prospective geology.
For more information, see the Red Mountain NI 43-101 technical report titled "Technical Report on the Red Mountain VMS Property, Bonnifield Mining District, Alaska, USA" dated January 12, 2024, prepared by Apex Geoscience Ltd., can be found on the Company's website https://silver47.ca/ and SEDAR+.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) protocols for drill core sampling at Red Mountain project followed industry standard practices. Core samples were typically taken at 1.0 metre intervals in mineralized zones, and 3.0 metre intervals outside of mineralized zones. Sample lengths were adjusted as necessary so as not to cross lithologic and mineralogic boundaries. QAQC check samples were inserted into the sample stream with one blank, one duplicate (coarse), and one certified reference material (CRM) occurring within every 20 samples. Drill core was cut in half, bagged, sealed and delivered directly to ALS Minerals Fairbanks, Alaska for transport to the ALS Minerals Laboratories labs in North Vancouver, British Columbia. ALS Minerals Laboratories are registered to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 17025 accreditations for laboratory procedures. Core samples were analyzed at ALS Laboratory facilities in North Vancouver using four-acid digestion with an ICP-MS finish. Gold analysis was by fire assay with atomic absorption finish, or gravimetric finish for over-limit samples. Over-limits for silver, zinc, copper, and lead were analyzed using Ore Grade four-acid digestion. The standards, certified reference materials, were acquired from CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd. of Langley, British Columbia and selected to represent expected mineralization.
Qualified Person
Mr. Alex S. Wallis, P.Geo., is Vice President of Exploration for the Company who is a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Wallis has verified the data disclosed in this press release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the technical information and has approved the technical information in this press release.
About Silver47 Exploration Corp.
Silver47 wholly-owns three silver and critical metals (polymetallic) exploration projects in Canada ‎and the US: the Flagship Red Mountain silver-gold-zinc-copper-lead VMS-SEDEX project in ‎southcentral Alaska; the Adams Plateau silver-zinc-copper-gold-lead SEDEX-VMS project in ‎southern British Columbia, and the Michelle silver-lead-zinc-gallium-antimony MVT-SEDEX ‎Project in Yukon Territory.‎ Silver47 Exploration Corporation shares trade on the TSX-V under the ticker symbol AGA. For ‎more information about Silver47, please visit our website at www.silver47.ca.‎
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Mr. Gary R. Thompson
Director and CEO
gthompson@silver47.ca
For investor relations
Meredith Eades
info@silver47.ca
778.835.2547
No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this 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.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable ‎‎securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this ‎‎context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, ‎and ‎often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", ‎statements that ‎an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, including ‎statements relating ‎to the trading of the Company's common shares on the TSXV, the prospective ‎geology and composition of its properties, anticipated results of further exploration on its properties, ‎statements relating to the YESAB litigation, or other similar expressions and all statements, other than ‎statements of historical fact included ‎herein. 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 include, among ‎others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; the satisfaction of ‎the conditions imposed ‎by the TSXV on the Listing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; ‎regulatory risks; ‎fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; litigation risks; and the additional risks identified in the ‎‎Company's long form prospectus dated October 25, 2024 filed under its issuer profile on SEDAR+ and ‎other reports and filings with the TSXV and ‎applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking ‎statements are made based on management's ‎beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that ‎statements are made and the Company undertakes no ‎obligation to update forward-looking statements if ‎these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other ‎circumstances should change, except as required by ‎applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned ‎against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking ‎statements.‎
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